WASHINGTON — The National Park Service “Trails and Rails” volunteer lecture program has been cancelled on five Amtrak trains and shorteneed on three others this year. The changes are the result of the result Amtrak’s decision to withdraw what had been complimentary food and overnight lodging expense payments to the volunteers [see “Trails and Rails threatened,” “Passenger,” February 2018 TRAINS].
Trains where the program has been cancelled are:
— City of New Orleans, New Orleans-Greenwood, Miss.
— Sunset Limited, New Orleans-Beaumont, Tex.
— California Zephyr, Denver-Grand Junction, Colo.
— Texas Eagle, Fort Worth-San Antonio, Tex.
— Maple Leaf , Albany/Rensselaer-Utica, N.Y.
Those where it has been abbreviated are:
— Empire Builder: 2017, Seattle-Havre, Mont.; 2018, Seattle-Wenatchee, Wash.
— Crescent: 2017, Atlanta-New Orleans; 2018: Atlanta-Birmingham, Ala.
— Southwest Chief: 2017: La Junta, Colo.-Albuquerque, N.M.; 2018, La Junta, Colo.-Las Vegas, N.M.
Returning routes include:
— New York-Washington, D.C. (Northeast Regional)
— New York-Albany/Rensselaer, NY (Adirondack, Empire Service)
— Saratoga Springs-Westport, N.Y (Adirondack)
— Chicago-St. Louis (Lincoln Service and Texas Eagle)
— Chicago-Niles, Mich. (Wolverine Service and Blue Water)
— Seattle-Portland, Ore. (Coast Starlight)
— Santa Barbara-San Jose, Calif. (Coast Starlight and Pacific Surfliner)
— Los Angeles-San Diego (Pacific Surfliner)
— Oklahoma City-Fort Worth, Tex. (Heartland Flyer)
Although some programs operate daily—usually from May to Labor Day—most have specific days of operation and café car lecturers won’t be on every departure or every segment. A complete list of 2018 days of operation and trains is now posted on the National Park Service website.
Amtrak has been missing, since day one, some of the elements that made the post WWII streamlined trains enjoyable. Consider that the beds in sleeping cars were comfortable in those streamliners, but Superliner beds are like a narrow pad on a hard surface. But from time to time, Amtrak has incorporated some good elements into its operations. The Pacific Parlor cars were a prime example. I can’t judge the Trials and Rails program because I’ve never experienced it. However, I fear that the airline mentality in the leadership is going to simply turn trains into uncomfortable ground versions of airliners. Beside the nickel and dime issues, it won’t be long before they eliminate leg room and install narrow three and two or three and three seating in coaches to maximize seating capacity. The uniqueness and enjoyment of train travel is headed toward extinction. It’s hard to endure two or three hours of discomfort in an airline coach section. Imagine what a trip on a long distant train would be like with the same sort of accommodations. Yikes!
Incredibly short-sighted. And how does curtailing Seattle-Havre to Seattle-Wenatchee save money? Instead of staying in the crew car and catching the westbound at Havre, are volunteers going to be paid for an overnight hotel at Wenatchee?
Hold on guys, it’s going to get ridiculouser before it gets ridiculess.
This is a really shortsighted decision by Amtrak.
Not to sound like a “broken record” but as I have stated in a previous comment—— wait till you see how the new “airline suits” start nickel and diming. Have you checked the new trip cancellation refund policy recently?
Amtrak has to stop this ridiculous nickel & diming to save money. Better to spend money to improve services and keep passengers happy.
As an 11-summer seasonal NPS ranger I’m sorry to see a popular interpretive program of any kind curtailed. As a passenger, I rather enjoy peace and quiet in the lounge car, so although I have seldom ridden trains with Trails and Rails programs, I don’t know how much I would miss it. If a train had two lounges, I would fully support having a program of this sort in one.
Amtrak wouldn’t know good marketing even if they ever achieved it.
How many of you are happy now with the person that Wick chose as his successor?
I worked the Trails and Rails from New Orleans in the 90’s on the city of New Orleans and the Sunset. The passengers had a great time listening to us. The stories we could tell, we could write a book!!!
Too bad, the program was fun and informative.