Look for an accessible train on Amtrak!

For anyone who really doesn’t like flying as a wheelchair-user (it can be pretty bad, especially when the baggage handlers break your chair), taking an accessible train is a fantastic alternative. Tickets cost about the same, sometimes even cheaper, and some stretches of tracks even let the trains go as fast as 150 mph.

And the best part of riding a train – you don’t have to leave your wheelchair in the care of untrained monkeys a.k.a. baggage handlers. Win infinity. Read on for three awesome videos dedicated to the impressiveness of Amtrak accessible trains.

Our first video is from lovely Channelle Houston, a T6 paraplegic. She gives an overview of how she rides an accessible train as a manual chair-user, and shares some priceless tips along the way. She goes over must-have tips like making sure to show up early, where to eat while waiting (lots of restaurants are in bigger stations) and the strangest thing I’ve ever seen while wheelchair traveling – you get two tickets; one for you and one for your wheelchair.

Luckily, you don’t have to pay for two tickets. They give you an extra one so your wheelchair can have a space to hang out by you if you opt to transfer out (you can’t do that in a plane). And when the train arrives, she shows how a Red Cap train assistant – people who help passengers – bring out a ramp to bridge the accessible train/platform gap so she can roll onto the train. She also shows how passengers in wheelchair-users always get the front row. Watch her video – “How to Ride Amtrak in a Wheelchair”

And for a look at how they get bigger powerchairs on Amtrak accessible trains when the ramp just won’t cut it, check out this video of Amtrak’s hefty crank lift set-up with Red Caps helping out. Watch a powerchair board

For those wanting privacy when they ride an accessible train, especially for longer rides, finding an accessible train with an equally accessible bedroom (with a bathroom you can use too) is key. And on the awesome Amtrak Silverstar Viewliner, their train for longer trips, is one of the best accessible rooms you’ll ever see on a train.

Considered a “roomette,” the room has an extra wide seating area and a Murphy Bed; a bed that pulls out of the wall. The room also has a fab accessible bathroom, which is nearly as big as the entire sleeper cabin. And if you look close, you’ll even see that the toilet and shower share the same space in the bathroom. Now that’s some smart space-use. Watch the tour

And when you finally reach your destination, getting off the train is another hurdle to cross, however it’s not so much a “hurdle” as it is a beautifully simple thing to do when you ride Amtrak. You really gotta love the slick crank lift Amtrak has created for their accessible trains. In this video, watch how Amtrak employees work together to get the ramp in place to help a vent-dependent powerchair-user disembark in a very smooth manner. Watch the video

Accessible trains are more prevalent and as awesome as they’ve ever been, giving wheelchair-users a great alternative to the Greyhounds and airplanes of the world. I have yet to take ride on an accessible train myself, but when I do, I better get a dining car with a singing Bing Crosby.

Have you rode an Amtrak accessible train? What was your experience like?

Watch the videos!

– Paraplegic showing how she takes an Amtrak accessible train

– Powerchair user boards an Amtrak accessible train using an electric lift

– Tour of an accessible sleeper cabin on an Amtrak accessible train

– Disembarking an Amtrak accessible train using a wheelchair