2 bottles of water per person per trip has been reduced to 1

[City of Miami]

It may be the SCAs (some of them) stealing the crates of water.....same thing happened with the sodas we used to get.

 

[Braniff747SP]

It may appear trivial, but it adds up to a significant figure.

The bean counters are doing their job.

 

[SarahZ]

I'd be a lot better with the "potable" water if there were a filter (esp. one that would trap bacteria, that's my big worry, bacteria and molds growing in the tank) between the tap and my cup. I use the drinking fountain at my workplace but I SEE the guy cleaning it and I trust his procedures, I don't know for sure when the tank on a sleeping car was last cleaned.

I'm not sure how it stacks against bacteria, but Brita makes BPA-free water bottles:

https://www.brita.com/water-bottles/

 

[lyke99]

The bean-counters never seem to get the old adage of "You have to spend money to make money." The last couple of years of cuts to things that cost nickels and dimes in relation to the sleeping car fare WILL drive business away. Coffee and juice in the morning only vs. all day, cutting the newspapers, rationing bottled water, the long gone days of a split of champagne or sparkling cider with a small snack basket at the beginning of the journey. All of these cuts reduce the feeling of luxury (which many are willing to pay for - me included) and at some point it won't feel worth it to take the time and spend the money to get there by train.

I had a great uncle who sold mobile homes in the 50s and 60s. He could sell a home for $500 more by outfitting it with $300 of furniture. He generated foot traffic by offering hot dogs and soda on the weekends (and balloons for the kids). My dad tells these stories and they seem a bit cliche, but it worked. It used to and can still work for Amtrak if the bean-counters don't nickel and dime sleeping car service to death. The cuts to dining car services will impact sleeper sales as well, even if meals are no longer included.

 

[KmH]

It may be the SCAs (some of them) stealing the crates of water.....same thing happened with the sodas we used to get.

Or. Some TA-SC buy bottled water knowing they will likely make up the cost and more from tips.

 

[Cina]

We could always go back to glass bottles to replace the plastic, the world has plenty of free/cheap silicon ( sand) and we used to do fine when everything came in glass! ( ie milk, sodas, juice etc.)

However the Koch Brothers and the other greedy oil Barons will fight to the death if government tried to implement this common sense proposal!

Scene from "The Graduate" where an older guy is giving Benjamin advice about how to ensure his future: " Plastics!"

Slightly off topic, but I was interested to read the other day that we're actually running out of sand. And it's creating a big problem.

 

[jebr]

Let's hold the outrage over one SCA saying they only have one water bottle per person. If there's one thing Amtrak is consistent at, it's inconsistency. Who knows why the SCA said that, but it's entirely possible that there was an SCA that was misinformed, a crew only loaded on enough water for one per person for whatever reason, etc. Until there's a few more incidents where these cutbacks on the water are actually affecting people as stated, I'm not going to freak out.

 

[C855B]

... If there's one thing Amtrak is consistent at, it's inconsistency. ...

Amen! On our 8-day round trip to the West Coast (five trains!) ending today, it ranged from one each for the 3-day trip, to open stock next to the coffee pot, to two fresh ones on the seat every day. :wacko:

 

[BCL]

Not that it is of any value to the conversation regarding whether or not it is miserly to restrict bottled water, I read an article back indicating that the plastic bottles have some sort of chemical in them that can reduce men's testosterone levels.

BPA (or BPB, or several similar chemicals)? Same chemicals cause elevated blood pressure. :sigh:

Not for typical bottled water, which comes in PETE (polyester) bottles. Quite a bit of the "recycled" PETE bottle stream goes into making polyester fibers for clothing or carpeting. The bottles are almost always virgin material, because it's difficult to properly turn it back into suitable food-grade plastic, although some have done it (it's expensive).

The plastic material that has BPA is polycarbonate. That stuff is ubiquitous, although it's almost never used in food or beverage containers these days. It's still used in the epoxy linings in metal cans, although that's supposed to leach almost no BPA.

 

[user 1215]

We could always go back to glass bottles to replace the plastic, the world has plenty of free/cheap silicon ( sand) and we used to do fine when everything came in glass! ( ie milk, sodas, juice etc.)

Jim, I love ya, man. But the main issue with bottles has been weight. Glass weighs a stink lot more than plastic, making it cheaper to ship. Also, plastics have allowed increases in NET weight of product while maintaining a constant GROSS weight. The costs and hassles of reusing glass has resulted in a worse problem - disposable glass.

It may appear trivial, but it adds up to a significant figure.

The bean counters are doing their job.

I respectfully disagree. You must consider revenue - both in realized and lost - bounced against the savings. If ANY of the three investigations discussed in this thread eliminated waste, you could pay for champagne for ALL passengers.

It may be the SCAs (some of them) stealing the crates of water.....same thing happened with the sodas we used to get.

Or. Some TA-SC buy bottled water knowing they will likely make up the cost and more from tips.

Regrettably, bureaucracy dictates that common sense can be a firing offense in the name of "safety".

Let's hold the outrage over one SCA saying they only have one water bottle per person. If there's one thing Amtrak is consistent at, it's inconsistency. Who knows why the SCA said that, but it's entirely possible that there was an SCA that was misinformed, a crew only loaded on enough water for one per person for whatever reason, etc. Until there's a few more incidents where these cutbacks on the water are actually affecting people as stated, I'm not going to freak out.

My understanding was this was a matter of policy. Perhaps only one SCA is enforcing it.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

14 Brands Of Bottled Water Voluntarily Recalled Due To Potential E. Coli Contamination

Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/22/bottled-water-e-coli-contamination_n_7640010.html

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

I had a great uncle who sold mobile homes in the 50s and 60s. He could sell a home for $500 more by outfitting it with $300 of furniture. He generated foot traffic by offering hot dogs and soda on the weekends (and balloons for the kids). My dad tells these stories and they seem a bit cliche, but it worked. It used to and can still work for Amtrak if the bean-counters don't nickel and dime sleeping car service to death. The cuts to dining car services will impact sleeper sales as well, even if meals are no longer included.

Your Uncle had excellent common business sense, something that has all but disappeared today, especially with multi-tiered management and managment that has been churned out of diploma mills and formula fed in so-called business schools. I still say the best way to learn business is on the street and in the trenches.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

On the subject of bottled water vs. the tap and which is better/safer, there is now a major recall for several brands of bottled water because of e-coli concerns.

 

[Cina]

This conversation does make me think purchasing a water bottle with a built-in filter is the way to go. No waste, less questionable contaminants.

I'm glad the train doesn't have "drinking fountains". I work in a school, I've seen what kindergarteners do to those things. :lol:

 

[Bierboy]

My goodness peope....bring your own bottled water onto the train....refill those botles at stations along the way if you don't like Amtrak's water. Not rocket science....

 

[seat38a]

My goodness peope....bring your own bottled water onto the train....refill those botles at stations along the way if you don't like Amtrak's water. Not rocket science....

The most sensible and pragmatic post so far. I've been doing this: hboy:reading this topic.

 

[user 1215]

My goodness peope....bring your own bottled water onto the train....refill those botles at stations along the way if you don't like Amtrak's water. Not rocket science....

The most sensible and pragmatic post so far. I've been doing this: hboy:reading this topic.

Really? I have to load my suitcase and carry around my own water when I pay several hundred dollars to take a train because some bean counter thinks that saving 15 cents is going to save the company? No, I'm sorry, and I am not trying to be a jerk or anything here, but it's one more comment that just simply allows Amtrak to continue to get away with eliminating necessities (or even nice-to-haves) while charging more than ever and, as is being documented, wasting way more than they save.

Bring your own burgers. Bring your own snacks. Bring your own club sandwiches on a three day trip. No, you can't use the microwave or the refrigerator. But that's OK. Bring your linens and blankets and pillows, too.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Excellent points VF, as I like to say, " "Let them eat cake!

 

[seat38a]

My goodness peope....bring your own bottled water onto the train....refill those botles at stations along the way if you don't like Amtrak's water. Not rocket science....

The most sensible and pragmatic post so far. I've been doing this: hboy:reading this topic.

Really? I have to load my suitcase and carry around my own water when I pay several hundred dollars to take a train because some bean counter thinks that saving 15 cents is going to save the company? No, I'm sorry, and I am not trying to be a jerk or anything here, but it's one more comment that just simply allows Amtrak to continue to get away with eliminating necessities (or even nice-to-haves) while charging more than ever and, as is being documented, wasting way more than they save.

Bring your own burgers. Bring your own snacks. Bring your own club sandwiches on a three day trip. No, you can't use the microwave or the refrigerator. But that's OK. Bring your linens and blankets and pillows, too.

I'm referring to all this good for the environment, the potable water tank vs BPA blah blah blah this as degenerated into. But to your point, I actually do shlep my own water, beer and wine on the train. Why? because one thing is certain on Amtrak and that it is inconsistent. I could complain about it but its going to get me no where, and personally I'm a rail / Amtrak advocate but at the same time, its not an issue that I'll loose sleep over so I do the practical thing and bring my own.

 

[Braniff747SP]

It may appear trivial, but it adds up to a significant figure.

The bean counters are doing their job.

I respectfully disagree. You must consider revenue - both in realized and lost - bounced against the savings. If ANY of the three investigations discussed in this thread eliminated waste, you could pay for champagne for ALL passengers.

You're certainly not wrong. The question is how much revenue Amtrak stands to lose - and I don't think it'd be much.

 

[C&O RR]

Wow! I never thought there would be a dicussion about the enviroment when I started this thread.

My complaint is that Amtrak is in (for the lack of a better phrase) Breach of Contract with this and other actions that it has taken. There is a contract when you buy a ticket based on what is on Amtrak's web site and what they were doing prior to May 1st in reguards to the bottle water issue. They did not any public annoucement that they were altering this contract.

They did make a public announcement when they altered the contract and removed the diner from the "Silver Star" consist.

I have ridden Amtrak LD trains 4 times since May 1st and the water issue only seem to come out of trains leaving Chicago.

If people do not complain to Amtrak things will only get worse.

 

[Ryan]

Two issues:

1) You're taking a single data point and extrapolating this out to full Amtrak policy in the absence of any evidence to back it up. Individual crew members are terrible sources for what Amtrak policy actually is. If we see this on other trains, or something in writing, I'll be inclined to believe it. Until then, it's just the word of one person.

2) Number of bottles of water supplied are nowhere in Amtrak's contract of carriage. Calling this "breach of contract" is utterly ridiculous.

 

[C&O RR]

Two issues:

1) You're taking a single data point and extrapolating this out to full Amtrak policy in the absence of any evidence to back it up. Individual crew members are terrible sources for what Amtrak policy actually is. If we see this on other trains, or something in writing, I'll be inclined to believe it. Until then, it's just the word of one person.

2) Number of bottles of water supplied are nowhere in Amtrak's contract of carriage. Calling this "breach of contract" is utterly ridiculous.

I agree with you, but I was on the SWC leaving CHI last Sunday and consist was changed and brought into the station ate giving the OBS only 15 minutes to prep their car.

The water was delivered to the sleepers 5 minutes before departure and I saw them only give each sleeper only 3 cases (72 bottles) of water. 72 bottles for 30 rooms for 3 days? Remember that not everyone rides all the way from CHI to LAX and some new people get on,

I drink more than a gallon of water per day and I was\am expecting go get FREE bottle water, the same as the trips I had made prior to May 1st.

 

[Ryan]

And you don't think that perhaps the short time to prep the consist could have had anything to do with the limited supplies loaded onboard?

 

[user 1215]

That shouldn't be an excuse. You have the palettes loaded and ready to move onto the train. Team work could help unpack the supplies and unload the packaging at the next stop or two.