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[quote user="blue streak 1"] The Feb 2009 Trains magazine had an article on Auto Train and its operation. It was stated that "Adding an extra couch when demand peaks  would help raise revenue without adding significant cost" "but we are already pushing the head-end power limit pulling 988 amps............" [/quote] Whether adding another coach to meet peak demand is a good option would depend on how often it occurs and the number of incremental passengers turned away.  If only one or two passengers are being turned away, adding capacity is probably not a good idea. For FY 2008 the average load factor on the Auto Train was 63.5 per cent.  For FY 2007 it was 58.3 per cent.  These numbers suggest that on average the AT is running with plenty of spare capacity, although there are undoubtedly periods when it is higher than the average, and occasions when the train is sold out.   Presumably some of the increase in the load factor during FY 2008 was caused by the dramatic run-up in the cost of gasoline.  Now that gasoline has fallen back to less than $1.50 per gallon, plus the recession, it will be interesting to see what happens to the load factor in FY 2009.  My guess is that adding extra capacity will be a moot question.
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