News from North America

If you are planning a trip to the USA make tracks to Amtrak. Amtrak is America's national intercity rail company. Timetables for individual routes have been available online for years but now for the first time you can download the entire system timetable which is usually only available as a printed book (see left). The timetable is more than just a list of when the trains are running. There is a guide to using Amtrak, a list of stations across the USA, a network map, details of how to buy tickets and special offers. I think this type of document is especially useful for overseas visitors who might be unsure of how to get about the US and want to plan their trip in advance. So where can you go? Well this year one of Amtrak's premier named trains, the Crescent is celebrating its 30th year of operation. It departs from New York (ideal for flights from the UK) and takes you to the southern states including Atlanta and New Orleans. Or how about taking the Empire Builder from Chicago to Glacier National Park or right through to Seattle? And what your travel agent probably didn't tell you was that you'd be much better flying to New York, staying a day or two and then taking the train to Florida. See a bit of America on your way! Trains in America travel over longer distances than our UK versions and tend to operate more like cruise liners on land. The most basic level of service is coach class - imagine a first class airline seat and you won't be far off what that means. Then you can go all the way up to your own cabin for two.

Further North in Canada, VIA Rail, has developed a blog called 'on the go with Vivian'. Like the US, Canadian trains are epic and sometimes once in a lifetime journeys.