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  1. Nick Farr

    Greenpeace study: rail vs. short-haul air

    Basically, this. American tourists don't want to have to carry their bags any further than from the baggage belt to the taxi. Especially as they age. Handling checked baggage beyond the airport (which creates more headaches for the airline) is a critical step in making this leap.
  2. Nick Farr

    The North South Connect

    Actually, you're really on to something here. The MBTA could probably fund the dig just by closing Southampton Yard and ground leasing the land to the right developers.
  3. Nick Farr

    The North South Connect

    The embarcadero freeway was also pretty useless. The idea was to link the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate bridge, but it was never completed. It was essentially a spur freeway whose traffic was easily absorbed by the city streets. Most of the travel going north of San Francisco would just take the...
  4. Nick Farr

    New flex meal menu (10/06/21)

    Total food cost depends on volume and throughput. If you eliminate choice and sacrifice a little bit of freshness, you can approach a roughly equivalent cost. The cost of the ingredients to Amtrak of its signature steak dinner with its usual fixings and a single choice of side is probably going...
  5. Nick Farr

    New flex meal menu (10/06/21)

    The costs can't really be compared accurately because they're structurally different operations. For starters, the walk-in cooler at Applebee's is bigger than the biggest Amtrak kitchen. Applebees can resupply more or less whenever they want and they usually have a consistent set of suppliers...
  6. Nick Farr

    New flex meal menu (10/06/21)

    The worst offender is salt. If you eat mostly fresh foods and don't add more than a pinch of salt, your queasiness is most likely due to that. Drink more water on board. :)
  7. Nick Farr

    Should Amtrak implement Starlink on long distance trains?

    Starlink only just applied for FCC clearance to operate on moving vehicles. The tech probably exists, but is a long ways away. European rail internet coverage is not a fair comparison with US LD routes. There is no stretch in Europe such as the one between, say, Salt Lake and Reno. It is...
  8. Nick Farr

    Room number on app?

    Have they been slowly taking away quik traks from stations?
  9. Nick Farr

    Autotrain Services Drastically Cut?

    Someone should make a YT video comparing Amtrak management to the producers of that show. Casting **** van **** as a hitman? Sounds like an Amtrak executive decision.
  10. Nick Farr

    The North South Connect

    MBTA would definitely stand to gain a lot by this project, while it would open up a few more options for Amtrak.
  11. Nick Farr

    Autotrain Services Drastically Cut?

    Now I really, really want to see a zipline on a moving train.
  12. Nick Farr

    Amtrak nurse (proposal for the future)

    The literature suggests this was more of a marketing gimmick than a public safety measure. They were only around for a few years in the 1950s.
  13. Nick Farr

    New flex meal menu (10/06/21)

    The budget Panera is right next to the budget Starbucks.
  14. Nick Farr

    Most interesting encounter(s) on a train

    My fondest memory is my first transcontinental trip with my nine-month-old son from Michigan to Truckee, CA and back. I have a lot of fond memories of meeting people in the dining car in the communal dining days. Nobody famous, but I got seated with lots of families trying something new, a lot...
  15. Nick Farr

    Insider.com and businessinsider.com stories about Amtrak trips

    Ah, I meant the short flights. I ask because I'm often on a ~100 nautical mile flight that's basically an ascent and descent. They have bottled water, but this flight is almost never catered. Going from my home airport to any of my preferred airline's other hubs, we always get the boarding drink...
  16. Nick Farr

    Insider.com and businessinsider.com stories about Amtrak trips

    The article is about the limit of what you can expect the average Instagram user to read. It's conversational and has some embedded tips. The author's experiences appear to be primarily with European and MTA commuter rail trains. If you're used to continuously welded ballast-free high speed...
  17. Nick Farr

    Insider.com and businessinsider.com stories about Amtrak trips

    I'm curious which airlines even cater these flights to allow you to do it. Of course, on private jets it's another thing...
  18. Nick Farr

    Autotrain Services Drastically Cut?

    I know they've studied that, but it seems really unlikely, given the state of the rail network between those two areas. The other problem with Chicago/Florida is the lack of transit density between the two pairs along with the length of the trip: Two nights, minimum. If I were to pick it, I'd...
  19. Nick Farr

    Autotrain Services Drastically Cut?

    The major reasons behind the labor shortage overall are the acceleration of boomers retiring, low compensation, a greater number of people between jobs ("great resignation") and greater labor flexibility (remote work/elect-in work). Amtrak's staffing issues are people taking retirement and...
  20. Nick Farr

    Autotrain Services Drastically Cut?

    Where's the onboard lap pool and spa?
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