What would it take?

[Murphy Siding]

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=+EAS

 Oh yeah, that clears it up.  Thanks, you've added to my forum experience today.

[blue streak 1]

Convicted One

  This is because they "lose" money on every trip, (ie farebox proceeds do not cover the cost of operation) so growing the business is like making a bad thing worse.

This is a false assumption by many persons.  Read the PRIIA for the Silver Meteor and the additional revenue over costs that happens with the addition of one coach. ( profits for that car ).  Believe it is approximately $700,000 per year.  So growth by adding additional cars will reduce operating loses.  That still does not make a train ( route ) self supporting but does improve the bottom line.  We know that the Meteor this Thanksgiving had 4 V-1 sleepers and 6 coaches.  Have not seen reports for this December .

http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/570/756/2011%20PRIIA%20210%20Report%2009-26-11_final.pdf

 

 

[Murphy Siding]

Paul_D_North_Jr

 

Convicted One

I really wonder what results you might get if you took a poll of how travelers would prefer to travel trips of 75, 150, 300, and 500 miles (air, rail, bus, boat, car) what percentage of respondents under the age of 35 would prefer "rail"? . . . [snipped - PDN]

 

 

How could they know ?  How many have ever tried it ? 

 

- Paul North. 

 

Yes, but  (Sorry man- the devil made me do it) how would you get them to try it?

[tree68]

Given the number of "I've never ridden a train before" riders of all ages I see on our tourist line, there won't be a lot who have tried it...

[schlimm]

Glancing at some of the PRIIA studies,  for riders of LD trains, 62-68% are 55 and over.

[Convicted One]

blue streak 1

for the Silver Meteor and the additional revenue over costs that happens with the addition of one coach.

Adding one car to take advantage of peak usage times fits the criteria of "growing the business" (I guess) but it really only exploits existing spikes in ridership levels, it isn't really creating new business.

 

I'd be much more impressed if they were to add additional runs (two round trips per day) on the Lakeshore or some such.

 

The eastbound departure time from Chicago is dreadful for anyone not making the full trip to the east coast. I know I once cancelled my entire plans to travel east from Los Angeles via rail after learning that after connecting with the Lakeshore then on to my ultimate destination  they would be dropping me off after 11 PM out in the middle of a corn field  with no taxicab service. (Amtrak had scuttled the connecting shuttle bus service that was implemented for that terminal when their  original route/schedule was first created)

Much like my local bus company, they whittle away at services and features until the product remaining appeals to no one.

 

[blue streak 1]

Convicted One

 

 

Adding one car to take advantage of peak usage times fits the criteria of "growing the business" (I guess) but it really only exploits existing spikes in ridership levels, it isn't really creating new business.

 The eastbound departure time from Chicago is dreadful for anyone not making the full trip to the east coast. I know I once cancelled my entire plans to travel east from Los Angeles via rail after learning that after connecting with the Lakeshore then on to my ultimate destination  they would be dropping me off after 11 PM out in the middle of a corn field  with no taxicab service.

Can we say whether adding cars during peak season to meet its demands is growing the business ?  This poster has no idea.   Does some one who needs or can only book a train during any peak period remember it and then book Amtrak during an off peak period ?

Agree that LSL departure times are difficult.  Only see one solution given present equipment restraints.

Swap back departure times with Capitol. That has been proposed previously but would have undesireable arrival times for Capitol.  As an aside -- Once enough V-2 sleepers are in service changing the LSL back will enable its Boston sleeper to be rotated to a possible 66 & 67 sleeper that would only require one more sleeper for the service. 

Until off peak sleeper demand is met we can only guess if total ridership will increase.  The question has to be how many coach passengers are denied sleeper space?

 

 

[BaltACD]

The real traffic on LD trains is not the end to end passengers.  Most traffic that boards at one end detrains at stops in route.  Passengers boarding at in route stops mostly continue to the destination.  While some passengers will go from intermediate stop to intermediate stop.  When scheduling, Amtrak needs to pay more attention to how traffic volumes are distributed on their LD routes.