What you need to know about Amtrak trains

Is Amtrak growing or shrinking?

It’s staying about the same -- about 500 destinations in 46 states. In their 2006 annual report, the railroad’s leaders counted 24.3 million annual passengers (up 12% from 2002). Amtrak ([800] 872-7245, www.amtrak.com) relies on more than $1.4 billion in annual federal subsidies to balance a budget of about $3 billion.

Are the Amtrak long-distance trains still chronically late?

Yes. For the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2006, only about 30% of its long-distance trains were on time. Amtrak officials blame this on the private rail companies, which own much of the track on which Amtrak trains travel.

What’s greener for city-to-city travel: a plane, a train or a car?

A train. The U.S. Department of Energy, measuring fuel consumption per passenger, says Amtrak’s diesel-fueled intercity trains are 30% more energy-efficient than commercial airlines and 21% more efficient than cars. (The DOE’s Transportation Energy Data Book is based on statistics from 2004, the most recent year available.)

I like the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner service between San Diego and San Luis Obispo, but when are more stops going to be added in Orange County?

On Oct. 29, two of the 12 daily round-trip Surfliner trains that pass through Orange County added stops in Orange (between Anaheim and Santa Ana) and Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo (between Irvine and San Juan Capistrano). Somehow, they did this without any change to the scheduled travel time between Los Angeles and San Diego.

What if I want to use Amtrak for a multi-city California trip?

You should consider the California Rail Pass, which gives you up to seven days of Amtrak travel inside California in a 21-day period. The prices are $159 for adults and $80 for children ages 2 to 15.

Which is better, Amtrak or Canada’s VIA Rail system?

Amtrak is bigger. With 21,000 miles of track and more than 24 million annual passengers, Amtrak covers more than twice as much ground and carries about six times as many people as VIA Rail. But if you like the idea of a transcontinental train trip, consider not only Amtrak’s Southwest Chief (Los Angeles to Chicago, about 40 hours) but also VIA Rail’s marquee attraction, the Canadian, which crosses the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains between Vancouver and Toronto (about 75 hours). For more info: (888) 842-7245 or www.viarail.ca

What about Mexican trains?

There’s the Copper Canyon train between Los Mochis and Chihuahua, a.k.a. the “Chepe” ( www.ferromex.com.mx/turi /chep.html). And Ferromex also runs the Tequila Express, a day trip from Guadalajara and back, on Saturdays and Sundays. ( www.tequilaexpress.com.mx) Beyond that, there aren’t many trains to talk about, because in the late 1990s, the cash-strapped government sold most of its rail system to private companies, and the national rail network dissolved. (The website for Mexican rail aficionados is www.mexlist.com.)

-- Christopher Reynolds