The resurrection of a lost rail tradition

There was a time when riding the rails was a desirable experience and implied freedom and adventure. With the dominance of air travel, the train travel option has lost steam in its attractiveness. Recently Amtrak has tried to bring an old tradition back offering a first-class experience where rail passengers are pampered with great food, stylish cabins and even free booze.

There was once a private railway running from Tacoma, Washington to Mount Rainier called the Washington Dinner Train, which stopped its service in 1932, due largely to the Great Depression and the advent of the automobile.

After seventy-five years the route is being resurrected and began to cart tourists along the route once again on August 3^rd. In its heyday the line carried 120,000 passengers a year. Whether this new incarnation will reach a fraction of that is uncertain, and the route has begun a 10-month trial to see if it’s feasible in the long term.

It’s expected that maintenance and upgrades to the railway will cost anywhere from $7 to $9 million to keep the travel time to 3 and a half hours.