How bad can a train be? What route was it? And were you supposed to take a long-distance limited train, like the Lakeshore Limited, but missed it, because you were late getting to Chicago?
This is definitely needed. The utility of flying shorter distances has become seriously compromised by security delays, including events like the recent fiasco at LAX in which a whole terminal was shut down because a flashlight battery exploded.
As it now stands, we don’t have true rail service at all between L.A. and the Bay Area; Amtrak will sell you a ticket, but part of the journey must be made by bus.
That’s only true if you take the inland route (the San Joaquin service): bus LA-Bakersfield, train up the Central Valley to Stockton, then west to the Bay Area. There are several bus/train trips per day that do this.
You can, however, take the Coast Starlight, which is rail all the way from LA to the Bay Area, with superb coastal views around Santa Barbara. The same train goes all the way up to Seattle, with more great views as you cross the Cascades and finally run along the edge of Puget Sound. I highly recommend it! It’s a couple of hours longer LA-SF than the inland route, due to all the twists and turns, but it beats the boredom of the Central Valley (which feels just like driving up I-5).
If you do take the Coast Starlight to SF, you can get off at San Jose and transfer to Caltrain (local commuter rail) for the last few miles of an “all-rail” trip, as otherwise you’ll have to take a connecting bus from Emeryville across the Bay Bridge for the last 10 miles into SF.