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Is the water really safe to drink from the water spickets on the cars? I mean I am sure it is, but it always tastes horrible. You gotta go for the Pepsi or something else. Where does the water come from and why does it taste funky?
CoastStarlight99 Member # 2734
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I imagine its the same stuff that goes in the sinks, I tried it once and I deffinetly agree it tastes "funky".
I think i'll buy a bottle of Dannon.
PaulB Member # 4258
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I tried it once out of sheer desperation on one of my latest trips It had a plasticy taste to it. Most likely the tanks are plastic, and after the water sits in there for a day or two, it will taste like plastic.
I don't remember the water tasting that bad when I was a kid traveling about 15 years ago. Of course, I had more important things to do than worry about water quality.
Nowadays I only drink bottled water on board.
Geoff M Member # 153
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It's supposed to be potable - and thus I assume/hope it gets tested every once in a while. I remember a couple of years back that Miami had a problem and a few people became ill on the Silver trains. I think it was due to a potable water hose not being stored in a sanitary condition.
Mind you, the water in Florida tastes distinctly odd anyway.
I wouldn't go for Danone either - it got banned in the UK because of dangerous levels of something-or-other and has never re-launched since.
Geoff M.
Amtrak207 Member # 1307
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The tanks are metal. They are cleaned and sanitized as part of the railcar's 90- or 120-day maintenance schedule. You're probably dealing with tap water quality of the originating station for that train. So there's a 50-50 chance that's Chicago water, whatever that implies, probably treated surface water originally from Lake Michigan somewhere. Or if you're on an easter train it could be New York (Long Island) water from Sunnyside Yard, which I think may be sourced from aquifers.
Whatever your view, keep in mind that your bottle of commercial profiteering water has about a dozen quality and safety standards to pass and your tap water has close to a hundred.
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