Wildfire smoke on Amtrak?

September 7, 2020 8:58 PM

I'm considering taking Amtrak on an unavoidable trip. I'd be on the California Zephyr leaving from Emeryville, and I'm worried about the smoke from all of the wildfires, both in California and in Colorado. It's been really bothering me in my apartment. How well do the trains filter outside air? I wanted to avoid flying for a variety of reasons, but will fly if I have to. I was planning to get an individual bedroom on the train. If you haven't been on Amtrak near a fire, can you recommend a train forum where I could post this question?
posted by pinochiette to Travel & Transportation (4 answers total)

Amtrak trains do a great job conditioning the air, it's like any office building, you can't open the windows.
posted by Rash at 9:39 PM on September 7, 2020 [1 favorite]

I could often taste/smell the diesel exhaust of the engine, so I don't believe their filters will do much for wildfire smoke.
posted by flimflam at 11:24 PM on September 7, 2020 [1 favorite]

Railroad.net would be a good forum for this question.
posted by JanetLand at 6:41 AM on September 8, 2020

Long distance Amtrak trains stop for smoke breaks every few hours or so; even if the filtration is normally good, that's going to let a lot of smoke into the train cars.
posted by spinifex23 at 4:06 PM on September 8, 2020