BarTrakr

Every Mile. Every Bar.

Explore cell coverage along Amtrak routes

See where your carrier's signal is strong, where it fades, and where the dead zones are on the actual rail line. Know before you board, and track it live on the train.

Find your train

Now mapped: Southwest Chief (Chicago–Los Angeles).

Featured route

Southwest Chief

Chicago to Los Angeles over Raton Pass and across the Mojave. On the train, AT&T covers the most of the route, but even its longest gap runs about 45 miles between Flagstaff and Kingman.

  • 5G NR · 35/3 Mbps 38.0%
  • 5G NR · 7/1 Mbps 7.9%
  • 4G LTE 35.4%
  • Spotty (outdoor-strength only) 12.4%
  • No modeled coverage 6.2%

Open the coverage map

81%of the route with AT&T service on the train, the best of three carriers
45 milongest modeled dead zone
2,229 mi32 stations, Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile

How BarTrakr works

  1. We trace the real rail line

    Routes come from the U.S. DOT's National Transportation Atlas, so the map follows the track, not the highway.

  2. We overlay carrier coverage

    Each stretch of track is matched to FCC Broadband Data Collection coverage for LTE and 5G, carrier by carrier.

  3. You plan, or track live

    Check gaps before you go, save the route for offline use, and let your phone's GPS count down to the next dead zone.

Route directory

We publish a route only after it has been processed and checked. More routes and carriers are on the way.

  • Southwest ChiefMapped
  • California ZephyrComing
  • Empire BuilderComing
  • Coast StarlightComing
  • Texas EagleComing
  • Sunset LimitedComing
  • City of New OrleansComing
  • Lake Shore LimitedComing
  • FloridianComing
  • CardinalComing
  • CrescentComing
  • Silver MeteorComing
  • PalmettoComing
  • Auto TrainComing

See all 38 Amtrak routes →

Why cell service matters on a train

Amtrak Wi-Fi is delivered over the same cellular networks you use on your phone. When the train runs through a gap, both drop together. Long-distance routes cross deserts, mountain passes and empty prairie where towers are sparse, so knowing where those gaps are lets you schedule calls, download shows and send work at the right time.

Before you rely on it

  • Coverage is modeled by carriers and published by the FCC. It is not measured onboard.
  • Steel railcars, terrain and network load all affect real-world signal.
  • Every route page shows its data release date and known gaps in our processing.