I can remember wine tasting and little toiletry packs in your roomette.
I wonder just how far Richard Anderson's micromanagement blitzkrieg will go? I hope the possible elimination of the dining car, on the Capitol Limited, is just a rumor. If they do eliminate the dining car, maybe it would be best to micromanage the Capitol Limited train into oblivion! I have to agree with the last paragraph of the article.
Richard
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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Richard, difficult for the many here who are far more dyed in the wool train riders than am I (in all likelihood I have made my final Amtrak journey for this year), the LD trains are not here to provide a favorable travel experience. They are here primarily to provide a relatively inexpensive "rolling pork barrel" to provide Federal funding for what can only be considered as regional operations - and all of such away from the Northeast Corridor have substantial local funding support.
It appears that the current thinking at One Mass is that the LD's will garner the funding without the "enhancements" noted by many around here - the $1.9B garnered this FY is indicative of that. Amtrak has much greater concerns than LD train amenities, such as starting with the breakdown of a safety culture on the property. This must gnaw at Mr. Anderson having come from a transport industry having a safety record can only be considered exemplary.
PullmanCo Member # 1138
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Let's be blunt. Amtrak is SLOW. It's slow relative to Deutsche Bahn, SNCF, or Japan Railways in the Corridor. It's SLOW relative to 1950 era rail speeds here in the US. It's slow relative to Megabus and an automobile. It's a tortise compared to air at 750 miles and beyond.
The people who once travelled by PV for business travel now own their own jets. Those who rented PV, now fly net jets. Most who took Pullman space now fly front cabin, those who flew coach fly back cabin.
The routings are THIN. From Kansas City, the most effective way to get to OKC, Dallas, Denver or Houston is to fly. Full stop. You have to be east of the Mississippi, in a state which partners with Amtrak, to get effective A--->B service between major city pairs.
GBN is right. The amenities are gone, not to return. Amtrak is bare bones service.
Amtrak is OLD. Amfleet is 30-35 years old. Superliner is 30. Amtrak's rolling stock is generally older now than most equipment they received on A-Day, and the stuff they got from ATSF (400 cars) and UP (100+cars) was far better maintained than the current fleet.
I noticed a couple things a few weeks ago, when I took an Amfleet business class car on Illinois service from Chicago to Kewanee. There was no folding grate on the vestibule passageway, just a chain. The brakes were tread, not disc. So much for the high quality outside swing hanger trucks of the late 50s.
Don't expect luxury from Amtrak. Don't expect the quality a rail historian of the past would. That era is over.
yukon11 Member # 2997
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Mr. Norman and Mr. Pullman: I don't have any disagreement with you comments. Amtrak is slow and I do not expect the luxury of the past. I do agree that the main reason for the Amtrak LD network is to provide federal funding and connectivity with regional and commuter trains
I guess my concern is purely self-serving. I'm simply not willing to take a 1-2 day trip, on a LD Amtrak train, without a dining car, substandard food in the bistro car, dirty toilets, sinks, & windows, and sometimes surly train attendants. This is something one encounters all too often. And added to that is the exorbitant cost of a sleeping car accommodation.
I don't disagree with Mr. Anderson's cost cutting practices, from a purely "bottom line" perspective. Amtrak ridership has increased in the past few years and if Anderson can make significant or drastic cuts and keep the ridership, more power to him.
I have read that over 50% of passengers, who take Amtrak LD trains, do so for pleasure and the experience of taking a train. I also note that 36 % of total revenue, for a LD train, comes from passengers in sleepers. If that figure starts to drop, due to cuts that passengers find unacceptable, will the LD train be negligibly affected? Will there be diminishing returns? I don't know.
If the LD trains are cut to the bare bones, I probably will never take the Coast Starlight. I might take the Empire Builder from SEA/PDX to Whitefish, but that is an overnight ride. I could get a meal before and after detraining.
Richard
PullmanCo Member # 1138
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I'm just a tad frustrated at the end of charter train and PV service except at route destinations. I think Amtrak is being pennywise and pound foolish on these areas.
That said, I've heard tales of non-travelling foamers who hazard themselves and others during fantrips of steam. I can sadly see why Amtrak feels the need to end historic equipment train charters.
I'm preparing for a Danube River cruise in Austria and Germany this fall. I'm looking at transport from my airports to various cities, including my embarkation/debarkation cities of Vienna and Nuremburg. Deutsche Bahn has plenty of service for me to choose from. Clearly, it's not Amtrak.
yukon11 Member # 2997
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Here is an interesting take by Fred Frailey of TRAINS:
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