Despite my jet lag, I found the rules quite easy to grasp. Even Rowen caught on and played for a couple of rounds (proving that it is appropriate for ages 8+). The sessions run pretty quickly, depending on the number of people playing, usually finishing in under an hour. Considering we often play Catan: Cities and Knights and Carcassonne with multiple expansions, it's nice to have a shorter game that is still interesting and challenging.
The idea is to connect cities with your trains using matched sets of cards. Each player has different (and secret) destinations across America to connect with their trains. The concept is fairly simple, but the strategies get interesting as people try to build their paths without letting others know where they are going.
It's nice to have another family board game to play.