Home
»
Trains Magazine
»
Forums
»
Passenger
»
A possible new direction for Amtrak Long Distance

Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
Rail and sleeping car fares probably are a function of demand, space availability, and mileage. Sleeping car charges probably are also influenced by time on the train inasmuch as first class passengers have the cost of meals baked into their fares. I did a comparison of the fares from Chicago to New York for the Lake Shore Limited, Cardinal, and Capitol Limited.  Travel is for one person in a roomette on December 8th, which is a Saturday. It was chosen arbitrarily.  Fares for other travel dates will vary widely. The rail fare on all three routes is $97.  However, the room charges vary significantly, from a low of $141 on the Capitol Limited to $266 on the Lake Shore Limited and $467 on the Cardinal.  In addition, a passenger choosing the Capitol Limited and wanting business class from Washington to New York on a NE Regional would have to pay an extra $41.  The total fares would be $279 on the Capitol, $363 on the Lake Shore Limited, and $564 on the Cardinal. The Capitol is equipped with Superliner cars, which can carry a maximum load of 44 passengers. The other two trains are equipped with Viewliner cars, which can carry a maximum load of 30 passengers.  I am not sure how many sleepers are assigned to each train, but when I rode the Capitol Limited several years ago it had two sleepers and a transition sleeper. I also rode the Lake Shore Limited approximately five years ago; it had three sleepers. I have never taken the Cardinal, but I have seen it pulling into Chicago.  It had one sleeper.  Perhaps someone can comment on the number of sleepers assigned to each train. If my count of the sleepers is correct, the Capitol can book 88 passengers in the two regular sleepers and 16 overflow passengers in the transition sleeper for a total of 104 first class passengers.  The Lake Shore Limited can accommodate approximately 82 first class passengers, depending on the number of rooms that have to be blocked to accommodate the crew.  The Cardinal probably can take 24 to 26 first class passengers, again depending on how many rooms have to be blocked for the crew. Moreover, the Cardinal is hobbled by the fact that it only runs three days a week.  If my assumptions of the available space are correct, the fares for the Capitol Limited may be lower in part because of a higher number of rooms and room capacity. If the total cost of the service is essentially the same or at least close, Amtrak can charge a lower fare for the Capitol because of the greater number of spaces and still cover the costs.  Of course, the problem with this analysis is Amtrak does not cover the costs; it simply reduces the loss.
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag