Mario_v Hello all; Does anyone has some news about the single level cars being built to Amtrak by Caf ?
Hello all;
Does anyone has some news about the single level cars being built to Amtrak by Caf ?
The references given in other posts to this thread, especially the connection to Ink, are good. The larger question is why Amtrak is investing in long distance equipment?
Amtrak management appears to be trapped in a 1950s time warp. Baggage, dinning, and sleeping cars! For trains that are used by approximately 15% of Amtrak's customers and less than 4/10s of one per cent of intercity travelers.
The sleeping car numbers are worse. Just 2.3% of Amtrak's passengers or 15% of the long distance trains users travel by sleeper. Most of Amtrak's middle and lower middle class travelers cannot afford a sleeper, which is ironic for a government sponsored railroad that is supported by each taxpayer.
If Amtrak were a real business, with a product line that accounts for more than 75% of its operating losses before depreciation and interest, the executives would drop it (long distance trains) in a heartbeat. They would invest in new equipment where there is at least some chance of at least breaking even or heaven's forbid earn a profit. That's in relatively short, high density corridors where the cost of expanding the highway and airway systems is prohibitive.
The August/September 2011 issue of Amtrak Ink, an Amtrak publication for employees, has a photo of a mockup of the interior of the new diner car and some general news on the ACS-64, Viewliner II orders. The Amtrak Ink issues can be found at http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=Page&pagename=am%2FLayout&p=1237608345018&cid=1241267284550
You guys have any more info like pictures or links?
They are 130 New Cars for Eastern LD trains in Baggage-Dorm, Baggage Cars, Sleeping Car and Dining Cars. The first cars will be coming out in Oct of 2012.
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