For the last few years, Amtrak has been rolling out a new batch of coaches in the Midwest built by Siemens. These Venture coaches have gotten a mixed reception from what I've seen online, and after years of riding on Amfleets and Horizons, I was really curious to see what the new equipment was like myself. Jason and I had been wanting to do another weekend trip to Chicago, so I booked us on a Lincoln Service train on the way up so we could check them out. Our return lined up well with the Texas Eagle (operates on the same line as the Lincoln Service), but this is a long distance train that runs with older Superliner coaches. While it's not a perfect comparison--the Superliners are a long distance product and the Ventures are a regional product--I thought it would be interesting to compare our experience in both cars.
In short... meh. The coaches look great, are very quiet, and ride beautifully compared to the older Horizons they're replacing. But the firm seats and harsh overhead lighting aren't suited to 5 hour long trips. These would be great commuter coaches for a trip 2 hours or less, but the interiors need to be altered to be more suitable for Amtrak in my opinion. Dimming the lights at night and fitting them with plusher seats would probably do the trick.
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