Best cell carrier for Amtrak
Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile compared on every Amtrak route, using the FCC's in-vehicle coverage model. AT&T has the most solid coverage on board overall, but the best carrier depends on which train you take.
AT&T: solid coverage across 32,525 route miles, plus 11% spotty. Best on 42 of 46 routes.
77%Verizon: solid coverage across 32,525 route miles, plus 19% spotty. Best on 4 of 46 routes.
68%T-Mobile: solid coverage across 32,525 route miles, plus 25% spotty. Best on 0 of 46 routes.
Route by route
Solid on-board coverage for each carrier. The best carrier on each route is in bold.
| Route | Miles | Verizon | AT&T | T-Mobile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Chief | 2,229 | 68% | 81% | 62% |
| California Zephyr | 2,413 | 71% | 76% | 70% |
| Empire Builder | 2,196 | 68% | 75% | 60% |
| Coast Starlight | 1,371 | 80% | 83% | 73% |
| Texas Eagle | 2,713 | 70% | 80% | 66% |
| Sunset Limited | 1,989 | 70% | 82% | 69% |
| City of New Orleans | 931 | 69% | 86% | 59% |
| Lake Shore Limited | 958 | 86% | 91% | 61% |
| Floridian | 2,060 | 77% | 84% | 62% |
| Cardinal | 1,141 | 80% | 82% | 71% |
| Crescent | 1,374 | 77% | 85% | 68% |
| Silver Meteor | 1,386 | 81% | 88% | 67% |
| Palmetto | 828 | 80% | 89% | 70% |
| Auto Train | 856 | 73% | 82% | 57% |
| Northeast Regional | 635 | 87% | 93% | 84% |
| Acela | 456 | 91% | 98% | 92% |
| Pacific Surfliner | 348 | 84% | 84% | 80% |
| Amtrak Cascades | 459 | 84% | 93% | 80% |
| Capitol Corridor | 169 | 99% | 96% | 87% |
| Gold Runner | 512 | 96% | 95% | 83% |
| Downeaster | 144 | 71% | 83% | 64% |
| Empire Service | 464 | 82% | 87% | 53% |
| Adirondack | 381 | 60% | 73% | 34% |
| Maple Leaf | 546 | 82% | 86% | 53% |
| Ethan Allen Express | 310 | 70% | 80% | 45% |
| Keystone Service | 192 | 99% | 100% | 87% |
| Pennsylvanian | 433 | 81% | 85% | 70% |
| Vermonter | 601 | 82% | 88% | 73% |
| Valley Flyer | 98 | 89% | 98% | 81% |
| Hartford Line | 62 | 86% | 100% | 82% |
| Carolinian | 702 | 88% | 93% | 82% |
| Piedmont | 173 | 92% | 98% | 89% |
| Hiawatha | 85 | 95% | 99% | 94% |
| Borealis | 410 | 81% | 86% | 76% |
| Lincoln Service | 281 | 91% | 96% | 84% |
| Illini | 310 | 93% | 97% | 73% |
| Saluki | 310 | 93% | 97% | 74% |
| Illinois Zephyr | 258 | 84% | 85% | 82% |
| Carl Sandburg | 258 | 84% | 85% | 82% |
| Wolverine | 304 | 89% | 96% | 72% |
| Blue Water | 317 | 86% | 94% | 62% |
| Pere Marquette | 177 | 92% | 89% | 69% |
| Missouri River Runner | 278 | 65% | 80% | 59% |
| Heartland Flyer | 204 | 86% | 94% | 80% |
| Mardi Gras Service | 143 | 80% | 96% | 84% |
| Winter Park Express | 63 | 50% | 62% | 49% |
FAQ
Which cell carrier is best on Amtrak?
Across 46 Amtrak routes, AT&T has the most solid on-board coverage (85% of route miles) and is the best carrier on 42 routes. Verizon covers 77% and wins 4; T-Mobile covers 68% and wins 0. The best carrier still depends on your route.
Does my phone work on Amtrak?
Mostly, yes. Counting both solid and spotty signal, AT&T reaches 96%, Verizon reaches 96%, T-Mobile reaches 93% of Amtrak route miles. The real dead zones are mostly in the rural West and on mountain crossings.
Does Amtrak Wi-Fi work where my phone doesn't?
No. Amtrak says its onboard Wi-Fi relies on bandwidth from cellular carriers with towers along the routes, so it drops in the same dead zones.