oltmannd Paul Milenkovic A young David Brooks came to the attention of the editor of a certain opinion magazine when as a college student, he quipped that the "National Buckley" was merging with the "Buckley Review", and the new magazine would be called the "Buckley Buckley", being the only person in the country to understand that a certain magazine was more about an editor's ego than about a political point of view? Amtrak America? Is that like the Buckley Buckley? Maybe if they called it "Amtrak America plus Track"? I've called the current arrangement of LD trains "... a tribute to nostalgia". Now they are getting a retro paint scheme! Geez, I didn't want to be that right!
Paul Milenkovic A young David Brooks came to the attention of the editor of a certain opinion magazine when as a college student, he quipped that the "National Buckley" was merging with the "Buckley Review", and the new magazine would be called the "Buckley Buckley", being the only person in the country to understand that a certain magazine was more about an editor's ego than about a political point of view? Amtrak America? Is that like the Buckley Buckley?
A young David Brooks came to the attention of the editor of a certain opinion magazine when as a college student, he quipped that the "National Buckley" was merging with the "Buckley Review", and the new magazine would be called the "Buckley Buckley", being the only person in the country to understand that a certain magazine was more about an editor's ego than about a political point of view?
Amtrak America? Is that like the Buckley Buckley?
Maybe if they called it "Amtrak America plus Track"?
I've called the current arrangement of LD trains "... a tribute to nostalgia". Now they are getting a retro paint scheme! Geez, I didn't want to be that right!
My point exactly. Merging the National Buckley with the Buckley Review magazine produced the Buckley Buckley magazine, a monument to an opinion magazine editor's vanity.
Amtrak America plus Track becomes . . . Amtrak Amtrak!
If GM "killed the electric car", what am I doing standing next to an EV-1, a half a block from the WSOR tracks?
oltmannd The things that will improve the LD trains are not generally the same kinds of things that will improve corridor trains. We could make a list...but I think it's fair to say that frequency and speed improve corridors - that's typically track, signalling and equipment - capital. For LD trains, it's mostly about operations given that speed and frequency are what they are and are hard to change. So, the major point of attack is from the route managers trying to control costs and boost revenue with the existing assets. If lengthening the LD trains can improve the bottom line, and the incremental net revenue can support the cost to acquire some equipment, this will be a much easier sale.
The things that will improve the LD trains are not generally the same kinds of things that will improve corridor trains.
Readers: ---- IMHO Don is very correct. The only thing to add is taking care of slow areas. Extra CPs is one example such as been done on BNSF and the delayed CSX work north of Selma , NC,
But it is the first & last miles into terminals that delay all trains at many locations.. Mostly improvements would help short distance trains but for example once CHI terminal delays are reduced both types will benefit. ( Englewood and grand crossing as 2 examples ). Other locations are WASH, BON, STL, PDX, Oakland, LAX (if the south approach is completed ).
edit -- one example of speed ups is the CLT -- Greensboro route that has helped both NC trains and the Crescent. My trip on the Crescent made up ~ 30 minutes between the 2 stations.
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blue streak 1 Politics ? absolutely now the hinterlands can no longer expect the NEC, CHI short haul, PNW, Capital corridor, and So Cal to support the LD routes. It may be in the long run that LD will have equipment & capital be separate line items in the budget ? That might wake up the stakeholders ? Now instead of Boardman on hot seat it may be the LD operations chief ____________ ?
Politics ? absolutely now the hinterlands can no longer expect the NEC, CHI short haul, PNW, Capital corridor, and So Cal to support the LD routes. It may be in the long run that LD will have equipment & capital be separate line items in the budget ? That might wake up the stakeholders ? Now instead of Boardman on hot seat it may be the LD operations chief ____________ ?
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
don: at first though this poster said what the heck ? But then on retrospection =========
oltmannd I think this is being done more for political purposes than public perception. If you parse the public statement out, you get "this brand will make the conversation ... clear to our ... stakeholders." Where "stakeholders" is basically Congress and perhaps, local politicians along the route. Amtrak is drawing a bright red, white and blue line around the LD trains. Boardman is clearly walking away from Gunn's "National or nothing" Amtrak, to a "which Amtrak are you talking about?" Amtrak. Amtrak America will have their own management that controls "soup to nuts", their own equipment and their own P&L statement (apparently). I don't think he's trying to walking away from the LD network. Clearly, they just spend a boat load of money on baggage cars and crew space... But, having Amtrak operating two distinct major product lines makes it much easier to explain what kind of support each need, what that costs, and what you get.
I think this is being done more for political purposes than public perception. If you parse the public statement out, you get "this brand will make the conversation ... clear to our ... stakeholders." Where "stakeholders" is basically Congress and perhaps, local politicians along the route.
Amtrak is drawing a bright red, white and blue line around the LD trains. Boardman is clearly walking away from Gunn's "National or nothing" Amtrak, to a "which Amtrak are you talking about?" Amtrak.
Amtrak America will have their own management that controls "soup to nuts", their own equipment and their own P&L statement (apparently).
I don't think he's trying to walking away from the LD network. Clearly, they just spend a boat load of money on baggage cars and crew space... But, having Amtrak operating two distinct major product lines makes it much easier to explain what kind of support each need, what that costs, and what you get.
D.Carleton We've been down this road before during the Downs administration when the company was divided into three Strategic Business Units. David Gunn ended that. One reason for the new "look" and branding: It distinguishes the equipment from similar equipment already in service thus proving to the public that "something" is being done... even though in reality the net gain is practically none.
We've been down this road before during the Downs administration when the company was divided into three Strategic Business Units. David Gunn ended that.
One reason for the new "look" and branding: It distinguishes the equipment from similar equipment already in service thus proving to the public that "something" is being done... even though in reality the net gain is practically none.
Amtrak America will have their own management that controls "soup to nuts", their own equipment and their own P&L statement (apparently). So, when the Mica (or other) circus starts up with "Why does your food service lose money?" or "We could give airline tix for what it costs you to take a person from NOL to Chicago", or other hard to defend operation cost issues, Boardman will actually be able to respond in a fashion that make clear what costs what.
It's about the sales pitch...and not taking a flogging every time you talk to Mica, et. al.
Editor Emeritus, This Week at Amtrak
It seems to me that it is taking forever to put any new equipment into service. Many routes appear to doing less than their potential due to equipment constraints, yet I don't sense any urgency at Amtrak regarding this order. No public plan exists for additional Superliner compatible equipment. It seems Amtrak is content just to manage the current situation.
While I can accept that baggage cars and diners were most in need of replacement in the current fleet, these types will not expand the revenue capacity of the system. At best, Amtrak is running in place.
from Amtrak's blog: "With the launch of our new single-level long distance equipment – the “Viewliner II”, Amtrak is also launching Amtrak America, a brand that will encompass all that is great about Amtrak’s long-haul trains, including those with sleeper class service. Amtrak’s route brands will continue, and this brand will make the conversation and overall service offerings clear to our customers and stakeholders.
Amtrak America will utilize our Phase Three striping on the single-level long distance cars as a tribute to our heritage. The first cars released from production will also carry Amtrak’s heritage logo in honor of our past. Amtrak’s current logo will return on the standard production cars." (bold added is mine)
Smart. A good strategy that feeds Boardman's "You want'em, You pay for'em" message to Congress about LD trains. If he can get close to getting the rest of the Amtrak running with little or no Federal operating subsidy, then he only has to go after capital, which is quite a bit easier. The house just passed a huge, porky waterway bill with lots and lots of Tea Party types voting "Yea".
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