Passenger Trains in Utah County?

So our studio is in Springville, Utah, which is the southern part of Utah County and we are located beside train tracks. Trains go by a few times a day, which really doesn't bother us unless 1) we're on a business phone call or 2) we're recording video content and have to trash an entire video.

Of course my assumption would be that all the trains are freight trains. But the other day out of curiosity, I watched an entire train go by. Most cars were freight but then, there were a couple of double decker passenger cars!

It was evening and I could see that the cars were lit, but I don't quite recall if I was actually able to see people inside or if I didn't get a close enough look to see if there were people.

But my question is: Passenger trains in Utah county?

Yes, that's a question.

Are they for real? Or were they just moving some new passenger cars up to the Front Runner in Salt Lake?

I have also heard that you can take a train to San Francisco from Salt Lake City. Really?? Where is this train and how much does it cost?

Google is failing me. What do YOU know, Internets?

7 comments:

sarahflib said...

I think the passenger trains are all Amtrak, and yes, they go through Utah County. Sometimes they even stop in Provo. Dave and I have looked into it before, but I can't remember how much it actually costs. Looking at Amtrak's site should tell you.

lilcis said...

www.amtrak.com

I think the route you're looking for is the California Zephyr:
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=AM_Route_C&pagename=am%2FLayout&cid=1237608341980

I have to warn you, though, train rides are more expensive than you'd think! And the freight trains get priority on the rails, so the passenger train schedules sometimes get messed up. We rode the train from Union Station in Downtown L.A. to San Luis Obispo one year. The way there was awesome, but on the way back our train got delayed by 12 hours! Luckily, this happened before we got to the station and we were able to switch to a different train, but it wasn't as nice of a ride back.

On the way to SLO we shared a table in the dining car with a couple who had booked a sleeper car and were traveling all the way up to Oregon or Washington. It was going to take them a few days vs. just a few hours for flying, and I'm pretty sure the train ride cost more than the flight! But they weren't on a tight schedule and were just going to fly back after their trip. I think that's the best way to do it.

If you think this is something you guys would like to try let me know and I'll share my experiences & tips with you.

DP said...

There is a daily Amtrak passenger train to Emeryville, California, which I think is pretty close to San Francisco. You can actually take the train from Provo. It's only 19 hours from there!

DP said...

Aw heck, everyone commented at the same time.

Anyway it's about $100 one way.

Kiersten said...

There's an Amtrak station in Provo at about 600 south and I want to say 300 or 400 west; not positive about that. But it's right around there somewhere. We used to live at 700 West and about 750 south, and the passenger trains passed right by us, and they were LOUD. I've heard that tickets are really expensive actually!

Cicada said...

Wow!! Thanks for the quick response everyone! I'm sooooo impressed!

Sarah said...

Yes, I have seen them. We had a friend take the train from LA to Provo. It was cheaper than any other transportation. But... I guess you already got your answers.