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Beyond Canada · International rail
Rail journeys across United States.
Coast-to-coast Amtrak, the California Zephyr and slow journeys through the West.
American rail travel is Amtrak's long-distance network — slow, big-windowed and almost entirely unhurried. The California Zephyr crosses the Rockies and the Sierras over two nights. The Coast Starlight runs from Seattle to Los Angeles in 35 hours. The Empire Builder rolls from Chicago to Seattle across the northern prairies.
Amtrak isn't fast — it's a way of seeing the United States from a Sightseer Lounge car, with reclining seats, a hot dining-car meal and the country going by at landscape pace.
The headliners
Signature United States rail.
- California Zephyr — Chicago to Emeryville (51h) across the Rockies and Sierra Nevada.
- Coast Starlight — Seattle to Los Angeles down the Pacific.
- Empire Builder — Chicago to Seattle/Portland through Glacier National Park.
- Southwest Chief — Chicago to Los Angeles via Santa Fe and the Mojave.
- Acela — Boston, New York and DC at 240 km/h on the Northeast Corridor.
When to go
The right window.
- ·May–June and September–October: best weather across the western routes.
- ·Winter rail to the Rockies has a romance all its own — heated lounges, snow at Donner Pass.
Booking notes
How to book it.
- ·Roomettes and bedrooms (sleeper class) sell out 4–6 months ahead in summer.
- ·Coach class is bookable a week out and includes the Sightseer Lounge.
- ·USA Rail Pass: 10 segments in 30 days — only worth it if you're stringing many routes.
Practicalities
The boring but useful stuff.
Plug type
Type A / B · 120V
Currency
USD
Operator
Amtrak · Brightline (Florida)
FAQs
United States rail, answered.
Is Amtrak ever on time?+
Long-distance trains regularly run 1–4 hours late because freight has priority. Build buffer days at the end of each route.
What's included in a sleeper ticket?+
All meals in the dining car, priority boarding, your bed and bedding, lounge access at major stations.
How does Amtrak compare to VIA Rail's Canadian?+
Amtrak is more route variety; the Canadian is more polished. Many rail travellers do both.
Keep exploring
More of Beyond Canada.
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Vintage carriages from Cape Town across the Karoo and into the wild interior.
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Asia
Bullet trains through Japan, jungle rails in Vietnam, and the Trans-Siberian east.
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The Ghan crosses the Outback; the TranzAlpine threads New Zealand's Southern Alps.