24 Hours on An Amtrak Train: Why This Story Is Important

We’ve all read plenty of stories where criticisms of Amtrak’s shortcomings or the politics surrounding passenger rail service are part of the narrative. We are seeing such stories now as Ohio decides whether to advance an historic expansion of passenger rail under the Amtrak Connects US plan for the nation and Ohio.

But this most recent story by Cleveland Magazine editor Annie Nickoloff is different. For certain, her decision to spend 24 hours on Amtrak’s “Lake Shore Limited” from Boston to Chicago could have easily been the clichéd story about a “beleaguered Amtrak, unable to provide reliable, on-time service...dirty on-board bathrooms....less than premium dining in an actual dining car,” etc. And some of those elements are present in this story.