daveklepper wrote:Has anyone on the forum experienced Acela service recently? And how was it?
I rode the Acela last July. I went from Philly to DC on the Acela and returned on the Regional Service (Amfleet cars pulled by a toaster). The distance didn't give much of a time advantage, but the ride quality was MUCH better on the Acela. We went on a Sunday so the train wasn't crowded at all. I've been planning vacations to ride as many of Amtrak's service types as possible.
There might be problems with the service....but their ham & cheese sandwiches from the club car are great!
underworld
ACY 203 wrote:With each passing year Amtrak service deteriorates, if such is possible. Every time I see an Amtrak locomotive I think of Jimmy Carter. Of course many Amtrak employees are dedicated and thoughtful, but the face shown to the public is something other than what a private corporation would prefer.
Funny, I remember I had just started high school when Jimmy Carter tried to pull the plug on Amtrak back in 1978, along with the late Senator Brock Adams.
It's ironic that Amtrak has been showing strong ridership numbers but many in congress are determined not to provide the funding it really needs. Critics complain that Amtrak has cost 35+ Billion from 1971 to now........but neglect to mention that the expenditures on the FAA and other tax funded operations far exceed that in just a 3 year period. Amtrak has a number of cars and locomotives sitting out of service, waiting for funds to repair them. A few months ago I saw the Silver Star cruise thru my area. Several of the cars appeared to have warped sheetmetal. Apparently they had been in a mishap and were "patched up". Saddening to see. Even back in the 1970s, Amtrak's Beech Grove facility peformed high quality repair jobs.
Hindsight is always 20/20 but it's unfortunate that when Richard Nixon signed Amtrak into existence in 1971, that a provision wasn't made that Amtrak's federal funding structure would be formatted that would be similar to that of large mass transit systems. Congress then expected Amtrak to turn a profit in several years. If the railroads were struggling to make a profit from passenger service, how could Amtrk be expected to? The idea of expecting Amtrak to make a profit is idiotic and these bueracrats have known that all along, but nevertheless they pounce on this issue.
During the early 80s, a number of railroads (Southern, SCL/L&N, Illinois Central, Santa Fe) made the effort to prioritize Amtrak trains over theirs the majority of the time. Things took a big dip after the era of the "mega-mergers" in the mid 80s and some of the new generation executives had no interest in helping Amtrak at all.
Still, I would prefer to ride Amtrak if it is going to a destination where I"m headed. I don't like buses ( before any of you criticize....I used to drive those things!), my last flight from Texas to Florida on a SW Boeing 737 was bumpier than a Ford Ranger with busted shocks on a Georgia clay road. My last trip on Amtrak was comfortable, plenty of room to move around in, decent food, and stress free.
"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"
Being this is the Classic Trains forum, I must say that I greatly miss the Heritage Fleet trains of the early 80s. To me, it was a condensed version of the classic Budd streamliners getting a second shot in the arm to continue providing service.
I rode them a number of times and to me they were more comfortable and featured superior riding qualities in comparison to the "Amcans" (Amfleet cars).
Though Amtrak has sold/retired most of their Heritage Fleet cars, I'm glad to see that many of them survive today with other owners and museum/tourist lines.
The best thing citizens can do is contact their state senators and let them know that it's in the nation's best interest to support Amtrak and to push for realistic funding outlays. The paltry funding it receives now makes almost no provisions for the overhauling of wrecked damaged cars.
Amtrak tried to make a profit under David Gunn when the express handling service was added to trains. Trains, unfortunately were delayed but revenue was coming in.
So what happenes? If Amtrak makes $2,000,000 hauling goods from the shipping service..................... the current government cuts a matching amount of the funding from Amtrak's budget! So Amtrak still can't move forward.
The idea of supporting and allowing Amtrak to earn enough revenue for a few years to pay for fleet overhaul and station refurbishments apparently didn't touch the brain cells of the transportation secretary of that time. So who could blame Gunn for eventually dropping the service. Then again, it seemed that Norm Mineta was very eager for Amtrak to fail. Thankfully he's gone.
I don't like politics and often criticize the two major U.S political parties, even though I am generally conservative. The party currently in control of the House claims that it will help Amtrak. I'm skeptical, since one of Florida's former democrat senators was "anti-Amtrak".
Amtrak support from senators is a mixture from both parties. Republican Kay Hutchinson (Texas) is an Amtrak supporter, but Republican John McCain (Arizona) would pull the plug on Amtrak if given the opportunity. Same story with a number of democrats.
In a nutshell, with some exceptions, no senator (except maby John McCain) wants to become the political figure, infamous for helping to kill Amtrak. So the Amtrak funding games continue as they have since 1971.
Check out http://www.narprail.org/cms/index.php
My view of rail passenger service is from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara. I started riding the Southern Pacific with my parents in the mid/late 60s (including the Lark once) and I continue to ride Amtrak with my wife.
Service between these two points now is excellent. That's due to funding from the State of California and the passage of a bond issue a few years ago funding rail capital needs. If you want better rail service in your state, use California or Illinois as a good example of what it well take to improve rail service. Only state funding is going to purchase new rail cars and significantly increase passenger rail service. This requires a considerable level of support local groups and voters.
Back in the 1970's, when i was a little kid, the Detroit-Chicago AMTRAK TurboTrain was a great ride.
Amtrak needs more passengers and people need to take taxi cabs when they get to the big cities. It would be better than driving on the interstate highways.
It would be great to ride AMTRAK from Kalamazoo to Detroit or Chicago if I could get away.
Andrew
Watch my videos on-line at https://www.youtube.com/user/AndrewNeilFalconer
Friend gave me a report on a good trip, on time, on the Southwest Chief, Chicago - LA. Good service on board, good food.
But I have been thinking: Suppose BNSF said to Amtrak, we would like to run the Super Chief as a first class holds no bard operation (which it certainly was in AT&SF days). We will run the train, honor interline tickets with the Amtrak system, fit your connection and over fare structure schemes (possibliy charging a bit more for first class, since it will be well worth it) but have it an entirely BNSF operation. Would it be worth it to the railroad in public relations? Would Amtrak cooperate and allow it to happen? (The new Super Chief would, of course, replace the current Amtrak Southwest Chief.)
For not liking politics you sure seem up to date with with who's who and their postions. If your "conservative" say so and don't hide behind the I hate em all matra. I just don't like most conservatives
RXRon wrote: I don't like politics and often criticize the two major U.S political parties, even though I am generally conservative. The party currently in control of the House claims that it will help Amtrak. I'm skeptical, since one of Florida's former democrat senators was "anti-Amtrak". For not liking politics you sure seem up to date with with who's who and their postions. If your "conservative" say so and don't hide behind the I hate em all matra. I just don't like most conservatives
Hnmnm. What a snotty, elitist comment. You don't like most conservatives. Well, that's your choice isn't it?
I like most people that are decent and kind regardless of political affiliation. This includes extreme right wing wackos and extreme left wingbleeding heart liberals.
OK:
1. I'm not hiding behind anything, RxR. Hate em all? Uh, I don't hate anyone. My statement stands on its own. Perhaps I should have said "I don't like the games played in politics. Is that a little better for you?
2. Date with who's who in their positions? Well, of course, I work in education. I have no choice but to keep up with what's happened and what is happening. I've been reading books and newspapers since age 8 when I started speaking English proficiently. Reading was so enjoyable for me. So I've kept up with: Railroading, airline industry, bus industry, geography, economics, industrial procedures, history and of course politics.
I'm a moderate dude. I like the best qualities offered by both parties and dislike the worst qualities in them. Many people I've met seem to think along these lines as well. I've voted for candidates in both parties.
I try to be a friendly person, but when you, a fellow forum member post an unprovoked, flaming comment at a fellow railfan that's done nothing to you; it certainly expresses a pretty low statement about yourself. Hopefully it was just emotion speaking. I prefer to get along with you and everyone here. When I screw up, I apologize and move forward.
This discussion is regarding Amtrak and the forces that are influencing it which include the political forces. If you read my above posts again you'd see that I inferred that neither political party is 100% supportive of Amtrak.
Peace out.
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