Sometime in spring 2006, I got an e-mail from Amtrak asking if I wanted to play softball at Shea Stadium. Ed Kranepool, the 1970s Mets pitching star, would be my team’s manager and coach. The game was rained out, and then, to my chagrin and the disappointment of my cousin’s 8-year-old, my intended guest in the stands, rained out again. The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity would have been the highlight of my summer. It turned out to be just one of the rail line’s generous Guest Rewards.

Amtrak launched its Guest Rewards program seven years ago, coinciding with the launch of the Acela, its high-speed, tilting train service. The program now exceeds 1.6 million members, 60% of whom are in the busy Northeast Corridor between Washington, D.C., and Boston, according to the senior director of loyalty marketing at Amtrak, Michael Blakey. There are also heavy pockets of membership in corridors in Illinois, California, and Texas.

In October of that year, as if to make amends, Mr. Blakey sent a follow-up message. The offer? Two tickets to game 7 of the Mets-Cardinals playoffs, courtesy of the rail line, with apologies for the short notice (the e-mail came just a few days before the game). Apologies? Was he kidding?

I spend a lot of time on Amtrak, riding between my Hell’s Kitchen apartment and my office in Center City, Philadelphia, averaging about one round-trip a week. With so many miles logged on the passenger rail line, I’m privy to passenger gripes about delays or long lines. But my frequent ridership has earned me more than 10,000 points a year as part of Amtrak’s free Guest Rewards program — and the benefits often mean bypassing the aggravation.

The program’s membership has continued to see yearly growth, which Mr. Blakey attributes not only to the perks but also to improving Amtrak performance, in general. Guest Rewards is always adding new partners: Members can now earn points at Hyatt hotels, and at more than 100 online merchants linked from Amtrak.com. The rewards program has also reintroduced a loyalty credit card. But even without the card, members earn two points for every dollar spent on Amtrak travel, and more for riding the pricey Acela between certain cities. My usual round-trip averages about $120, which means I earn 240 points a week. That, in turn, means I have points I can spend on the bounty of loyalty rewards: airline miles, gift certificates, and, of course, free travel on Amtrak.

The 10,000 points accumulated annually promises another important benefit: It qualifies me for Select Plus, Guest Rewards’ top status tier. The uppermost tier comprises a very small percentage of members, but accounts for a large percentage of spending on Amtrak, Mr. Blakey said. And the fun really begins at the top.

Top-tier status guarantees unlimited access to the Club Acela in Penn Station and other Northeast Corridor cities, including Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. In the cramped, windowless, subterranean hell that is Penn Station, the club provides a welcome refuge from the crowds, and a menu of soft drinks and snacks. In Washington, D.C., riders can leave the club through a back door that lets out onto the train platform, skipping long lines. In Philadelphia, it’s even better: An elevator whisks you right to the platform before announcements for general boarding are even made.

Furthermore, having “Club Acela” stamped on my Amtrak Guest Rewards card grants me access to Continental Airlines’s Presidents Club locations in more than two dozen airports, where I can happily imbibe between flights. Getting into a Presidents Club is a costly proposition, in most cases: Travelers must either be American Express Platinum cardholders, which costs $450 yearly and will get you into most airline clubs, or they can pay for a Presidents Club membership, which costs about the same.

Of course, if I want to enjoy a beer or glass of wine on the train, Amtrak sends me about a half-dozen upgrade coupons each year. The first-class car on the Acela is probably not worth the 50% premium, but it’s more than worth a free Amtrak upgrade if you’re already paying for the Acela. Riders dine on a tasty multicourse meal, and all the beer or wine you’d like. In fact, I was once offered a second dinner when riding between Philadelphia and Boston, once the train left Penn Station.

With rewards like these, is it any wonder I’d take the train over the plane whenever I’m traveling on the East Coast?

Dr. Oransky is the deputy editor of the Scientist, the magazine of the life sciences (the-scientist.com). He can usually be found in the quiet car of Amtrak’s train 185, the 8:10 a.m. out of Penn Station.