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Step 1
You’ve got a plan and itinerary, have negotiated your best price and are ready to sprint to the station. Hopefully, you’ve inquired about extra services for frequent or business travelers, or whatever perks are allowed when traveling in large groups or families. There may even be arrangements for assigned seating--it never hurts to ask. At the station, make sure you park the car in a long-term area, and make allowances if you are leaving from the snow belt, where rolling luggage may be encumbered by snow or ice upon your return, as well as during your departure. Don’t leave valuables in your car, and in case you return to the station in the midst of a blizzard, make sure your gas tank is full so you have plenty of gas to make it home.
Hold on. Have you checked the train timetables? To prevent yourself from wandering aimlessly due to a cancelled/delayed train, and potentially losing belongings or having them “lifted” while you nap in the station, make sure you have a definite, up-to-the-minute schedule.
Allow extra time—for both check-in and loading--if you are hauling several pieces of luggage, traveling with kids, or taking skis or other equipment. Smart travelers take hardy baggage that is easy to carry/roll, as well as lift and load or transfer.
If the unthinkable happens, and you are delayed anyway, avoid the uncomfortable areas where you might catch drafts, over-heat in a crowded corridor, or be susceptible to a multitude of germs. The main concourse or waiting room might serve the purpose of safety, but beware of standing alone on a platform, especially at isolated or low-traffic times. Remain in a well-lit spot while on the platform, and try to be near other people.
Also, don’t wander away from your baggage.
NEVER leave your passport or money/travelers checks in bags; carry them on you, and keep them in a secured container—perhaps a strap-on wallet underneath your clothing to prevent pick-pocketing. Make sure your luggage is securely locked, and is insured for damage, loss or theft—and keeping a separate list of contents is a good idea, as is placing extra I.D. inside of any bag while traveling (tags often come unfastened). And, adding an extra band or non-removable cord/ribbon is a quick way to not only know which are your bags when the mad scramble to de-train begins, but may deter any potential thievery, thanks to their distinctive earmarks. -
Step 2
On Amtrak, you may encounter different classes of service, ranging from coach seats to sleeping cars. This can potentially affect not only your comfort and security, but that of your belongings, too. It can make the difference of your carry-on bags being within reach and view (offered with most coach accommodations), to stowing carry-on within sleeping cars that are not accessible unless someone enters the sleep car.
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Step 3
Sleeping cars generally attract people who can afford those accommodations, and are usually only frequented by people who are booked into them. The rooms are lockable from the inside, but are able to be entered by the car attendant in the event that a child becomes locked inside or other mishaps occur.
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Step 4
Overall, rail travel is very safe. That’s not to say that collisions don’t happen--it means that the chances of a fatality occurring with a crash are very rare. Even when train injuries occur, they are usually minor by comparison to those caused in other vehicles.
Airplanes offer the fewest number of accidents by the mile covered, but the chances for survival—or even just injury vs. death--are more rare than with all other means of transportation when those accidents occur. The reason for that is a combination of the distance from terra firma, hitting other objects while aloft, and the speeds that planes travel--along with the fact that planes are filled with very combustible fuel.
Also, on buses or in cars, airbags and additional safety features help to save lives; on planes—due to the speeds and flammability--such items are useless overall, given the inherent danger. Train passenger cars do not carry fuel, and by comparison, are metal cases carrying people with luggage. Injuries can include those caused by flying debris, or when unanchored objects—such as portable chairs—are added to a car and people fall from them—then sustain injuries.
Weighted trains is key when they meet obstacles; they are usually much heavier than whatever they may encounter—with the exception of another train. Train on train tends to be rare, as long as signaling is done correctly and personnel stay alert. But, auto drivers offer an entirely different problem for trains. Three out of four collisions between trains and cars are due to auto driver impatience or inattention, and a car is not going to be the victor. -
Step 5
The most a train passenger is likely to feel during an impact is deceleration, as it can take thousands of feet to stop the usual Amtrak train moving at average speed. Of course, if there is a collision, passengers will be very aware of a problem, as further travel is held up for hours at a time while an investigation takes place.
Comments
tenacious30 said
on 11/27/2008 I would like to know, how safe is it to travel by train during snowy weather?
Clem-Media said
on 7/1/2008 And, boy, aren't they looking better and better with the prices of gas?
Clem-Media said
on 1/12/2008 Thanks so much, but apparently my longwindedness resulted in some of the last few steps being cut off mid-word.
So, I would encourage you to re-read it for the full amount of info--especially de-training details--because I will now learn to read all the sentences and not assume cutting and pasting has been successful when posting these!
LOL.
grouch said
on 1/12/2008 I have always wanted to travel by train and with your tips we can do it all safer. Thanks.