should i take the train from oly to wenatchee?

November 1, 2008 11:29 PM

Should I take the train from Olympia to Wenatchee, WA? Am I going to get stuck running hours late on these particular routes, even travelling a relatively short distance??

I am looking at riding Amtrak from Oly to Wenatchee for a conference to avoid driving a gas guzzling minivan. I'd be riding the "Cascades" from Olympia to Seattle, and the "Empire Builder" from Seattle to Wenatchee. There is also an option of taking a bus for the Seattle/Wenatchee leg, apparently.

I know first-hand all about the tardiness that is commonplace during rail travel in the U.S. One hour late I could handle, 3+ I could not. I'm curious if someone has experience with either of these routes specifically.

Do they run late even though they're shorter trips? Has anyone ever taken the bus option? Any info would be helpful.

posted by dahliachewswell to travel & transportation (6 comments total)

Be sure to check out the Historical On-Time Performance page. My only relatable anecdote is SO and I took Amtrak (the Empire Builder) from Chicago to Portland and got in 45 minutes early, but our half of the train split in Spokane, so YMMV.
posted by Mach5 at 6:32 AM on November 2, 2008

Given the relatively short distance and if fuel economy is the main objective, I would consider other options: if the conference is only one day or so, you could rent a small car for the trip. Better: ride sharing. The organizer of the conference could probably help you locate and contact other participants from the Olympia area.
posted by bluefrog at 6:50 AM on November 2, 2008

Try www.amtrakdelays.com. It lists the average delay time for that particular train set...
posted by waylaid at 6:56 AM on November 2, 2008

I've done the Seattle <> Wenatchee train route a few times and like it. During daylight the views are lovely, and I've never been dramatically off schedule.

The snow on the passes -- and there already is some -- can be a problem for the bus, just as it can be for cars.

If you're going any time before spring, I would recommend taking the train.
posted by The corpse in the library at 7:50 AM on November 2, 2008

Note that amtrakdelays does not collect information for a train if nobody searched for it for like 2 weeks, though. This is a cool idea, but it can't be that useful if nobody's used it. I checked the 4-week delays of a train I used to take that was constantly 30 minutes to 3 hours late, and it told me the average was 6 minutes late...because there was no info for 2 weeks in the middle of that. No way is that right. (Amtrak's page about that line gave it around 82-85% timeliness most of the time.)
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:10 AM on November 2, 2008

I've ridden the Empire Builder from Everett to Wenatchee 2x, as have my brother and parents, and we've never had any issues with time delay. One on leg, we had to wait about 15 minutes because a train was coming over the pass in the opposite direction, but the conductor just went a little faster and shortened the break time to make up for the delay.

Seconding The corpse, though. The views are amazing.
posted by messylissa at 1:07 PM on November 2, 2008