WASHINGTON — In a meeting last week, Amtrak President and CEO Richard Anderson told the head of the Rail Passengers Association that the company “will continue to operate, and even selectively upgrade, what Anderson calls ‘epic, experiential’ trains like the Empire Builder and Coast Starlight.”
Association CEO Jim Mathews reported details of the meeting with Anderson and Stephen Gardner, Amtrak’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer, in an email to advocacy groups and reported it in the association’s weekly “hotline” under the heading, “Long-distance trains not in the crosshairs … for now.”
In conversations with Mathews, Gardner reiterated what he had said in public testimony, that the Empire Builder would continue to run daily. “No plans exist for permanent reductions in service through Amtrak’s next authorization in 2020,” and possible adjustments as a result of positive train control technology issues “are not an abandonment strategy,” Gardner added. But he told Mathews that Amtrak’s “sweet spot” is where “multiple daily frequencies can be serviced with an optimized number of trainsets, so both fares and trip times can be competitive with other modes.”
On April 18 in Los Angeles, Anderson told an audience, “There are some really epic trips, California Zephyr, the Coast Starlight, some of the trains we run on the east coast. That has a place. But the government pays every person that uses long distance $145. It costs $750 million to run those trains,” adding, “our responsibility is how to keep that experiential piece of the pie in place, and at the same time try and figure out our mission to service short-haul markets.”
Also discussed:
— Cold meals set to debut on the Lake Shore Limited and Capitol Limited on June 1 are “a work in progress,” with “at least one hot food option to be added back to the menu as well as the ability for coach passengers to buy meals from that menu in the diner or elsewhere,” Mathews reports. Gardner also says Amtrak is looking for ways to “upgrade food contracts across the system … and let passengers choose their meals ahead of time, and choose when and where they would like to eat — in the diner at fixed mealtimes, or in their room or at their seat.”
— The 11 Viewliner II dining cars now parked in Florida are awaiting parts and modification; once completed, they can go into service.
— The company will soon issue a request for proposals for new diesel locomotives.
— A request for information will poll manufacturers this summer “about the availability of single-level trainsets and diesel multiple units.”
— “Next up will be identifying ways to replace the Superliner Is and IIs,” Mathews reports. Despite the fact that virtually all Superliners are younger (built in 1979-1981 and 1993-1996, respectively) than the newest Amfleet cars now being refurbished, Anderson says the bilevels “are simply too old and have too many serious concerns, including the need for all-new frames — that the answer is really replacement rather than refurbishment.”
Mathews made no mention in either the email or hotline report of a revised delivery schedule for the long-delayed Viewliner II cars — 25 sleeping cars and 10 baggage-dormitory cars — Amtrak has already agreed to purchase as part of the 130-car order with CAF USA.
In a text message to Trains News Wire after receiving a copy of the email from an advocacy group, former Amtrak president Joe Boardman noted that there was also no specific mention of the Southwest Chief.
Boardman says, “While the Rail Passengers Association might buy the idea of ‘experiential” trains, it flies in the face of the communities and the people who depend on trains for connectivity to the nation and mobility — that is their mission.”
He adds, “I do not believe it should be the (stated) mission of Amtrak to operate “experiential” long distance trains. I’m sorry, but this plan and or thinking is not a winning strategy for Amtrak. In fact, it is a prescription for a loss of congressional support and therefore additional isolation and loss of mobility for many across the rural areas of our nation.”
Amtrak management has lost it’s credibility to me. Despite their “not in the crosshairs” statement about long distance trains , I will see it when I believe it with this management team.
Sounds like Sleepy Joe wants his job back. Eight or nine years ago, the Obama administration handed him a Golden Goose and what did he do with it? Hardly anything. Oh boy, a few baggage cars! Now he wants to bad mouth Ol’ Slash and Burn Anderson. Neither one is worth a cold, boxed meal.
Don’t know what they’re smoking. I drop a fortune to ride in a sleeper and I get a cold box meal. They’re nuts!
Time for the Amtrak board to think outside the box and bring in a complete outsider…someone that isn’t connected to air travel and/or government. Remember, this is the CEO we’re talking about, all they’re supposed to do is make sure all parts are working towards the same end goal…the person doesn’t even really need to have a railroad background, just some balls to stand up to Congress and the Railroad CEO’s…and to get the Board to stay off his back long enough to let him do his job(as long as he has a clear destination in mind).
OK – this week’s talking point on LD service is “not in (the) crosshairs.” Now it’s only a short distance for a downshift to “we’re behind LD trains 110%” as the talking point du jour. After that…look out below!!
MIKE – Great post. Paul Reistrup was a great railroader but there was nothing at Amtrak for him to lead. Graham Clayton (R.I.P.) and David Gunn were the best.
Given the numerous selective leaks from Amtrak’s HQ, combined with the almost daily revelations of ludicrous proposed revisions in long distance routes and services, this scenario at Amtrak sounds more like a blindfolded horse running around in a barn on fire. If anybody believes they can take to the bank whatever went on in this meeting, I have a bridge to sell them!
Interesting to see Boardman persistently poke his nose under the tent here. It was Boardman’s direct role in setting up this scenario by playing to his Northeastern-focused Board of Directors, when on his watch we never saw one proforma prepared for Congress to approve funding for new Superliners to catch the revenues falling along the tracks by turning away so many riders. We also received the cute way to force states to pay for infrastructure improvement for one daily train (KS, CO, NM). Of course, we can never forget PRIIA (which is Portuguese for NEC subsidy at expense of all other states). After so many re-organziations and buy-outs, who is even left at the Amtrak bunker who has the vaguest knowledge and experience with passenger trains, marketing, food & beverage, product design, etc? This point will continue to be hammered home as we witness the increasing foibles of Amtrak today; to reinforce how we lost the last real railroader when the Board turned on Mr. Gunn in 2005!
Amtrak has failed to develop a long distance network, just as it has forfeited the opportunity to build state corridors to connect intrastate and interstate regions. Only by working well outside Amtrak have we experienced success in California and North Carolina. The excessive schedule padding and persistent lack of on-time performance, complemented by the Guantanamo food concept, and relying on worn-out equipment will only excel Amtrak’s demise. The laugh of the day is the latest proposal by Amtrak to kill the continuity of long distance routes by breaking them up into segments served by suburban-style DMUs (quite unlike intercity DMUs on Swiss Rail).
Although Amtrak’s Board and their management minions who covet their long relationship with the Board think they are invulnerable to focus simply upon their NEC should realize that they should not be spitting in the wind–for as they game us on the long distance routes and overcharge the state-supported corridors, will only mean even less support for their Gateway Project, which is but an exotic regional commuter infrastructure program.
Charles,
The Superliner 1 cars are approaching 40 so according to David Gunn’s should last another 10 years which if new long distance cars were ordered soon which might take 10 years to be delivered.
My fear is that Delta dick will use the equipment is shot argument to reduce frequencies if not discontinuance of the long distance trains.
I was a critical of Joe Boardman from when he became Amtrak president. He perpuated the Dogma that NEC profitable and the long distance trains were big money losers. This has been picked up by media and others.
Amtrak needs a railroader who believes in all Intercity trains long distance and otherwise. Paul Reistrup, W Graham Claytor Jr, David Gunn believed.
Mike Lustig
Lowell,
That plan was largely contingent upon 2 things; 1) NS completing some trackwork at the station to improve switching capabilities. I think that I heard that NS had started said work, but I don’t think that it’s been completed.
2) The plan required the now long delayed Viewliner II sleepers in order to have enough sleepers to provide one to each consist. Yes, there was some talk of starting up the service with just a coach and a single level cafe car.
Surprised no mention of the Capitol Limited/Pennsylvanian combination as a way to get between New York and Chicago. Unfortunately there’s the layover at Pittsburgh, but the other options also require a layover, and the Pennsylvanian has great scenery during the daytime. Now would have been a good time to put into action the plan to exchange cars at Pittsburgh which apparently has been discussed in the past but never put into action.
ANDREW – Your first sentence tells it all – Richard Anderson isn’t the problem, Joe Boardman was. I wish all the people bad-mouthing Delta Dick now had criticized Lunatic Joe back then.
After Boardman ran off all the experienced executives, there is no one left to tell Mr. Anderson about Rima Parkhurst’s experiment 35 years ago with airline-style tray meals. Remember her? Pay first, crummy food after. It was awful. Sleeper passengers immediately stopped coming back, and told all their friends besides. Traffic plummeted, and soon Ms. Parkhurst was gone, and the real meals were back.But neither Mr. Anderson nor his staff remember that, so now we will have to learn the lesson again.
When the average trip crosses three to four meal periods, and many trips cross three days, Amtrak has to provide decent food. Or people won’t ride, and all that will be left are the commuters.
One wonders when Mr. Anderson, or Mr. Gardner, will take a two-night trip on one of their western trains to understand first hand what the dining car means to an overnight passenger.
Do the math, Mike, 50 years are coming.
A few years back, David Gunn said if the Superliner cars are maintained, they could last 50 years. Now Anderson says they need to be replaced. Still do not trust Anderson. Sorry but wrong man to be the President of Amtrak.
Mike Lustig
With respect to hot items on the LSL/CL I note that Amtrak gave no timetable for their restoration to Jim Mathews.
The menus kicking in (the unmentionables) on these trains on Friday of this week are poor in the evening, with only two salads and two sandwiches. But in the AM they are contemptible. Only yogurt with fruit, plus day old breads. No other choices. This is unbelievably unacceptable.
The excuse of meeting the no food service losses Congressional mandate doesn’t hold either. Amtrak has never been candid with the Congress on this and now it must be. Cold boxed meals would never be offered First Class riders on an overnight Delta flight and they really won’t work on Amtrak either.
We are told this is an “experiment”. So how would it be graded? Sleeper ridership won’t drop quickly, as Amtrak as always has thousands of passengers already booked on these trains who have no idea what is about to hit them. But even if they read the carrier’s “New and Contemporary” dining press release, they aren’t offered the chance to cancel without the regular penalties being imposed. So will Amtrak conclude in September, when the LSL train (hopefully) returns to Penn Station, (with access to a proper full line commissary), that the experiment worked because they don’t yet see a big drop in sleeper ridership?
What will happen is riders will be outraged, but most will just swear never to ride a train (at least overnight) again. But it will take time for that to tell. This was the pattern when the SILVER STAR lost its diner. It took 12-18 months before riders realized in significant numbers that the train was no longer fit to ride all the way to Florida. For now the still full service SILVER METEOR provided a safety valve, but aside from the tri-weekly CARDINAL, (which for now retains a hot food “diner-lite” service), there is no option to the LAKESHORE/CAPITOL LIMITED from NYP/BOS/WAS to Chicago. Indeed until September neither the CARDINAL nor the LAKESHORE provides any direct service NYC/CHI. No New York to Chicago thru trains since summer by any route! If every other Empire Corridor train could run to Grand Central why not the LAKESHORE?
I will believe hot food is returning to these trains when I see it. Until then I will vote by refusing to ride either train–alas.
Carl Fowler
Thereby confirming my bias: Amfleet was Budd and will last forever (though the first several hundred with the small windows got under my skin). Superliner, a Pullman-Standard design, okay but shorter-lived.