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Why don't Trains start Printing Amtrak System timetable??

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  • Member since
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Why don't Trains start Printing Amtrak System timetable??
Posted by conrailman on Monday, April 24, 2017 11:37 PM

Why don't Trains start Printing, Amtrak system timetable, that Amtrak stop printing them 138 pages timetable. For Fee I would pay for that to have timetable printing again. Amtrak should ever stop print them.Question

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 6:37 AM

Probably for the same reasons that the airlines haven't printed system timetables (they did exist) for years.  The demand for them, in light of access to the same information on websites, just isn't there.

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
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Posted by Dakguy201 on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 6:45 AM

For years I had a printed copy of the national timetable that I occasionally would use as a reference source.   Then one day I realized that if I had an interest in a specific train, I'd go online to be assured of getting current information.  At that point I pitched the printed copy and haven't missed it.

These days if I'm taking the train somewhere I print a copy of that train's schedule and take it with me. 

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Posted by conrailman on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 3:14 PM

For a Fee I would pay for a Print timetable. I wish someone would start printing them again.My 2 Cents

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Posted by NP Eddie on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 5:38 PM

conrailman:

I hate to be picky, but "Why don't, etc.) is not correct grammer. Secondly, you can obtain all the information you want on AMTRAK on the web. As information, the State of Minnesota does not print commercial driver's manuals anymore. They refer potential commercial drivers to the WWB, State of Minnesota, Driver and Vehicle Services, Commercial Driver's License Manual.

Ed Burns

Retired Clerk from Minneapolis.

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Posted by pajrr on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 5:42 PM

Why not just download the National Timetable off the Amtrak website and print it out yourself? It is available off of Amtrak.com

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Posted by conrailman on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 8:31 PM

Yes, I know but i don't want waste my ink & paper for 138 page timetable. I guess to find local printing Company in my area to print it for me.

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Posted by BaltACD on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 9:06 PM

conrailman
Yes, I know but i don't want waste my ink & paper for 138 page timetable. I guess to find local printing Company in my area to print it for me.

Print the page(s) you are specifically interested in.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

RME
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Posted by RME on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 10:38 PM

NP Eddie
I hate to be picky, but "Why don't, etc.) is not correct grammer.

Sigh.

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Posted by conrailman on Wednesday, April 26, 2017 12:15 AM

BaltACD
 
conrailman
Yes, I know but i don't want waste my ink & paper for 138 page timetable. I guess to find local printing Company in my area to print it for me.

 

Print the page(s) you are specifically interested in.

 

 

 Yes, but like the 138 pages timetable to read all the pages.

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Posted by ghCBNS on Wednesday, April 26, 2017 2:44 AM

conrailman

For a Fee I would pay for a Print timetable. I wish someone would start printing them again. 

If there was a demand and a buck to be made....I'm sure someone would. Other than the railfan wanting one for his collection....the PDF probably works just fine for most people.

Why not download the PDF to you laptop, ipad or phone and browse through those 138 pages?

When I went on trips....I once carried timetables, tickets, GPS, maps, Camera reading material etc....now there all in my pocket on my smart phone.....even my digital Trains Magazine! 

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Posted by conrailman on Friday, April 28, 2017 6:45 PM

Amtrak even could sale the timetable for fee too like $2.00 per copy,   Amtrak ever think outside the box alots of time.

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Posted by D.Carleton on Saturday, April 29, 2017 3:17 PM

conrailman
Amtrak even could sale the timetable for fee too like $2.00 per copy,   Amtrak ever think outside the box alots of time.

Last I heard Amtrak was looking into printing the timetable for a fee. That was at a meeting late last year. Considering how long it takes Amtrak to do anything the next print issue will be available around the Second Coming of Elvis.

Editor Emeritus, This Week at Amtrak

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Posted by CandOforprogress2 on Saturday, April 29, 2017 3:33 PM

Just went thru scratching my head to find the Lynchburg VA-DC Train on Amtraks website. My finger and a timetable would help and no chargeport needed-

Northeast Corridor 2 Boston / Springfield - New Haven - New York - Philadelphia - Washington Northeast
South
Northeast Corridor 3 Boston - New York - Washington, DC - Charlottesville - Lynchburg - Richmond - Newport News - Virginia Beach - Norfolk Northeast
South
Northeast Regional - see Northeast Corridor timetables. Boston - Springfield / Providence - New York - Washington, DC - Richmond - Lynchburg - Newport News / Virginia Beach - Norfolk Northeast
South
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Posted by DSchmitt on Saturday, April 29, 2017 3:41 PM

conrailman

Amtrak even could sale the timetable for fee too like $2.00 per copy,   Amtrak ever think outside the box alots of time.

 

$2.00 would not come close to covering the cost.  Also there would probably be enough changes over time that it would be obsolete before or shortly after being made available.

How is AMTRAKS on time performance lately?  I used to reguarly  see the train that was supposed to stop in my town at 2:00 AM go through when I arrived at work (7:00AM)

I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.

I don't have a leg to stand on.

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Posted by PJS1 on Saturday, April 29, 2017 5:53 PM

conrailman

Amtrak even could sale the timetable for fee too like $2.00 per copy,   Amtrak ever think outside the box alots of time. 

Discontinuing the print version of the System Timetable is thinking outside of the box.  Someone at Amtrak figured out that the demand for it in the digital age is very low.  Good!

Here are some other examples of Amtrak's thinking outside of the box:

Adding business class cars to the Crescent, Coast Starlight, etc., appears to be a plus.  I don't know how it is working out price and cost wise, but at least the company is experimenting to see is there is a market for business class on select long distance trains.

Amtrak has developed some nifty apps for smart phones, tablets, etc. And Amtrak.com is a pretty decent website.  

The quality of the dining car food on the Texas Eagle, which I rode yesterday between Dallas and San Antonio, has improved greatly.  

So let’s cut Amtrak a bit of slack.  Given senior management has 535 overseers, plus 537 if you throw in the President and Vice President, as well as screeching politicians seemingly everywhere outside of D.C., its does a decent job with the bad hand it was dealt. 

Rio Grande Valley, CFI,CFII

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Posted by daveklepper on Sunday, April 30, 2017 4:23 AM

The pocket-sized Israel Railways printed timetable, identacle to the pdf on their website, was never free.  Last time I bought one it cost two shekles, about the equal of 65 or 70 cents.  About 16 pages, fits into a shirt pocket, main route across two facing pages, requires four pages for each direction.  Branch lines one page each plus information on several pages, every thing Hebrew and English.  (What no Arabic?  But train announcements and all signs are tri-lingual.).  Cellphone and computer and internet use are as great in Israel as in the USA.

It may cost more now, but I think it is still available.  But Israel is a more tourist organized country, with tourism and important factor in the economy.

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Posted by conrailman on Sunday, April 30, 2017 2:35 PM

I will pay up to $5.00 or more i will to pay for timetable.

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Posted by ghCBNS on Sunday, April 30, 2017 5:40 PM

conrailman

I will pay up to $5.00 or more i will to pay for timetable.

 

Then take the PDF to Staples or Office Depot.....they'll print it for you.

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Posted by runnerdude48 on Tuesday, May 2, 2017 1:25 PM

Why would anyone want the printed timetable.  The information is obsolete before it gets to the stations.  Plus changes happen so often that the sleeper trip you have planned from New York to New Orleans may actually include an all day bus bridge between Atlanta and New Orleans if you use the printed timetable but if you use the website that information is probably in there.

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Posted by Deggesty on Tuesday, May 2, 2017 9:26 PM

As to changes en route, if you have given Amtrak an e-mail address when you bought your ticket, you will get a notification of the change. That has been my experience more than once.

Johnny

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