The New Golden Era of Train Travel in America — And the Routes That Are Actually Worth Taking

Somewhere between Denver and the Utah state line, a certain silence descends upon a train car that isn’t found on highways or in airports. The passengers, who were eating chips or staring at their phones minutes before, slowly move toward the window as the red rock formations begin to appear through it like something from a painting. According to reports, it occurs every time. that unconscious shift in focus to the scenery. It’s difficult to ignore the fact that flying killed this, which the current train revival is subtly reviving.

The relationship between rail and America has always been complex. During a golden age, roughly from the 1930s to the 1950s, streamliner trains traversed the nation with a glamour reminiscent of European cinema. The jet age, the interstates, and the protracted, unglamorous decline followed. When Amtrak first started operating in 1971, it was underfunded and constantly apologized for its own delays. For many years, traveling by train in America felt like a deliberate decision to go the difficult route.

Something has changed. Record ridership is being reported by Amtrak, and new routes, both privately run and supported by the government, are actually coming to pass rather than just being perpetual announcements. When the Borealis line between Chicago and Minneapolis-St. Paul was introduced in 2024, it subtly addressed a need that travelers were unaware they had. It gives the Great Lakes corridor genuine momentum for the first time in a generation by running in a different direction than the Empire Builder, which follows a more northwest arc toward Seattle and Portland. With its old-world brewery culture and Friday night fish fries, Milwaukee has emerged as an unanticipated beneficiary—a city that is now more accessible to the kind of slow traveler who pays attention to details.

One of the truly amazing trips in North America is still The Empire Builder. It crosses the Continental Divide at slightly over 5,200 feet, the lowest such crossing between Mexico and Canada, and for the most part, it follows the same route that Lewis and Clark stumbled through two centuries ago. Glacier Park Station, which is so close to the park that you can almost smell the snowmelt through the windows, is where the train stops. Depending on who is asking, the stop may or may not be significant due to its closeness.

Then there’s Canyon Spirit, the upscale company that used to be called Rocky Mountaineer but has since changed its name. It travels along some of the California Zephyr’s tracks between Salt Lake City and Denver. With arches and canyon walls rising outside the observation car while passengers sit with coffee, slightly stunned, it’s possible that no section of American rail is more visually dramatic. Canyon Spirit only operates during the day, unlike Amtrak. This may seem like a marketing ploy, but the scenery truly makes it worthwhile. The nighttime option would completely miss the point.

Whether this revival is cyclical or structural is still up for debate. There is a sense that younger travelers in particular are more receptive to the slower pace, viewing the journey as the destination rather than the obstacle. High fuel prices and airport annoyance are undoubtedly pushing people toward alternatives. The more pertinent question is whether Amtrak can maintain the momentum, particularly in light of its historically tense relationship with federal funding. As of right now, however, trains are operating, seats are filling up, and a passenger is pressing their face against the glass somewhere west of Grand Junction. At least that seems genuine.