***************** Amtrak will launch Business class service aboard the Cardinal. This new service will begin on eastbound Train 50 starting January 19 and on westbound Train 51 on January 20. You can begin making Business class reservations aboard the Cardinal starting January 11, and enjoy the following amenities:
Reserved seating in a car for Business class passengers only Complimentary non-alcoholic beverages Comfortable spacious leather seats Complimentary access to the Metropolitan Lounge at Chicago Union Station Complementary Wi-Fi and unlimited access to The New York Times and Washington Post digital newspapers in Wi-Fi coverage areas along the route An access pass for Philadelphia's ClubAcela for $20.00 per day ********************* This prompts a couple questions:
Is this the result of a Amtrak marketing initiative or a belated response to a little competition from IP and the Hoosier State?
Since it will offer leather seating, the car is likely one of those nice half cafe and half BC seating cars in service on a few eastern trains. If so, will this be the end of the current am-dinette on the train?
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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I have many a question myself, Mr. Palmland.
Could have the 33 seat Clubs survived all this time without conversion to another "Food Service" configuration? However, I have learned that several of the 64 seat "Business Class" (otherwise a Coach) cars have had their seats leather covered. "Comfortable, Spacious" hardly guarantees that a car with 2-1 "Club" seating will be assigned, but it does assure that there are options to avoid having to assign two Food Service cars to the Cardinal.
I guess there is potential for premium traffic to Greenbrier; or maybe for families/attorneys of some "bad girls" of the "White Collar" varietal doing their time at "Camp Cupcake" in Alderson. Also, throw in the Indiana segments as well. Could this be an "anything you can do we can do better" overture to Indiana so they kick Ellis out when his contract expires?
Finally, on Business Class around my parts but unrelated to The Cardinal, It looks like from the consists I observe on Saturdays of 381 (CHI-QCY), that Business Class is now on the HEAD and not the rear where it has previously been. Oh ye souls paying a "stiffer than in the past" premium to ride, I hope you enjoy "listening to the music" as you ride along. That sure makes me "not exactly" desirous to do so.
Posts: 9976 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Lots of rumors circulating about the Cardinal: Due to the decline of coal, CSX will downgrade the route of the Cardinal to 30 mph, which would effectively kill it. That's rumor.
What we know is that CSX coal has declined drastically. The outlet to the southeast on the former Clinchfield is no more. Mechanical forces have been furloughed in numerous locations. Over 100 employees have been furloughed at the massive Russell, KY yard. AK Steel, the largest customer in that area of WV/KY has shut down, at least for six months, due to the dumping of steel from China. They will lay off more than 600 workers. Their traffic included a unit train of molten steel to AK's mill in Middleton, OH.
But, we also know that when the Clinchfield route was closed, some of the coal that used that route was rerouted over the C&O both east to Richmond and west to Cincinnati. I can confirm that is happening as I saw a 110 car coal train rumble through Ashland, VA last weekend. It contained cars for a South Carolina utility that used to run down the Clinchfield.
Before I speculate on what might happen, anyone have any guesses on what 1.) CSX might do and 2.) what Amtrak should do with the Cardinal?
Lots of options: CSX makes no changes; CSX downgrades the line but Amtrak does nothing except lengthen the schedule; Amtrak kills the Cardinal and makes the Pennsylvanian/Capitol connection a reality; Amtrak keeps portions of the Cardinal as a day train; or reroutes it east of Ashland, Ky via the N&W (NS) to Roanoke and Lynchburg (the route of the short lived Mountaineer).
What's your guess?
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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GBN, interesting comments. It didn't occur to me that Panamax could help CSX/NS not only with intermodal from the far east but also coal. And you can be sure commodity prices will bounce back at some point - maybe when demand catches up with supply in China. I do wish our government would earmark some of its subsidy dollars for renewable energy into helping the coal industry meet environmental regulations. I wonder how many people have lost their job in West Virginia.
I would be surprised if CSX downgrades the entire C&O to 30 mph. One of the keys to profitability is asset utilization. You don't accomplish that by reducing speeds, even if it is low priority freight. But I could see a reduction to Class 3, 59mph from 79 on the 100 mile Cincinnati sub between Russell and Cincinnati. Even there most of it is restricted to 70 or 75mph with the curves along the river. On the rest of the C&O over the mountains, its already restricted to 50/55 or less due to the terrain.
So I suspect we'll see some lengthening of the Cardinal schedule, maybe an hour or so and it will continue to limp along as it does now.
What I would like to see is for Amtrak to show some initiative and take any CSX changes as an opportunity to rethink how the Cardinal operates. The northeast to the midwest market is already served by the LSL, Capitol, and Pennsylvanian/Capitol connection. Does the Cardinal really need to do that also. Wouldn't West Virgina and Ohio be better served by two daytime trains originating in the Cincinnati area - one to the east and one to Chicago with robust Thruway connections from Kentucky and central Ohio cities?
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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palmland, should I know this? You make mention of a "unit train of molten steel" How the hell is that done, and please don't just reply "carefully."
I am having trouble picturing that.
Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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Mike, my mistake. It's hot steel slabs that went in unit train to Middletown for fabrication. But Ak's blast furnace at Ashland did make intraplant molten steel moves in the bottle cars. Ashland also had their own finished steel for outbound rail shipment as well as inbound coal and ore.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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Thought this article on the Cardinal from the Charleston, WV newspaper might be of interest. There is little of real news here, but I do believe during the Moorman era we will see changes to this train.
When I saw it a month ago, it looked healthy with the new BC car and two sleepers. With the reduction in CSX freight traffic, they might be convinced that a daily train is doable if Amtrak could provide some incentive.
Amtrak could help themselves if they took a lesson from the Hoosier State and made the BC car something worth paying extra for. Saw elsewhere that according to Ed Ellis, "The margin on business class is substantial, at least 50% of the incremental revenue."
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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