The problem for people who want to travel within the next two months, however, is that Amtrak’s cost-centered “right size” initiative driven by a point-to-point airline model the new management is comfortable with has reduced sleeping car capacity on two Chicago-East Coast trains compared with consists fielded in previous summers.
Both the Cardinal and Lake Shore Limited are running with one less Viewliner sleeper. The tri-weekly Cardinal, which operates with just two equipment sets, usually gets the third sleeper from the New York-Miami Silver Meteor from May through early November, [see “Viewliner vision,” July 2018], but so far that’s not happening.
The three Lake Shore consists required for daily service usually have two sleeping cars going to New York and one to Boston, but Penn Station trackwork and a drawbridge replacement project on the north end of Manhattan at Spuyten Duyvil prompted Amtrak to run only the Boston section with just two sleepers; New York-bound travelers must change at Albany-Rensselaer, N.Y., to and from Empire Corridor trains, which have been diverted to Grand Central Terminal.
The reductions were likely implemented because management decided to not run Cardinal New York-Washington – its largest patronage-generating segment – and similarly cut the Lake Shore’s New York section because there was no way to get the equipment over to Sunnyside Yard for servicing.
Of the 17 Cardinal departures from June 23 through July 31, sleeping car space was available on only four dates; two of those had only one roomette at the highest ($625 one-way adult) fare level. In addition, on two Saturdays (June 30 and July 7) there were no sleeping car rooms available to Washington on the Capitol Limited (the July 7 Capitol was also sold-out in coach).
Of the 39 Lake Shore departures during the same date range, 22 had no roomettes available (8 of those sold-out roomette dates did offer at least one accessible bedroom for $1,091, compared with roomette prices on available dates ranging from $304 to $575).
While two Viewliner sleepers incurred some damage in the collision of the southbound Silver Star several months ago and were sent the Amtrak’s Beech Grove (Ind.) Heavy Maintenance Facility for repairs, any continued absence would not explain the two trains’ capacity reductions.
As with every web-based promotion Amtrak has run during the last six months following last fall’s “Breaking the Travel Quo” campaign, this one effectively cuts advance purchase fares systemwide by a certain percentage for a limited amount of time. If travelers change their minds, they pay a penalty.
What’s different here, though, is that the “buy one, get one free roomette ticket sale” takes an extra length to explain one of the long distance train’s significant product differentiation features from sitting in a seat on a plane, bus, or even a train. It is the first promotion Amtrak’s new marketers have directed solely at the overnight travel segment, even though the “one size fits all” tactic still doesn’t tell people where the trains go.
As Mark Twain once said “Reports of my death have been greatly exegerated ” so too the same thing can be said for Amtrak and the debate over the long distance trains. Amtrak wont die or be scrapped but continue down the same road for the next several years or more scrimping along on the “crumbs that are thrown to them and also be under the control and domination of leaders who are clueless in what they are doing and a government which like Amtrak is dysfunctional and don’t knopw how to solve the problems facing Amtrak and other transportation systmes and modes for that matter. Until somebody or groups take the bull by the horns and really develop a plan that works for all parties, saves Amtrak or a worthy sucesssor to it and have a transoportation system that works seamlessly across all modes- rail, bus, road air and water. this nightmare will keep going and going with one Amtrak president after another taking over and leaving without solving anything. You can get Richard Anderson out but then what you will have another “clueless leader who won’t know what to do either and keep the same dysfunctional nightmare going and draining money and losing passengers at the same time.
And maybe at some point the other saying will kick in “Old soldiers don’t die- they fade away” the same can be
said for Amtrak and passenger trains Trains don’t die- they just fade away. Unless the present administration both in our governmenrt and their cronies running Amtrak are following that policy. Keep cutting services, make
life miserable for passengers and drive new riders away and they just might suceed in killing off not only amtrak but all passenger trains but doing in in a very subtle and underhanded wayso as not to arouse a public outcrywhen that train is no longer around and stops running. and another reminder Once something disappears or is taken away, it never come back or attempts to revive it fail. Many years ago there was amovie released called The Gang who Couldn’t Shoot Straight well we have a current movie running and very real too Its called
Amtrak and their leaders- The gang that didnt and couldnt run a railroad. and finally one more quote- A famous airline back in the 60s-early 70s had a catchy ad slogan entitled “Is this any way to run an airline? ” You bet it is”
Today’s version for Amtrak would read “Is this any way to run a railroad” ? “we don’t think so”
So basically, you can get a discount roomette but there aren’t any available. Sounds like marketing 101.
Re the dichotomy between Roger Williams and Don Oltmann (which I find illuminating) it would be interesting to know what their credentials are.
Yeah, Amtrak is going to waste lots of time and money in a procurement exercise to pretend to buy long distance locomotives with long distance specs, only to turn around and sell them to commuter railroads who will find them less than optimal at the short haul stopping services commuter railroads operate. That makes total sense.
Like Don I’m tired of the senseless Anderson bashing that goes on here. I’m also tired of hearing how any changes to the LD services – (and the LD services in their current form suck, BTW, just saying) – are the end of the world and proof Anderson intends to stop running a national network.
Amtrak needs to modernize. If it doesn’t, we have to hope AAF et al can fill in the gaps when Congress has had enough of funding a service that (if it doesn’t modernize) intentionally only aims itself at a tiny proportion of society.
Paul and Don, Either you two are in denial about what Anderson is doing to Amtrak or you are in cahoots with his deceitful plans.
Don, regarding the proposed locomotive order,several scenarios could be playing out. They might really get ordered and then they just sit like the new Viewliner diners are doing now or this could possibly be a” smoke screen” to throw everyone off and make them believe that he (Anderson) really does want to improve Amtrak,or the order gets cancelled or as Robert VanWormer replied,they could always be sold to an interested party. The last and less likely scenario is that you are correct and Anderson really does have Amtrak’s best interest at heart and quite frankly, I hope that really is the case,but realistically,I don’t think so. If you are right about Richard Anderson,I will be the first to admit that I was wrong about him,but unfortunately,I don’t believe that I will be admitting to anything in that regard.
Regarding purchase of new locomotives, these can always be sold on to commuter agencies or others, if plans change. This is no proof of any commitment to continued LD services.
Re: ending discounts to students and veterans
You forgot AAA discount and raising the age from 62 to 65 for Sr. (Did you know the avg age of a sleeper patron was 61?)
This is more about parity with other modes. Do any air or bus carriers offer these discounts? Check them out.
Pricing and fares – and the web site – are the only areas where Amtrak’s marketing has been really active over the past decade or so. I think – in this regard – they actually have a handle on what they are doing (and using a data-driven approach).
Roger – you are cherry-picking and many of the things you speak of were pre-Anderson and Moorman.
Remember the Silver Star and Capitol “diner lite”? Boardman’s doing.
Not running during storms? Started happening a lot during Boardman’s tenure, but is really a function of the host roads stiff arming.
Removal of lounges from Auto Train? Boardman/Moorman.
Not servicing LSL in GCT? Really? Have you ever been in GCT where they “service” trains? A truly, truly bad idea.
Not taking sleepers from the Meteor to but them on the LSL and Cardinal? Orlando’s peak season is the summer. Why would you take capacity off a train in peak season? BTW, where are CAF sleepers that Boardman ordered over 5 years ago? Can’t add capacity if you don’t have equipment.
You are long on sarcasm and very short on factual information.
I’ll start by asking for just one.
Please explain how the locomotive RFP fits into the plan to destroy the LD train network.
Don, If you really believe that discontinuing hot meals served in the dining car,not adding extra capacity to sold out trains,ending discounts to students and veterans,not finding a way to operate The Lake Shore Limited into New York during the summer,cancelling The Empire Builder for nothing more than a typical snowstorm,de-staffing stations in cities such as Cincinnati,OH,Topeka,KS,Havre,Mt and Charleston,WV and attempting to detach The Southwest Chief into three non-functional sections among other things are good ideas,then do I ever have a deal for you! Just for you,Don I will sacrifice my beautiful palm tree studded beachfront property in Dodge City,Kansas. In addition to being beautiful,this property also has significant historical value,as Matt,Miss Kitty,Chester,Doc and Festus used to hang out here in their speedos and flip flops. And just think,you can hang out here and build sand castles while you wait for your bus to Albuquerque. Furthermore,since there will be no meals served between Dodge City and Albuquerque you can pay for the place with your very own hot dog stand. What a deal!!
Don, if the next four years are anything like this first year,then Amtrak will be lucky to make it to the end of the five year plan. By the way,I may be anti-bad management but I am very pro passenger train and what I write is an attempt to expose bad management and to try to influence the enhancement and continuation of America’s national passenger train system. I am not fanning any flames regarding Amtrak’s demise,but fanning those flames under Anderson’s rear might not be too bad of an idea.
Still waiting to hear from anyone how the loco RFP fits the “destruction of LD service” narrative.
Buehler? …Buehler? …Buehler?
Good night,Don 🙂
Roger –
I wish Anderson would say more than he has, but the “antis” really need to stop behaving like the sky is falling. It’s not helpful. It doesn’t get us to a “better” Amtrak. It just keeps fanning the flames of Amtrak’s demise.
It’s time to stop fitting cherry picked facts to the narrative and let the facts dictate the narrative.
Read that 5 year plan. It’s the best one they’ve put out in years. It tells you exactly what the goals for the LD trains are.
Everything in the past couple years fits those goals.
Roger-
I know that Wick Moorman loves trains as much as we do, passenger trains in particular, and he took the job for free. I know that he was the one that recommended Anderson for the job.
What exactly is his “deceitful agenda?” What needs exposing?
He replaced hot meals with box meals on two trains.
He has said Amtrak won’t chip in on for the SW Chief route across Kansas unless a solid, long term funding plan is in place.
He has said the LD train network needs review.
He has said Amtrak needs new LD train locomotives and has put out RFP.
He said Amtrak needs to try to attract millenials.
He has “refreshed” the Amfleet cars. Acela next, Superliners after that.
Amtrak has put in a new menu (to good reviews) on the NEC.
What am I missing?
Lots of good info on where Amtrak is heading and why in hear:
https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/corporate/businessplanning/Amtrak-Five-Year-Service-Plans-FY18-FY23.pdf
Don, Richard Anderson is sure lucky to have you at his defense,since you seem to be about the only one left on this site that still defends him. At least you know where your loyalties are. On the other hand,I sure hope that you are right in that he really does have Amtrak’s best interest at heart,but that looks like a long shot to me. And, by the way,thank you for helping me make my case by mentioning the other discounts that were eliminated.
Don, in the comment below,I meant to say that Denver,Colorado Springs and Pueblo could be connected to the Chief at La Junta &/or Trinidad. I believe that the best way to connect the Chief to Denver is by way of a morning train from Denver connecting to the westbound Chief at La Junta which would serve Pueblo,Colorado Springs and Castle Rock and an afternoon train from Denver connecting with the eastbound Chief at Trinidad which would serve Walsenburg as well as Pueblo,Colorado Springs and Castle Rock.
Don, He may have been a fair to middling leader in the airline industry,but he surely knows that taking away the good amenities from trains and making them more airline like is totally ridiculous. The only reason that passenger trains have a hard time competing with the airlines is speed. With that said,however,there still remains a large segment of the population that prefers the more civilized option of rail travel. If Anderson erase all of the good advantages that trains posses,then passenger trains will lose their dedicated base. In regards to the Southwest Chief that Anderson seems to be intent on destroying ,it probably has as much or more potential than any other train in the system . A St. Louis connection already exist and with the Heartland Flyer extended to Newton,Kansas,then the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex as well as Oklahoma City and Wichita would be connected. With a connecting train at La Junta,Co &/or Trinidad,Denver,Colorado Springs and Denver could be added as connecting cities. Furthermore, with a train from Flagstaff,AZ by way of Williams,AZ, a connection could be made to Phoenix and finally with the extension of a couple of the San Joaquins to Barstow,the Chief could connect to Bakersfield,Fresno and the San Francisco Bay area. Anderson is totally throwing away all of these viable possibilities and once the Chief is gone these opportunities are also gone, probably forever. I feel confident that another train would soon be needed in addition to the Chief to handle the passenger load and that would help spread the cost of operating the Raton Pass segment. But if Anderson gets his way,we will never know what could have been.
Based upon the recent attack by Anderson on the Southwest Chief, I would say Mr. William’s assessment is the more accurate.
Don,the facts are glaring in our faces regarding Anderson’s taking the Amtrak job free of pay among many other very obvious reasons Do you really believe that he actually loves trains and Amtrak so much that he would work for free? But,then I guess Amtrak is getting what it is paying for. If we want to save our trains,then we must fight to expose the deceitful agenda that is taking place very rapidly at Amtrak.
Roger – Step one is is to flip the Crescent schedule. Overnight from NOL to ATL, Daylight on the highly populated half. Alternative is to have ATL overnight layover (with people being shuttled to hotel rooms as part of their fare). There aren’t that many through passengers (relative to what they are currently missing out on).
Another easy step is north-side suburban stop in metro Atlanta. The bulk of Atlanta population is now north of the city. Was just trees when Amtrak took over the Crescent.
These are just a few examples of things Amtrak could do, almost for free, that would improve revenue and cut costs. They haven’t even looked at any of this in decades and it shows. Who, in their right mind, would take capacity off a northeast to Orlando train in the summer??? That’s peak season, now. It wasn’t in 1971, but it is now. So, now Amtrak leaves the third sleeper on the Meteor for the summer and everyone jumps down their neck? Really? Why?
Roger – what are the fact? I cited what Anderson has said and done and why he has said it. What am I missing?
Don, a second train to Atlanta makes a lot of sense,but it should not come at the expense of truncating The Crescent. The La Junta connection to Denver would,of course require added capacity to that line,something I imagine BNSF would be glad to get and would cooperate with. As for your denial about Anderson wrecking Amtrak,the facts are crystal clear,but you seemingly either refuse to accept them are you are in agreement with the motives.
Oh, and the “placeholder” argument of Boardman’s (and others going back decades). Really? Show me one example of where a “placeholder” train worked to create more LD train opportunities. Adding links to the map requires huge buckets of money and doesn’t change just because you happen to already have a train running nearby.
I’m not a believer of the “placeholder” argument.
I’m a believer of fitting these train routes to the markets they run through. If dining cars and lounges are needed, fine. But, we don’t “have to have” them just because they always were.
Roger – There is a small segment of the population that can’t/won’t fly. Look at the numbers. Airlines don’t care about Amtrak’s LD trains. An example. There are 21 non stops between Atlanta and Philadelphia. Each plane has about 150 people on board. Amtrak typically boards about 100 people in Atlanta every day. About 2/3 are headed to points north. So, maybe 15 people a day are taking Amtrak from Atlanta to Philadelphia. That give Amtrak an air/rail market share of 1/2% in that market. Airlines have 99.5% of the market.
If you make the Crescent a day train to the NE, you could bump up the ridership a good bit and cut the costs some and take some of the heat off in Congress. You can do this without having to trade anything to NS. Just have to do some negotiating and some planning. If you’re going to run these routes, it’s better to make the most of them. Perhaps the the schedules put in place to move expense account businessmen around in 1950 could use some examination?
There is a lot to like about a SW Chief route thru Denver. What are you willing to give BNSF to get that La Junta to Denver link? That’s one busy piece of RR right now. It’ll cost a lot more than giving up La Junta to KC…
This whole “taking amenities away” thing only really rankles some of us current would-be passengers. Yeah, I think it’s a bit much and it’ll have to change, but I really doubt it’s part of any grand plan to kill trains. If it was, it’s a pretty lousy plan. There is no sleeper space available between WAS and CHI tomorrow on either the Cardinal or the Capitol (and no coach seats on the Capitol, to boot).
This whole “Anderson is bad” thing has to stop. You want Amtrak’s LD trains to die. Continue down the “remove Anderson” path. Trying to hang onto the status quo is fastest way I can think of to get trains killed.