Amtrak Train Travel Passes for Interviewing IMGs

When I was a kid, I was a train freak and I still often get nostalgic about my monsoon train journeys into the interiors of rural India , chugging along into the fresh greenery and the rejuvenating rains.

Public transport systems are not strong in the United States, since almost all households rely more on their own vehicles, and lack of affordable public transport system is often a problem for International visitors. Maybe the rising oil gas prices will make US invest more into public transport :-)

Amtrak is a semi-government railway corporation that operates trains in the US and a few in Canada too. Let's thank an anonymous reader who posted a comment on my CS blog about Amtrak Railroad passes for International visitors who are Non-US and Non-Canadian citizens

Amtrak gives out 15-day and 30-day rail travel passes to International visitors at two rates - the peak and off-peak periods rates. Thankfully, what Amtrak considers "off-peak" is pretty much the the peak interviewing seasons for residency programs :-)

Passport is needed to purchase the pass for proof of identity and purchases are valid for the following visa types:

A-1 Ambassador
A-2 Official of Ambassador, in a Sub-Category
B-1 Temporary Visitor - Business
B-2 Temporary Visitor - Tourist
C-1 Alien in Transit
C-3 Foreign Official and Immediate Family Members
F-1 Student
F-2 Spouse or Child of Student
J-1 Exchange Visitor
J-2 Spouse or Child of Visitor
M-1 Vocational or Non-Academic Student
M-2 Spouse or Child of Student
WB Waiver Business
WT Waiver Tourist


Click Here for complete information on the Amtrak Website about the rates and how to purchase the passes and Here are the rates.


Would that be economical ? Thats a decision based on the amount of travel one needs to do, which in turn may depend on the amount of interviews one has scheduled. If there are plenty enough in places not too far off and have railway connectivity, then this is a good option worth thinking about and making early reservations for.