Amtrak

Please note if you have time to spare and have a train out of this station, the security folks will let you into the concourse, after museum hours till the Amtrak station office opens. I arrived at 8:30 pm and had a train out at 3:30 am the next morning and I was allowed to sit in the vending machine room. Thanks to the security folks by making my wait pleasant.

Always clean. Inside the museum but let me tell you. The neighborhood is a seedy one. Do not leave your car overnight and do not leave your car unlocked. When you walk into the building go to the right and all the way to the back on the right side. Amtrak is back there. The Amtrak attendant is always customer service oriented and helpful. Waiting is no problem and the office is open great hours.

Just this year I had my first experience riding Amtrak. And what an awesome experience. From the ease of check in to the comfortable ride, I can’t believe I didn’t know about this sooner. The train fare is cheap and you can check two bags for free.
I always sit in coach seating. The seats are oversized and recline nearly all the way back. And every seat has a three prong plug for charging all your gadgets. No need to ever power down gadgets at any point; You can keep your cell phone on the entire time. It’s nice to walk between trains and enjoy the café/​dining car. You get nearly a gourmet meal in the dining car. It’s a little pricey for food but I guess they have to make up for the cheap fair somewhere.
It’s interesting to see the many small towns and scenery as you pass by; and don’t worry about ever having to change trains. Unless you are traveling across country, just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.
Make sure you allow extra time for delays because Amtrak shares the track with CSX and the freight trains have the right of way. So expect some delays on the front or back end of your trip. Otherwise, have fun experiencing Amtrak.

I went to travel to DC for Halloween weekend this year to visit my friends. I knew flying would be a lot (est. $ 1600+ round trip) and driving was def. out of the question from Cincinnati. Amtrak was really cheap ($ 200 – 250)! What was really neat was that it is located in the Union Terminal (I thought that it would be closer to the Grey Hound Station).
The service on the train was top notch! There were people from the train society giving details and information about certain areas that we went through (New River Gorge = Awesome!, passed the place Martha Stewart was locked up, and other tidbits along the way). I mostly stayed in the dining car because it seemed that not that many people were there, and there was more viewing room to see the countryside.
The seats are somewhat big: you have a share a middle armrest, like on a plane! If you go, bring your own pillow because they are very small. Also, the chairs lean back, and just like a plane, be prepared to deal with people kneeing your chair. But, if you are lucky, you can lay in both seats.
If you decide to travel, have someone drop you off or call a taxi… its not a safe area to leave your car… same when you arrive. Eastbound (DC/​NYC) leaves at about 3 AM, and Westbound drops you off at about 2:30 AM.
The only real drawback is that the train takes a long time (taking to account for all the multiple stops). Also, the times are estimates! East bound, we had two unscheduled stops: a mother’s kids had medical emergencies (could give them that…1 ½ hr delay), and then a track switch malfunction (3 ½ hr delay that sucked!!!)
Overall, besides the unscheduled stops, it was fun. Also, if you decide to go, bring tons of DVDs, iPod etc., work, puzzles, games, and headphones.
If your trip is REALLY bad, call 1−800-USA-RAIL…1−800−872−7245

If you’ve ever done any research into the history of Cincinnati’s Union Terminal you’ll discover that during its heyday it made CVG look like child’s play. But, alas, those days are long gone and the railroad station portion of the facility was tore down to make way for a large rail yard.
That being said, Amtrak still faithfully utilizes the terminal on the lone surviving train platform, located at the back edge of the building. I happen to love trains and have taken several trips in & out of here on Amtrak… mostly to Chicago. The prices aren’t bad at all, if you have the time and inclination. I will add that if you’ve ever traveled by train around Europe (as I have) you will be sorely disappointed if you expect the same level of service. In fact, Amtrak is notoriously late.
The schedule for the single daily train couldn’t be any less user-​friendly but that’s only because it’s the Cardinal — which runs back and forth between New York and Chicago. The train stops here in the early morning hours — 1am (ish) for Chicago-​bound and 4am (ish) for the NY bound trains. It’s not really that bad when you consider that it’s kind of fun and adventurous. NY-​Cincinnati is actually a neat trip… albeit long. The segment between here and DC is beautiful — especially in the mountains.
When I go to Chicago on Amtrak I’ll typically take the train up and ride the Megabus back. The bus is nice as well.
Seats on Amtrak trains are large and comfortable. Each seat has an electrical outlet for your gadgets and they recline as well. During the winter the cars can be cold, so bring a blanket or heavy coat.
Please note, the area around the Union Terminal is not safe. Use caution and do not leave your car in the parking lot if you’re traveling. There are several cab companies that can be called upon for transit to/​from the station… although they are not cheap.