Amtrak Rider Pays $975 for Business Class and a Private Roomette on a 32-Hour Trip

A traveler paid $975 total for a two-leg Amtrak trip from New York to Chicago in June, splitting the cost between a business-class seat for the leg to Washington, D.C., and a private first-class roomette for the 18-hour leg onward to Chicago, according to Business Insider. The 32-hour journey ran about 10 hours behind schedule because of delays.

The traveler found the business-class seat indistinguishable from a cheaper coach ticket, concluding it wasn't worth the upgrade price. The private roomette, by contrast, made the much longer and delay-plagued second leg far more comfortable, making it the one upgrade judged worth the extra cost.