At least it’s a first step in breaking the Amtrak monopoly and there horrendous offerings. When done properly train travel is a great way to travel and if Musk’s hyperloop proves technically feasible there’s no reason why it can’t also be adapted to run along some current train track corridors.
I’ve taken Amtrak NY-Florida about 5 times in my life and its really disappointing today. There should be satellite TV at the seats and full, WORKING wi-fi everywhere on the train. They advertise that but in my experience it doesn’t always hold up.
A pleasant train experience would give so many of us some sort of possible option to that madness of Greyhound in the sky, affectionately known as Delta, American, TSA, etc.
And some competition could help lower the outrageous passenger fees.
I’ve ridden a lot in Germany via the rail system, and in 2013....I finally had a chance to ride from DC down to Birmingham, Alabama. Private cabin...the works.
For the cost, I could have flown first-class, and stayed at a Hyatt. The dinner for the evening was OK, nothing to brag about. Entertainment? Basically sipping beer and looking out the window. It just isn’t the same experience as you’d have in Germany. Toss in the lousy maintenance issue of the rails, and the railway station both at DC and Birmingham....and I’d suggest to most people to forget about the experience. If you want real rail experiences....go to France or Germany.
Suggestion: If you’re going to stick a station in a crime infested, major metro area, schedule stops for sometime other than/in addition to the frickin’ middle of the night. AAAAARGH.
When we were in Spain, we took several trips by train, their train system is top-notch, puts ours to shame.