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Future of Amtrak Dining Car service
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Mr. Toy: [QB] [QUOTE]Originally posted by Southwest Chief: [qb]Meals on LD trains is practically the only reason to travel by train now a days. The whole cruise ship on rails attraction is huge for the Coast Starlight, more so now on the Empire Builder, and somewhat so on the Zephyr. The other LD trains (Southwest Chief, Sunset, Capitol Limited, Eagle, etc...) are used more for getting from one place to the other than a cruise ship like trip. [/qb][/QUOTE]I'm not comfortable referring to any Amtrak train as a cruise experience. It is, after all, a regularly scheduled transportation system, and never really had the level of luxury one would associate with a cruise experience. Amtrak trains are reasonably comfortable, to be sure, but far from luxurious. I leave that to American Orient Express and other tour operators, which are set up exclusively for sightseeing, and not a way of getting somewhere. That's not to say Amtrak doesn't have value as a way to tour the country. It does. But one should not expect a cruise experience from a transportation provider. On the other hand, I adamantly disagree with a small segment of the railfan crowd (and a large segment of the current leadership in Washington DC) that because Amtrak is a transportation provider, the company's only obligation is to provide a seat. From a business point of view, that attitude is suicidal. Certain amenities are needed to attract customers. Not all customers will want to take advantage of those amenities, but others demand it or its no sale. That's the beauty of having different classes of service. Amtrak can provide no frills service to coach passengers, and more comfort to sleeping car passengers. That is as it should be. I think Amtrak recognizes that some amenities are necessary to attract customers, but at some point the costs outweigh the benefits. The current discussion centers around where to draw the line. I think it is a delicate balancing act. Its like a teeter-totter. On one side is the cost of providing amenities, and on the other is the income generated by having those amenities. Amtrak's headaches come when Congress gets involved. The teeter-totter is trying to balance three points instead of two. The third being the need to satisfy a Congress that thinks it is Amtrak's marketing department, planning department, and accounting department. If you've ever tried to balance a triangular object on a single point, you get the picture. [/QB][/QUOTE]
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