- Joined
- Sep 15, 2017
- Messages
- 2,926
Agreed, sightseer lounge is already a great design. No need to fix what isn't broken.
The biggest problem with the sightseers is the same problem with every superliner - accessibility. Unfortunately some changes will be inevitable to accomplish the accessibility goals.
Jis, as always, your posts are informative and helpful. This explains why I am looking at significantly higher sleeper fares for a trip on the CZ in June. IMHO, things are only going to get worse because there is no apparent evidence that Amtrak can make short-term adjustments to correct this.
It will be an impossible task to maintain the current number of cars in service. It is only a matter of time before there is another derailment that removes more cars from service.
Unfortunately some of that is politics. While Amtrak certainly has responsibility for the availability ratio of the present equipment Gardner is certainly correct that sufficient funding for a long term solution was not available until the IIJA. While I share Tilley’s concerns about finding a way to bridge the gap, there are flaws with all of his five solutions especially if he is proposing them as an alternative to the replacement fleet (which I can’t totally tell from his initial letter if that’s his intent.) I fundamentally disagree with the idea of a rebuild in lieu of new equipment. It ignores the accessibility issues and would further constrain the fleet during the rebuild program and it just kicks the problem down the road. I think Amtrak needs to continue on with the procurement while looking for other other ways to increase uptime of the available fleet. Things like getting the super liners off the Carbondale route are a critical piece. Perhaps some of the badly damaged equipment does need to be looked at - but certain damage can’t be fixed.