Some of the popular days for Amtrak travel this month and summertime already show close on coaches and bedrooms already sold out. Roomettes still available most trains and dates.
Wow, now see if it was a proper company, they would introduce another train to meet demand and make some cash along the way.
trainsBuddy Wow, now see if it was a proper company, they would introduce another train to meet demand and make some cash along the way.
Amtrak is not a proper company in any way. When your company is subject to congressional whims, white house whims, state and local whims which means Amtrak has been starved for new equipment that has not been ordered for almost 10 years.
1. Do you mean a new train on a new route?Then think $500M to initiate a new route.
2. Do you mean another train on the same route? A conservative estimate for a 2 day one way of 5 train sets requires 50 cars + 10 locomotives. = $240M. Then add in the approximately usual 16 - 18% out of service (which compares better than airlines) another 10 units = $280. + costs for additional track time.
3. Do you mean bring the Sunset / Eagle route to a daily operation? By better scheduling with the NOL - San Antionia (SAS) SLs reallocated to the Eagle there will be no additonal SLs required but will require some more single level cars for NOL - SAS. That will require more operating crews and some more train service personel. A wag on increased crew costs are C&E SAS - LAX $600,000 and train service crews approximately the same. Some additional track charges.
4, The most economical way for increased service is to add cars to existing trains. Then the most you will need is another 1 or 2 train service personell and maybe an assistant conductor for maybe $350,000.
.. All this begs the question---Equipment unavailability----
5. The ARRA rebuilding schedule for FY2010 is 42 Amfleets and 16 LD cars. As of Feb 28 so far 2 Amfleets and 1 SL have been completed. This does not include the regular Amtrak overhauls under the regular budget. The FY2010 ARRA plan by Feb was to have 6 Amfleets, 4 SLs, and 4 P-40s (not complete). One reason was the bad weather and another reason for the slow completion rate is a matter of parts. Many units are near or moving toward completion but some cannibalization that has occurred can only go so far (many wrecked units were). As many parts for the rebuilding gets into the pipeline a faster completion rate will hopefully occurr.
6. Probably parts availability and consequent completions are causing Amtrak management to hold up any commit to expanded service whatever the final way it will present.
7. Additional equipment to be ordered are 35 SL type and 65 viewliner types per year + an undetermined number of locos and motors. None have yet to be ordered because of no congressional authorization. The best thing you can do is write (not e mail) your congressman and Senators supporting expanded cars and locos. It will take 18 - 24 months to get first cars into service after construction contract is let. (maybe less if the contractor has facilities already available).
8. The Empire Builder will get 6 Super Liner sleepers to add to its 6 consists and maybe 6 SL coaches. That ties up almost all SLs from ARRA. The only problem will be platform capacity at more of the smaller stations and SEA. That will require many more stations to be 2 stops if sleeper passengers get on or off.
9. If gosh forbid any SLs are dammaged then all the above may have to be put on hold.
All this means at least no expansion for 2 years then maybe slow expansion of western trains after that. The Amfleet repairs will allow some LD expansion and fleshing out high load factor Regional trips.
Try booking a drawing room (or, as it is now called, a "triple bedroom") on the Canadian, between Toronto and Vancouver. There is only one on the train, unless there is a special movement which probably has all the drawing rooms taken by travelers on the movement. Last year, by making our reservations in August of 2008, we did have the drawing room from Vancouver to Jasper and again from Jasper to Toronto when we traveled in April. We also had a bedroom from Washington to Chicago on the Cardinal on the same trip (there are only two bedrooms + the "accessible" bedroom.on this train).
Two years ago, I wanted us to ride the Cardinal both ways between Chicago and Washington, but when I was working on reservations about two months before the trip, there was no sleeper space listed eastbound and only a roomette available westbound on the days we would have taken the train. The wb roomette would have cost us more than the bedroom we did take on the Capitol Limited the same day cost us. Because my wife has mobility problems, I was able to reserve the "accessible" bedroom (both A & B were already sold) from Chicago to Washington for a trip we are taking next month--and it costs less than a roomette on the same day does.
Johnny
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