City of New Orleans (train) discussion

Traveller said:

City of New Orleans - Will they serve dinner?

The CONO departure time for leaving Chicago on the 18 September has changed. It was 8:05pm but is now brought forward to 7:05pm.

As it is earlier, will they serve dinner immediately it leaves Union station or not at all?

Thanks for any insight.

Edit: Are flex meals served in the diner/cafe car or only in the passenger's room?

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zephyr17 said:

It has been posted here that the CONO typically runs with a Sightseer Lounge and without a Diner or Diner/Lounge. Since those don't have convection ovens, the "Flex" menu on the CONO is the same as the cafe menu. You can see that for yourself:
https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/...-of-New-Orleans-Flexible-Dining-Menu-0823.pdf

I don't know how the service is handled, but I would think the SCA just gets your cafe food for you.

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chadamfleetrailfan said:

Any reason for the hour earlier departure? I'm assuming trackwork down the line?

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Steve4031 said:

I just booked a round trip on the City of New Orleans for next week. Departing on Thursday and returning on Saturday.

There is an alert in the app where my ticket is displayed advising of the earlier departure from Chicago. 7:05 vs 8:05. Train 58 departs New Orleans at 12:45 versus 1:45. Not sure where the track work occurs.

I will review the food service when I do my trip report. Hopefully, it will not be as bad as the report upthread.

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