USA/London/Eurostar

Staff member: Jason // Trip date: Oct 2007

Chicago - Albany - Boston

Superliner Roomette from Chicago - Albany then Economy seat from Albany - Boston

Union station in Chicago is located about 10 minutes in a taxi from downtown Chicago. I boarded the train and was greeted by the attendant who said that there was complimentary cheese and wine in the dining car. When I got back to my cabin the attendant had turned down my bed, he asked me if I wanted a wake up call and advised that if I wanted to have a full choice of the menu for breakfast that I would need to get in early as they had limited stocks. I asked for a wake up call at 7am.

The sleeper was a little bit smaller than a standard sleeper in Europe. It did have a toilet in it. My bags were stored in my cabin.

The dining car was set out with a corridor in the middle and tables of four on each side, and all the dining was communal.

For breakfast I had scrambled eggs but other options were French toast. When I got back the attendant asked if I wanted my bed made back into a seat. A few hours later I was advised that the dining car was open for lunch. There were only two choices available, a chicken burger or a hamburger.

An announcement was made that there were going to be a few delays due to a previous derailment and some track work ahead. We were advised that we will be arriving approx 2hrs late but for the pax that were going to Boston (me) that I didn't have to worry about our connection in Albany because it was a guaranteed connection. Basically the train was not going to leave without me.

I arrived in Albany and changing trains was easy as the train to Boston was waiting on the platform opposite. The train to Boston was pretty standard. It reminded me of being on an IC train in Europe. Seating was all open plan with a 2 X 2 configuration. There was a snack car that sold hot dogs, burgers, sandwiches snacks and beer. I arrived in Boston and actually jumped off at Boston Back Bay station as it was closer to my hotel. Boston Back Bay station is pretty small and there was nobody around as it was pretty late.

Boston - New York

Boston South Station is easily accessible by the subway and only a couple of stops from downtown. I asked about lockers and they said there were no lockers at the station but there were some at the bus station which was about a 10 minute walk from the station.
The train was pretty nice, kinda like an ICE train in Germany and business class was like economy on an ICE train. There was a snack car and also a cart service. Luggage was either stored at the end of the carriages or above your seat. The train was pretty busy and it was a pretty scenic trip as the train pretty much hugged the coast on the way down and there were some nice views of Manhattan on the way into New York. The train left and arrived on time. New York Penn station is right in the middle of Manhattan and there are loads of subway connections. Also it is not like your usual station, its more like a huge subway station as it is all underground.

The New York metro is easy to use, safe, clean, and runs 24hrs a day. You can buy a weekly ticket for only USD24.00 which gives you unlimited access to the subway for 7 days

New York - Montreal

I arrived at the station about 30 minutes before the train departed. There were announcements being made over the PA for pax that were travelling to Canada that they need to do something but I couldn't quite understand what it was that I needed to do. It was something to do with immigration so I went and asked at information and they said to go to a mobile stand next to the boarding gate and get my ticket stamped for travel to Canada. Basically they just check your ticket against your passport and stamp it.

The train was exactly the same as the one from Albany to Boston. The conductor directed all the people that were travelling to Canada to sit in the first two cars and for the people travelling to anywhere in the states to sit in the last to cars. The trip was very scenic. The train hugged the Hudson River up to Albany and then rolled through loads of tiny towns. Some of the stations were just little houses and only one person would get on and off. At some stops the train would stop for a while and the conductor would let everybody get of to have a stretch so it was nice and relaxing.

We reached the border and the train just stopped in the middle of nowhere and we had to wait about 15 minutes for Canadian Customs to rock up and they came on and checked everybody's passport as well as asking everyone a lot of questions about what they were doing and where they had come from. The train was at the border for about an hour. The train rolled into Montreal at about 7pm. The station was very quiet and there was no one around.

London - Paris - London

We were on the 0909 service out of Waterloo. We arrived at the station at about 0830 and there was no line so it took us about 5 minutes to get through customs. At no point was our ticket checked against our passport. We headed straight to the lounge which is usually for business class premier ticket holders but we had a couple of passes to get in. The lounge was very nice. There was a selection of complimentary newspapers in French and English and also Danishes and Croissants as well as coffee and juice available. There was also a bar with beers and basic spirits. There were a couple of computers for internet access too.

The train was on time and we were in 2nd class which was comfortable enough.

Paris to London was pretty much as London to Paris except I was in 1st class. The meal was an omelette (breakfast). Again the train left and arrived on time.

Paris Metro

The Paris metro has gone all automated with their own style of oyster card. What this means is that a lot of the ticket machines have been removed or replaced with new top up machines where you can buy normal tickets. What this means is that the lines have gotten longer for the tourists that want paper tickets. There is only one at Paris Nord which means we had to wait about 10 - 15 minutes just to get some tickets which is not what you want when you first arrive. Best bet is to just get a Paris Visite card before you go to save the hassle. Rail Plus sells these.

London Underground/Busses

The London Underground has gotten expensive unless you have an Oyster Card. To go one stop on the tube is now 4GBP (AUD10.00) if you don't have an Oyster card. If you have an oyster card it is only 1.50GBP which is less than half price. It gets more expensive the further you travel. The busses are now 2GBP without a card and 1GBP with a card. You cannot buy an Oyster Card locally unless you are a local as you need to supply an address and they will post you the card. So if anyone is thinking about catching the tube they need to buy an Oyster Card from Rail Plus.