Green Travel – Aboard the Amtrak Coast Starlight Train

Besides being a green travel option, taking the train allows you to stretch out, relax, and switch into vacation mode as soon as you board the train.

In the first part of this 2-part post, Green Travel – Take the Train, we compared the carbon footprint, time, cost, and impact on one’s personal well-being of air travel versus train travel. This second part recounts our family’s recent experience riding the Amtrak Coast Starlight train from Paso Robles, CA to Portland, OR and back. We booked two 2-person compartments for the overnight trip.

Our Trip on the Amtrak Coast Starlight Train

Instead of getting up at 4:00 a.m., which is what we would have done had we been flying to Portland, we slept in, ate a leisurely brunch, and had enough time in the afternoon to finish packing.

Paso Robles, CA Amtrak Station - Photo: Loco SteveWe left our house about 3:30 p.m. to drive to Paso Robles in anticipation of boarding the Amtrak Coast Starlight train at 4:37 p.m. After easily finding a free parking spot, we toted our luggage about 200 feet to the station. By checking the train’s status on one of our phones, we learned it would be about an hour late. We passed the time playing cards.

When the train arrived, we walked to our assigned sleeping car, showed our ID’s and tickets to the car attendant, boarded, and stored most of our luggage in the downstairs luggage area and took a few small bags to our compartments.

We settled into our large comfortable seats thankful to have room to stretch out and relax. The car attendant came by to take our dinner reservation, explain the locations of the restrooms, shower room, and beverage area, and ask if we needed anything.

Amtrak Coast Starlight Dining Car Table with Dinner Selections - Photo: Carl MorrisonAt eight o’clock, as the train made its way to Oakland, we reported to the dining car for dinner. Several options were available for each meal and the food was good. Amtrak switched from china to recyclable plastic dishes, but they still use cloth napkins and stainless steel flatware. Recycling bins throughout the train encourage passengers to recycle.

Amtrak Coast Starlight Parlour Car Interior - Photo: Wikipedia

After dinner, we retired to the parlour car which provides drinks and snacks, meals, comfy lounge chairs, wine tasting, and movies for sleeping car passengers. We snagged a table and played board games we brought with us. This involved trash talk, some strategy, and a lot of fun.

Sometime after midnight, we returned to our compartments to sleep. The upper berth folds down and the bottom seats fold out to create two beds. Fortunately, my non-claustrophobic spouse allowed me to take the lower berth. I would not say the beds were comfortable but we did catch a few hours of sleep.

Amtrak Coast Starlight with Cascade Mountains, OR Scenery - Photo: Uncle BobBy 7:00 a.m., we were up and sipping our first cup of coffee from the sleeping car coffee urn. A couple hours later, we met our kids for breakfast in the dining car and enjoyed the scenery as we passed through the Klamath Falls area just over the Oregon border. We opted to skip lunch.

We dispersed to our respective compartments to play computer games, read, and watch the scenery, talk, and nap.

We arrived in Portland about 10 minutes ahead of our 3:32 p.m. scheduled arrival. We grabbed our luggage and headed to our hotel for the night.

Six days later, we made the return trip from Portland to Paso Robles. This time the train was delayed about two hours sometime during the night and never made the time up. We used the extra time to have lunch, kick back, and enjoy the afternoon.

Amtrak Coast Starlight Roomette - Photo: Jim LoomisOur train journeys took about 2 ½ times as long as flying would have taken but we were far more comfortable and relaxing, and completely hassle-free. The reduction in carbon footprint was significant, but the best part was having the time and space to relax, unwind, and take pleasure in spending time with each other.

The next time you are planning to fly somewhere consider taking the train. You may be pleasantly surprised to find the cost and sometimes the time comparable or even less than flying. Regardless, the planet and your personal well-being are worth it.

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