Amtrak Timetables ?

[03_179]

A friend of mine is looking to travel to the USA and wants to do a bit of train travel. And of course as I am a Railway enthusiast he asked me for some help.

I've had a look at the Amtrak site (oh dear!) and there do not appear to be any pdf type timetables on it.

Are there such a thing anymore ?

Also are the FREE USA maps about at all ?
Again preferably a pdf type thing.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[ac6000cw]

Do you mean rail system maps or general maps?

 

[matt]

The Amtrak website will list timetables for each route if you click on schedules.

 

[03_179]

Do you mean rail system maps or general maps?

Rail System Maps.
There hey one on there but it is one of those interactive ones that I've managed to screen dump as a bit of a guide.

The Amtrak website will list timetables for each route if you click on schedules.

The ones I have looked at don't have actual times on them just station list and descriptions.

Empire Builder

Take the Empire Builder train between Washington state and Chicago with stops in Seattle, Portland, Minneapolis & more. Book your trip today.

www.amtrak.com

 

[matt]

Rail System Maps.
There hey one on there but it is one of those interactive ones that I've managed to screen dump as a bit of a guide.

The ones I have looked at don't have actual times on them just station list and descriptions.

Empire Builder

Take the Empire Builder train between Washington state and Chicago with stops in Seattle, Portland, Minneapolis & more. Book your trip today.

www.amtrak.com

I'm using the mobile site but on the right drop down menu there is a schedule link

 

[03_179]

I cannot see this on the website
When I use the schedules at the top they want you to to put to/from and dates in etc.

 

[matt]

https://www.amtrak.com/train-schedules-timetables Select fund schedules and change to routes

 

[03_179]

THanks. That will do.

Why can't railway companies make timetables like they used to?
It makes it easier for non railway folk to have it explained to.

 

[jfollows]

Amtrak used to do a good system-wide timetable book which could be downloaded and was well presented and easy to use, but I'm probably talking ten or twenty years ago now. Instead what we have is pretty dire and awkward, but I think it's a bit like airline information in which the assumption is made that you're starting from the position of knowing where you want to go from, where you want to go to, and when you want to travel. I was recently in California and thought about using the train, but I lost interest when I couldn't find timetables easily - if my need and desire had been greater I admit I could have found the information.

 

[03_179]

Amtrak used to do a good system-wide timetable book which could be downloaded and was well presented and easy to use, but I'm probably talking ten or twenty years ago now. Instead what we have is pretty dire and awkward, but I think it's a bit like airline information in which the assumption is made that you're starting from the position of knowing where you want to go from, where you want to go to, and when you want to travel. I was recently in California and thought about using the train, but I lost interest when I couldn't find timetables easily - if my need and desire had been greater I admit I could have found the information.

Agreed.
Same for the UK railways.
Austrian Railways you can download pdfs of ALL their routes

 

[ac6000cw]

Rail System Maps.
There hey one on there but it is one of those interactive ones that I've managed to screen dump as a bit of a guide.

Do you mean this one - https://www.amtrak.com/plan-your-trip.html

A free general (interactive/online) rail map - https://www.openrailwaymap.org/?style=standard&lat=40.094882122321145&lon=-98.7890625&zoom=5

When I'm in the US (and other countries), I normally use OsmAnd on a phone or tablet for general maps and navigation - https://osmand.net/ The (open source) mapping is generally very good at showing railways, often down to quite a lot of detail (note that once you've downloaded the relevant maps to the device, it works offline so no need for a live data connection). The free version of the app only allows 7 map downloads, but a 1 month subscription (allowing unlimited downloads) is only 2.99 (Euro/USD).

There is a fairly eclectic collection of downloadable PDF railroad maps on the Trains magazine website (but many are not recent, so check the dates carefully) - https://www.trains.com/trn/railroads/maps/

Also at least some of the major US freight railroads have (large) pdf maps of their systems available e.g. BNSF - https://www.bnsf.com/bnsf-resources...s-and-shipping-locations/bnsf-network-map.pdf

 

[AndrewE]

Agreed.
Same for the UK railways.
Austrian Railways you can download pdfs of ALL their routes

isn't the UK timetable (the virtual version of the old paper all-line timetable) still available? I must admit thet I couldn't see it when I had a quick Google just now...
p.s. I think I have found it: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/the-timetable/electronic-national-rail-timetable/

 

[03_179]

Do you mean this one - https://www.amtrak.com/plan-your-trip.html

A free general (interactive/online) rail map - https://www.openrailwaymap.org/?style=standard&lat=40.094882122321145&lon=-98.7890625&zoom=5

When I'm in the US (and other countries), I normally use OsmAnd on a phone or tablet for general maps and navigation - https://osmand.net/ The (open source) mapping is generally very good at showing railways, often down to quite a lot of detail (note that once you've downloaded the relevant maps to the device, it works offline so no need for a live data connection). The free version of the app only allows 7 map downloads, but a 1 month subscription (allowing unlimited downloads) is only 2.99 (Euro/USD).

There is a fairly eclectic collection of downloadable PDF railroad maps on the Trains magazine website (but many are not recent, so check the dates carefully) - https://www.trains.com/trn/railroads/maps/

Also at least some of the major US freight railroads have (large) pdf maps of their systems available e.g. BNSF - https://www.bnsf.com/bnsf-resources...s-and-shipping-locations/bnsf-network-map.pdf

Great links there. I will forward this on to him (and save the links myself )

isn't the UK timetable (the virtual version of the old paper all-line timetable) still available? I must admit thet I couldn't see it when I had a quick Google just now...
p.s. I think I have found it: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/the-timetable/electronic-national-rail-timetable/

Yeah I forgot that one.

 

[ac6000cw]

Amtrak used to do a good system-wide timetable book which could be downloaded and was well presented and easy to use, but I'm probably talking ten or twenty years ago now.

I think that certainly disappeared during Covid (when services and schedules became very 'dynamic') if not before, probably never to return I suspect...

I was recently in California and thought about using the train, but I lost interest when I couldn't find timetables easily - if my need and desire had been greater I admit I could have found the information.

Southern California isn't too bad - Metrolink (commuter rail) includes at least some of the Amtrak Surfliner regional trains in its timetables - https://metrolinktrains.com/globalassets/schedules/web_noads_mlk_lft_alllines_23_07_01_232206.pdf

 

[jamesontheroad]

The last Amtrak System Timetable, which was printed on newsprint with a glossy softcover and also published as a PDF online, came out in 2018. You can read it and previous editions here. PDF timetables for each route continued but were suspended in Covid times. But because it was Amtrak it was mainly enjoyed as a work of fiction

The System Timetable was great fun to travel with, if you took an interest in the landscape and intermediate stops.

 

[eldomtom2]

The Rail Passengers Association generates PDF Amtrak timetables from the information Amtrak provides to Google.

 

[03_179]

That's brilliant ... thanks.
He'll prefer those ones.

 

[ac6000cw]

The Rail Passengers Association generates PDF Amtrak timetables from the information Amtrak provides to Google.

Good find - they even copy the basic layout of the traditional Amtrak timetables

That's brilliant ... thanks.
He'll prefer those ones.

If your friend isn't familiar with the traditional Amtrak layout of the timetables, I'd point out to them that they're 12h clock based, with AM times in normal type and PM times in bold (with an A or P suffix as well) - also the 'Read Down' and 'Read Up' instructions in the columns. For us Europeans used to 24h clock based timetables they can be somewhat confusing at first sight...

 

[03_179]

Good find - they even copy the basic layout of the traditional Amtrak timetables


If your friend isn't familiar with the traditional Amtrak layout of the timetables, I'd point out to them that they're 12h clock based, with AM times in normal type and PM times in bold (with an A or P suffix as well) - also the 'Read Down' and 'Read Up' instructions in the columns. For us Europeans used to 24h clock based timetables they can be somewhat confusing at first sight...

I'll point it out to him later

 

[Mainline421]

THanks. That will do.

Why can't railway companies make timetables like they used to?
It makes it easier for non railway folk to have it explained to.

They do, although it's a little hidden. Follow the link in Matt's post (https://www.amtrak.com/train-schedules-timetables) press 'Find Schedules' then 'Train Route' select the route you want then press the printer icon and voilà traditional PDF timetables.

 

[03_179]

Thanks