Montanna's senators request more capacity on empire builder.
http://www.sidneyherald.com/news/article_b00ccb80-dda9-11e1-866e-001a4bcf887a.html
These senators do not realize how capacity constricted AMTRAK is. I see no way for additional superliner cars to be provided as there are 6 train sets assigned to the builder. That does not take into consideration the present BNSF maintenance work that is delaying builders almost daily. So unless horizon cars were assigned to Michigan service and those michigan superliners could be diverted where are the cars coming from.?
Three years ago a Montana US Senator asked for a study on restoring the North Coast Limited route through southern Montana. Amtrak came back with a price of $1B, including $300M for cars and locomotives. I haven't heard much since. I would love to see the train restored (there is even talk of reopening Homestake Pass so as to serve Butte, Montana's largest city) but getting the states to pay for it is a waste of time, it needs to be a national effort.
Oh, and check out point #8 here, it discusses the car problem.
blue streak 1 So unless horizon cars were assigned to Michigan service and those michigan superliners could be diverted where are the cars coming from.?
So unless horizon cars were assigned to Michigan service and those michigan superliners could be diverted where are the cars coming from.?
All summer the Pere Marquette, which runs from Chicago to Grand Rapids, has been running with 3 to 4 superliners. It seems as though if Montana is really serious about this, they should pay to get a couple of amfleets or horizons back running, and replacing the cars on the PM.
An "expensive model collector"
blue streak 1 Montanna's senators request more capacity on empire builder. http://www.sidneyherald.com/news/article_b00ccb80-dda9-11e1-866e-001a4bcf887a.html These senators do not realize how capacity constricted AMTRAK is. I see no way for additional superliner cars to be provided as there are 6 train sets assigned to the builder. That does not take into consideration the present BNSF maintenance work that is delaying builders almost daily. So unless horizon cars were assigned to Michigan service and those michigan superliners could be diverted where are the cars coming from.?
Yeah they can have their capacity if they pay for it like other states are made to do. This unfunded mandate stuff where cash appears out of thin air has to stop. One of the reasons we have Obamacare was unfunded mandate after unfunded mandate after unfunded mandate, drove up the cost of health care to such an extent we now have the same government that drove up the costs saying they are here to help us with the costs from those greedy insurance companies (you have to admit it is both funny and sad). The Amtrak philosophy of "you want extra capacity, you pay for it" that applied to Texas, California and Illinois should apply to all states in the union.
This strikes me as so much political posturing in an election year. Superliners are in short supply; and until funds are made available to obtain new ones, they are likely to remain so. Amtrak is in a robbing Peter to pay Paul situation regarding how the current fleet is allocated. Yes, the Builder could use additional cars, but no amount of Senatorial press releases results in an increase in the available fleet.
Lets do some math.
Fare from Chicago to Seattle -- $159
Roomette addtional fare Chicago to Seattle -- $330
Bedroom additional fare Chicago to Seattel -- $1295
Car cost $2.00/ mile for maint.
fuel at Amtrak's avg run rate 2435 btu/mile and $3.5/gallon (This is generous - Superliner sleepers are probably worse than average)
car makes on 2200 mile round trip per week.
1/2 car attendant is $50,000/year
cost of money is 5%
New Superliner is $3M per car
If you grind all the numbers, to get the load factor you'd need to break even, you get 53%. This is about the average for all Amtrak trains.
So, the question is, can you keep the space in an additional Superliner sleeper 53% full or better - year round? If so, you can fund the new cars out of the incremental revenue. (Like Amtrak is doing with the additional Acela coaches). Let Montana take out a bond.
If not, don't waste the capital on this.
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
Interesting, Don. Two points jumps out.
1. $50K for 1/2 a car attendant? Why such a high pay scale? Flight attendants don't make that much. The median annual wage of flight attendants was $37,740 in May 2010.
2. 4400 miles per week, means horrible underutilization. With coach-only cars used in shorter corridors with speeds averaging 90+ mph, those numbers could improve. Yet another reason why LD trains make little sense as transportation in modern times.
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
schlimm Interesting, Don. Two points jumps out. 1. $50K for 1/2 a car attendant? Why such a high pay scale? Flight attendants don't make that much. The median annual wage of flight attendants was $37,740 in May 2010. 2. 4400 miles per week, means horrible underutilization. With coach-only cars used in shorter corridors with speeds averaging 90+ mph, those numbers could improve. Yet another reason why LD trains make little sense as transportation in modern times.
1. Car attendants don't work 40 hour weeks, plus you have to figure in health ins, vacation, etc. Pay was about $20/hr in 2005, so $50k per year to staff a sleeper is most certainly low. 60 hrs per trip x$20 per attendant x 1.3 for fringe x two trips per week x 52 weeks per year in half is: $80k
2. Yup. Faster is cheaper.
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