PM RailfanOne train in particular I can vouch for.... The "Auto-Train". If it is any indication how this train is doing, having on average 20 auto-racks at the end of the train, and about 10 cars ahead of them.... Id say this one is doing real good! I asked a good friend of mine (locomotive service forman for CSX, Amtrak, and NS) about a year ago if that train actually did good business. He replied "it is the best train Amtrak has". I cant verify that with numbers, but I have no reason to doubt him. I get caught at one of our crossings now and then, plus see it go thru town. From outward appearnces, yeah.... they gotta be making money on this one.
And that is the problem with relying on the impression or the comment of a loco service person to draw a conclusion. It's false because it's not factual.
According to the Amtrak official numbers in their montly report in Oct. 2013 in C-1 (they are slow to give the revenue and cost reports) ALL Amtrak LD trains lose money, lots of it. Auto-Train was the best, however, losing 5.8 cents per seat mile and 8.9 cents per passenger mile. Compare that with all LD train averages of losing 11.7 and 20.5 cents, respectively. By comparison, the NEC trains make a profit of 29 cents per passenger mile. The Short-Distance Corridor trains lose only 4.3 cents per passenger mile.
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
schlimm Amtrak by design or evolution seems to be two or three entities: the NEC, which runs very well; the short-corridor state-sponsored services, some of which are growing; and the legacy, long distance routes, which seem troubled. How was Amtrak's performance on the latter?
Amtrak by design or evolution seems to be two or three entities: the NEC, which runs very well; the short-corridor state-sponsored services, some of which are growing; and the legacy, long distance routes, which seem troubled. How was Amtrak's performance on the latter?
Here in Va there are a number of long distance Amtraks. I cant speak the numbers, but in riding them, they usually are 75% full or better. Hopefully thats good.
One train in particular I can vouch for.... The "Auto-Train". If it is any indication how this train is doing, having on average 20 auto-racks at the end of the train, and about 10 cars ahead of them.... Id say this one is doing real good!
I asked a good friend of mine (locomotive service forman for CSX, Amtrak, and NS) about a year ago if that train actually did good business. He replied "it is the best train Amtrak has". I cant verify that with numbers, but I have no reason to doubt him.
I get caught at one of our crossings now and then, plus see it go thru town. From outward appearnces, yeah.... they gotta be making money on this one.
The point is that with proper planning, adequate personel, fairly good equipment, decent ROW, and other items the Amtrak can run a mostly on time operation on weeekends. Of course weather, no tresspasing incidents, other impediments must also be absent.
So the one day should be a template for operating on all weekend trains on time. It appears that on time is more important to passengers instead of reducing timetable times and being occassionally late. Then it is one day at a time getting a high percentage of trains on time. Until we can see October and November stats the effect on the NEC of the new ACS-64s will not be known.
Once the weekend trains are on time then an effort to get weekdaays on time. Did not get to check Wedensday before Thanksgiving.
We are critics but when Amtrak begins to get it right then acknowledge.
blue streak 1 Sam1 The on-time performance record for a day or a week or a month is not a good incidator of how the system is performing overall. One should look at a minimum of one year to identify trends, etc. Sam correct as far as it goes. The point is this is the way to run a passenger RR in this country. One day at a time. This is the way the NEC should run all the time. The freight RRs will not even put them in the equation. Of course the NEC delapidated tracks will have delays but still this is an attainable goal for the NEC. Note: definition -- delipidated is track geometry not up to 160 MPH standards.
Sam1 The on-time performance record for a day or a week or a month is not a good incidator of how the system is performing overall. One should look at a minimum of one year to identify trends, etc.
The on-time performance record for a day or a week or a month is not a good incidator of how the system is performing overall. One should look at a minimum of one year to identify trends, etc.
Sam correct as far as it goes. The point is this is the way to run a passenger RR in this country. One day at a time. This is the way the NEC should run all the time.
The freight RRs will not even put them in the equation. Of course the NEC delapidated tracks will have delays but still this is an attainable goal for the NEC. Note: definition -- delipidated is track geometry not up to 160 MPH standards.
I did not understand you to mean that the NEC or the system should run every day as it did on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. You just mentioned the Sunday after Thanksgiving.
No business entity should run on a one day at a time basis. It should have a long term strategic plan. One of the arguments made by Amtrak's supporters is that it needs to have a long term financial plan so that it can think beyond the end of the fiscal year, i.e. get the Congress to fund it for multiple years.
As the numbers show, Amtrak's on-time performance records for each service line, i.e NEC, State Supported and Other Short Distance Trains, and Long Distance Trains is getting worse. Not better!
To be able to have every train run on time every day probably would require an investment in property, plant, and equipment that would not be justified by the benefits. What is desired is an on-time performance record where the incremental increase in the cost to achieve it is equal to the incremental benefits.
This poster has followed the Thanksgiving holiday performance and some observations.
1. Has the parking of the 15 HHP-8s allowed for fewer motor failures ?
2. 25 ACS-64s are delivered with at least 23 in service and for the most part are more reliable that the AEM-7s.
3. Number of AEM-7s parked is unknown but there may be more motors available for standby service.
4. Reported that an ACS-64 was protect motor assigned to NYP station.
5. Some of the ACS-64s may have been asisgned to longer trains since they have better acceleration giving better enroute times.
6. The ongoing upgrades to the 25 HZ power supply may have prevented low voltages that slow trains.
7. Extra effort to manage passengers may have resulted in the originating of trains on time ?
8. On time for early trains allowed for later trains to originate on time. Previous years this was a real problem.
The end point and all stations on-time performance for all of Amtrak's trains deteriorated signifcantly in FY14.
In FY14 the end point on-time performance for the long distance trains was 50.4 per cent, down from 71.9 per cent in FY13 and 70.7 per cent in FY12. The all stations on-time performance was 40.0 per cent, down from 54.6 per cent in FY13 and 54.8 per cent in FY12.
The best on-time end performance was chalked up by the City of New Orleans at 88 per cent; the worst was the Empire Builder at 26. 6 per cent. The best all stations on-time performance was turned in by the Palametto at 72.6 per cent; the worst was racked up by the Lake Shore Limited at 44.6 per cent.
In the NEC the Acelas were on time at their end points 74.9 per cent, down from 85.3 per cent in FY13 and 89.7 per cent in FY12. The NEC regional trains were on time at their end points 75.3 per cent in FY14, down from 84.2 per cent in FY13 and 86.5 per cent in FY12.
The State Supported and Other Short Distance Trains were on-time at their end points 73.8 per cent in FY14, down from 82 per cent in FY13 and FY13. The Capitols had the best end point on time performance at 95.3 per cent, which was essentially unchanged from FY13 and FY12. The worst end point on-time performance was turned in by the Wolverines at 33 per cent.
Overall the system on-time end point performance declined by 9.9 per cent from FY13, and the all stations on-time numbers declined by 7.5 per cent.
Thanks for the report!
Amtrak gets it right more often than some of its critics wish to acknowledge.
Amtrak had a very good performance on the NEC this past Thanksgiving Sunday.
1. Almost all arrivals into NYP were within 5 mintes early or late with most lates 1 - 2 minutes. Of course the LD trains from the south and train 48 did have some issues but not many.
2. Trains from NYP generally arrived early in WASH, ALB, BOS within 5 minutes or a few as late as 15 minutes.
3. The departures and arrivals at NYP seem to indicate that the schedules were adheared to very much. Maybe even trains into NYP were slowed to arrive in their assigned slot ?
4. Of course there were not the large amounts of commuter traffic as compared to a weekday.
5. Departures from NYP were very much on time which indicates that with proper planning trains can get out on time even with over flow traffic.
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