The Great American Rail Adventure: Background: Who Rides the Trains? What Are the Other Passengers Like?

Amtrak passengers are an incredibly varied group of people. They come from all age groups and all regions of the country, with different ethnic heritages and different socioeconomic and occupational backgrounds. Some grew up in cities, some in suburbs, some in rural areas, and some in other countries.

As might be expected, there is a higher proportion of retirees than among the general population, but other than that there isn't any obvious predominant characteristic. It's just a tremendous cross-section of the American people.

Passengers tend to be easygoing and friendly, especially on the long-distance trains. It's a very egalitarian environment, and it's easy to meet people. With a few exceptions, passengers are well-behaved and polite, and are understanding about problems that may come up.

People like to talk about their lives. Favorite topics of conversation are: Where are you from? Where are you going? Why are you traveling? How has your trip been so far? What do you do, or what did you do, for a living? People love talking about family members (grandparents, parents, children, grandchildren), family history, and things they do with relatives and friends.

The range of occupations among the people I met was broad. The passengers included many businesspeople: Small business owners, real estate developers, property managers, information technology specialists, a Wall Street finance professional. There were people who made and delivered things: A corrugated box plant manager, an electrician, a machinist, a tool and die maker, a truck driver, a shipping manager. The agricultural field was represented by several farmers and a rancher.

The passengers I met included teachers, a school principal and several professors. There were people in the hospitality, entertainment and communications fields: A chef, a bartender, a guitar player in rock bands, a disc jockey and a newspaper columnist. The list of occupations went on and on: A nurse, a pastor, a prosecutor, government agency employees, several career military men and women, and a dog trainer and former National Park Service Ranger. They all had their own stories.

There were some people on long trips, going around the country or around the world, on bicycling or rafting or camping trips, or visiting historic sites. I met several avid railfans who had extremely detailed knowledge about railroad lines, rolling stock and historical events. I also met three other individuals or couples who were circumnavigating the country in one trip like me, each with a slightly different itinerary.

Here are photos of a few of the interesting and pleasant people I met.