It feels like a long time since I tried out the California Rail Pass from Amtrak – and indeed it has been! That was 2017 – the year when a maniac took charge in the US. Thank God that’s over! Now, nine years later, I took the plunge and bought an Amtrak USA Rail Pass.
If you’d like to find out more about the carbon footprint of various modes of transport, check out this guide (coach/bus is the greenest way to travel, followed by train in most scenarios). Amtrak usage has shrunk from a high of 1.3 billion passengers annually in the 1920s to 26 million in 2007. Only 1% of intercity passengers travel by Amtrak while air travel now accounts for 40%. – California by Train.
Since I last wrote about Amtrak (America’s long-distance rail system) passenger numbers are rising (Amtrak counted 34.5 million customer trips in FY2025) and revenue is increasing.
Amtrak Mardi Gras Service launched between Mobile, Ala. and New Orleans, carrying over 18,000 riders in its first month and restoring Gulf Coast service for the first time in nearly 20 years. Borealis service between the Twin Cities and Chicago carried nearly a quarter million riders in its first full year – fueling a 227% year-over-year surge in corridor ridership since its FY24 launch. – Amtrak: A Year of Records.
It’s good to see that the train system in the US is making a comeback (and improving on sustainability fronts too).
Quick guide to the Amtrak USA Rail Pass
Amtrak has an FAQ guide to the USA Rail Pass and also a list of terms and conditions (I’ll show them as an image, below). After reading all of that, I was still uncertain about some aspects of the pass so I’ll address them here in this brief guide to using the US Rail Pass.
The Amtrak USA Rail Pass allows you to take 10 train journeys (of any length) within a 30-day period.
My longest journey (Emeryville, CA, to Chicago on the California Zephyr) was 52 hours but was counted the same as my shortest leg, 90 minutes on a commuter train from Chicago to Milwaukee. Every journey on a single train (or bus) counts as a leg of your pass. Ironically, that short trip was the only train that was significantly delayed. This is a big improvement on my Amtrak experience in 2017.
You can easily book (and cancel) your rides online.
Since 2021 you can book journeys on your rail pass using the Amtrak app/website and you can also cancel any of them right up to departure time. A couple of times, I booked two trains for the same day and would later choose one and cancel the other. The app works quite well and also allows you to check for delays (under train status). You’ll also probably receive a text message if a train is delayed.
Amtrak’s not so busy that you need to plan far in advance (but it doesn’t hurt, since you can always cancel).
Starting off, I only had two legs booked: my immediate journey (Emeryville to Chicago) and also New Orleans to Los Angeles for a week later. I booked that second train (the Sunset Limited) as it only runs three days a week! I made some plans a day before travel and there were only two times when a route I was considering was booked up. Next time, I might make more tentative bookings in advance, because they can always be cancelled.
The Amtrak USA Rail Pass goes on sale once a year.
Normally the pass costs $499 but for the last few years it has gone on sale in January – $450 in 2024, $299 in 2023 and 2025, and only $250 in 2026. Sign up for the Amtrak email list and look out for a sale email mid-January.
Each pass has to be used within 120 days of purchase, so if you buy during the sale you’ll have to use your pass by May. This is not necessarily a bad thing – spring is a beautiful time to travel and accommodation is cheaper! I started my travel in April and noticed a bump in hotel prices once May rolled around.
You can do this entirely with e-tickets but maybe have one QR code printed for emergencies
You can manage all of your bookings and tickets on the Amtrak app, so it’s entirely paperless. However, you can also talk to a station agent and ask for a printout. A printed ticket for any leg of your journey will work for all booked trains as each of your tickets will have the exact same QR code (corresponding to your Rail Pass). I had a couple of tickets printed in Chicago just in case I lost my phone (or it decided to finally give up the ghost).
Traveling around the US in 2026
I guess I took this trip around the US for a few reasons. For one thing, it’s a low-budget, low-carbon form of travel that sounds like it could be a lot of fun. I had some reservations about random travels around America in 2026 but decided that this was actually a good reason to go – to find out how things feel out there in the US of A. I also wanted take the trip as a kind of working holiday (a US tour, if you will) for the Green Stars Project.
OK, I didn’t work very much (I needed a break!) but the idea was to check out local businesses (restaurants, stores, hotels, etc.) and write reviews that included Green Stars ratings. I’m catching up on writing these reviews now and will share a few at some point. I see the benefits of these reviews as threefold, which I will now list as I’m a scientist/nerd:
- The reviewer becomes more conscious about the kinds of businesses that are worth supporting.
- The business owner learns about something that’s appreciated and/or could be improved.
- A good review educates other consumers about the social/environmental impacts of a business.
I really do learn a lot while writing these reviews – my research adds another level of color to the places I’ve visited. For example, I learned a good bit about beignets New Orleans – cool businesses to support and tourist traps to avoid.
Most of the people that I encountered (whether running businesses or traveling on trains) are rational, decent people who only want good things to happen.
I encountered a couple of people (white men) who leaned heavily towards conspiracy theories and complained about immigrants. After a few minutes of talking to them I made an excuse and went to the café car. Not long after, I walked past and saw that they had parted ways – probably tired of each other’s ridiculous conspiracy theories!
Then on the streets of a city I won’t name, I turned a corner and walked straight into a group of neo-Nazi types. I almost collided with the “leader” who, bizarrely, was addressing the whole street, shouting that he “just wants everyone to have a good time.” Very reassuring – thanks for shouting that at us!
The contrast between that group and almost everyone else that I encountered served to underscore how small the minority of troublemakers in America really is. I found the overall experience heartening and highly recommend traveling by Amtrak and connecting with other people. Almost none of us are truly “from here” in this borrowed/stolen land but we do need to find common ground.
One thing that we do have in common is a love for the mountains and rivers and deserts that we gazed at from the windows of Amtrak trains. Only a psychopath would want to deliberately ruin this place.
Discover more from The Green Stars Project
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I also was a first-time rail pass traveler this spring, and I can only say it was a remarkable experience. If you’ve ever had the urge, let me be the forceful nudge that says: DO IT!
I didn’t know what to expect and felt a little trepidation as a solo senior woman, but those fears were completely groundless. Of course, you do have to stay smart. Ask the crew and fellow passengers, if there’s places to avoid and heed their advice. Because of this, I felt safe both on and off the train.
This was more than just a cool adventure; it changed how I see the world. I fell back in love with our beautiful country. You truly need to see it—not from an interstate or an airplane window! On the train, you don’t have to worry about the next gas station or finding a sudden, urgent potty break. Don’t get me wrong, flights and road trips are fun too, but train travel is wonderfully different, interesting, and unexpected.
On the rail pass everyone gets to sleep in coach. I’d advise you pack an inflatable pillow and neck pillow and light blanket and at least some snacks. It’s interesting to see how others pack for their trip and people offer tips and tricks they use to make things easier and more fun. It’s kind of like public, moving, camping… If that turns you off… Pretend I didn’t say that. You will be pleasantly surprised. If you’re not, well, bless your cotton socks.
Another thing I am deeply grateful for is how this trip restored my faith in humanity. I’ve always believed people are basically good, but this journey was a sweet booster shot. My fellow passengers delivered in spades. When you spend days together on a long ride, it tends to bring out the very best in almost everyone.
Needless to say, I’m hooked. I can’t wait for my next month-long adventure, seeing the sights, and making connections with more amazing people. Maybe I’ll see you then!
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Thanks for the great comment, Lisa, and for filling in some of the details I didn’t cover. I started worrying the day before the trip that I may really need noise-cancelling headphones. As it turned out, they wouldn’t have been that useful. The train provides some white noise and playing music on earbuds was fine for overriding noisy conversations. I agree that a light sleeping bag (or blanket), eye mask, and little camping pillow are the three essentials for most people.
For food, it’s good to bring calorie-dense foods like nuts and protein bars (I brought these vegan Rx bars that I reviewed over on Ethical Bargains) that won’t weigh you down too much. But a few fresh items like fruit will be really welcome on day two of the journey.
I also ate three or four of the Amtrak vegan burgers ($7.50; the price has barely gone up since 2017!) over the month and found them to be fine.
See you on Amtrak!
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2028 is now looking more more promising with this new rail option we might consider for cross-country travel. One question. What happens when you get off the train? Do you rent cars?
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You can do whatever you want. My stops were all big cities so to be straddled with a car, that wasn’t mine, in a city I wasn’t familiar with, and worry about parking when and where I wanted, seemed like a bigger burden than help. I had some really good sneaks and walked…a lot. I also learned how to use mass transit which proved to be pretty convenient, and an adventure in itself.
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Seconded!
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Yes – you should totally give it a try!
I never rented a car and nobody that I talked to rented one either. For one thing, a lot of people are traveling on a budget (a surprising number of retirees staying in hostels) and car hire can be pricey.
But more than that, train stations are almost always very centrally located (Chicago, NY, LA, New Orleans, etc.) and there doesn’t seem any point to renting a car in most cases. Quite a few travelers did tours – an architectural tour of Chicago by boat or a swamp tour from New Orleans, for example.
Car hire may be useful in situations like seeing the Grand Canyon or visiting a National Park, but in the majority of cases it’s nice to stick to tours and public transport to keep things simple and support the local economies.
LMK if you plant o go next year!
James
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