- inthegreatwide
- 31 minutes ago
- 5 min read
How to Find Out if You Can Check Bags on an Amtrak Train
Let’s be real, Amtrak doesn’t make it easy to find out if you’ll be able to check your bags or not. Since luggage is the #1 thing we get asked about for Amtrak, we’re here to show you the 3-step process that you should go through before heading off on your adventure so you’ll know how to pack and where your bags are going to go while you’re on the train.
A heads up before we get started: not all of this information is available in the Amtrak app, so it’s best if you look this up on a computer 😉
CONTENTS
Step 1: Route
1.1 - Go to Amtrak.com
1.2 - Click “Plan” in the top menu, then from the drop-down menu, click Explore All Routes, or just click here to go directly to the page.
Now you’re looking at a webpage that lists every route that Amtrak offers in alphabetical order. Look at your ticket to find the name of your route (this is also shown when you’re selecting the train to book, so you can check the luggage process before buying your ticket if you want).
1.3 - Find your train route and click “Route Details”.
The page this takes you to will have - you guessed it - all of the details of your train. You can see a map with all the station stops, preview menus for the cafe and dining car, view alerts, and more, but of course, we’re here for info about luggage…
1.4 - Scroll down to the “Features and Amenities” section and make sure the “Amenities” tab is selected on the left. To the right of that, it will either say “Checked Baggage Service” or not.
There will likely be other amenities listed too, but if “Checked Baggage Service” is not shown, that means that the route does not offer checked luggage and you cannot check your bags. Surely, this will raise a number of other questions, which we have answered in several short Q&A videos that you can find at the bottom of this page. You can click here to skip down to them if you’d like.
If “Checked Baggage Service” is listed, then move on to Step 2 🚂
Step 2: Departure Station
2.1 - While you are still on the Route Details page from 1.3 and 1.4 above, scroll down to the “Train Stations Served by…” section. Here, you can see every station that your train is going to stop at.
2.2 - Click on the station where you are getting on the train.
This will take you to another page that has all kinds of information about your station, including the address, if wi-fi is available, if staff will be present at the station before the train arrives, etc.
(Don’t worry if it doesn’t look exactly the same as this; some of the station pages look a little different than others for some reason 🤷🏻♀️)
2.3 - Scroll down to the “Station Details”, then on the left side of the screen click on “Baggage”. To the right, it will now say either “Checked baggage service available” or “No checked baggage service”.
If it says “Checked baggage service available”, then move on to Step 3 🚂
If it says “No checked baggage service”, then you cannot check your bags. Even if your route offers it, that doesn’t mean the specific stations you’re going to offer it. We know that can be confusing, especially for first-time train riders, but some of the stations are just so small that they don’t have the staff to get bags on and off the trains, and the crew on the train don’t have time to do it because those station stops are sometimes literally only 1-2 minutes long. Click here to check out the FAQ section below for quick answers to common questions.
Step 3: Arrival Station
Essentially, we are now going to go through the same process as Step 2, but for your arrival station.
3.1 - From the page you are on at the end of Step 2, use the “Back” button on your browser to get back to the Route Details page from Step 1.
3.2 - Scroll to the “Train Stations Served by…” section near the bottom of the page.
3.3 - Click on the station where you are getting off the train.
3.4 - Scroll down to the “Station Details”. Click on “Baggage” on the left side, then on the right, look for “Checked baggage service available” or “No checked baggage service”.
If it says “Checked baggage service available” and you followed Steps 1 and 2, then congratulations! You can check your bags 🥳 ALL 3 must offer checked baggage service for you to be able to check your bags. If any 1 of them do not have checked baggage service, you cannot check your bags. Now you can click here to view all of our blog articles about train travel, including an Amtrak Food and Drink Guide, reviews of the routes we’ve taken, and the Ultimate Guide to the USA Rail Pass, or click here to check out all our Amtrak videos on YouTube, including a bunch of 90-second Q&A videos and some of the sights we’ve seen from Amtrak trains.
If it says “No checked baggage service”, then you cannot check your bags. Even if the route and departure station offer checked bags, your arrival station may just not have the staff to get bags on and off the train.
Most of the overnight trains offer checked luggage, especially the ones that go to the West Coast, but a lot of the small train stations along those routes don’t do checked bags, so you NEED to go through this process to find out if yours do. Figuring this out ahead of time will help you decide which bags you want to take on your trip and ensure that you are mentally prepared for where to store your luggage once you’re on the train.
Pro Tip: Checking your bags on Amtrak (when you can) makes for a much better experience, in our opinion. Everything that you carry onto the train, you’ll have to keep an eye on, and more stuff could end up making your seat or room feel more cramped. Keep all truly valuable items (such as electronics and jewelry) with you at all times, but items like clothes are perfectly fine to be in checked luggage.
Some popular journeys, especially in the Northeast, have multiple train routes that go through the same stations. Some of those trains offer checked luggage and some do not, so if it’s important to you to be able to check a bag, make sure you go through this process before you buy your ticket.
FAQ about Amtrak Luggage
What does “checking a bag” mean on Amtrak?
Can I take a large suitcase as a carry-on if my Amtrak train doesn’t offer checked luggage?
Do you have to check your bags on Amtrak?
How strict is Amtrak about carry-on bag policies?
Where do you put carry-on bags on Amtrak?
Should you leave your bags unattended in Amtrak coach?
Should you put locks on carry-on bags?
How many bags can I take on an Amtrak train?
How early should you get to the station?
Where do you pick up checked bags after getting off an Amtrak train?
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