Acela first class attendant denied to serve me a meal...

[Guest]

They should have offered you a meal. The FCA was incorrect. Make sure you call Amtrak and talk to Customer Relations about the matter.

The attendant was actually quite friendly, but just insisted that Washington-to-Baltimore was too short to be served a meal.

I don't want to get her in trouble or anything..... so I'm just gonna let it go. Next time, I'll stand my ground and demand

my meal.

There might not have been enough time to prepare some meals, but there is usually a salad or small bites, already made up that does not require preparation.

All the meals are already prepared. The warm ones just have to be run through the Microwave and served.

The food does arrive from the commissary warm. It arrives refrigerated. Meals go from the refrigerator into a convection oven that warms them. Meals might get a last zap in the microwave but most of the warming is done in the oven.

 

[Bob Dylan]

#66/#67 is the only Train with the Cafe open all night! ( the Night Owl without a Sleeper) It's open for the entire trip except when stopped @ the Station Stops in WAS/PHL/NYP.

 

[Guest]

They should have offered you a meal. The FCA was incorrect. Make sure you call Amtrak and talk to Customer Relations about the matter.

The attendant was actually quite friendly, but just insisted that Washington-to-Baltimore was too short to be served a meal.

I don't want to get her in trouble or anything..... so I'm just gonna let it go. Next time, I'll stand my ground and demand

my meal.

There might not have been enough time to prepare some meals, but there is usually a salad or small bites, already made up that does not require preparation.

All the meals are already prepared. The warm ones just have to be run through the Microwave and served.

The food does arrive from the commissary warm. It arrives refrigerated. Meals go from the refrigerator into a convection oven that warms them. Meals might get a last zap in the microwave but most of the warming is done in the oven.

That should be does not arrive warm. And to add they are not completely ready to serve. They require some preparation.

 

[Acela150]

#66/#67 is the only Train with the Cafe open all night! ( the Night Owl without a Sleeper) It's open for the entire trip except when stopped @ the Station Stops in WAS/PHL/NYP.

Jim the Cafe on 66/67 is open at PHL. Stop isn't long enough to close. Most of the time the LSA is sitting in the cafe area working on paperwork or just fartin' and foolin' around.

 

[Bob Dylan]

#66/#67 is the only Train with the Cafe open all night! ( the Night Owl without a Sleeper) It's open for the entire trip except when stopped @ the Station Stops in WAS/PHL/NYP.

Jim the Cafe on 66/67 is open at PHL. Stop isn't long enough to close. Most of the time the LSA is sitting in the cafe area working on paperwork or just fartin' and foolin' around.

I know the stop in PHL is brief but the last time I rode #66 (in Biz Clsss)the LSA told those wanting service that he was on break and would be open again in 30 minutes!Maybe the break schedule has changed, this was a year ago?

I went to sleep and didn't wake up until NYP!

 

[railiner]

At NYP, there is a large turnover of passenger's, and they might also be restocking from the station commissary during the relatively long stop there....

 

[user 1215]

What train has a 24-hour diner? Or are you just proposing it as a concept?

The closest I ever saw, was the open-all-night cafe on the Night Owl, years ago.....

It was an experiment by United Rail Passenger Alliance, last talked about a year ago here. Controversial until the end, they at least offered business models to be considered for better bottom line.

They, obviously, thought the experiment (on the Sunset Limited about 10-15 years ago) was a success, blaming Amtrak culture and unions for failing to implement it.

Theory was that you could get the diner to pay for itself even with more crew because your sales would be increased. But it would require more commissary infrastructure to keep the diner stocked.

Now, I think it would still work. Especially if you reassigned the cafe car attendant to the diner and put vending machines in the cafe.

Another random thought. Japan's premier train, the Shinkansen, rid itself of the dining car more than 20 years ago. The offer trolley service and vending machines - even for first class pax who pay a 100% premium.

 

[Acela150]

#66/#67 is the only Train with the Cafe open all night! ( the Night Owl without a Sleeper) It's open for the entire trip except when stopped @ the Station Stops in WAS/PHL/NYP.

Jim the Cafe on 66/67 is open at PHL. Stop isn't long enough to close. Most of the time the LSA is sitting in the cafe area working on paperwork or just fartin' and foolin' around.

I know the stop in PHL is brief but the last time I rode #66 (in Biz Clsss)the LSA told those wanting service that he was on break and would be open again in 30 minutes!Maybe the break schedule has changed, this was a year ago?

I went to sleep and didn't wake up until NYP!

That to me sounds like an LSA making his or her own rules. I've been riding 66 at least once a year for the past 3 years. They close for WAS obviously, NYP, and after arriving at PVD the LSA will serve a few coffees to the regulars and then close for the duration of the trip. Not sure about south of WAS.

At NYP, there is a large turnover of passenger's, and they might also be restocking from the station commissary during the relatively long stop there....

At NYP the train empties out. The times I've ridden I've never seen any restocking happen.

 

[railiner]

I wasn't sure about the NYP commissary....it is probably closed at the hour 66 and 67 stop there....

 

[Acela150]

I'd believe that. Although trains start their journey at WAS at 315am and out of NYP at 4am. So somehow those trains get food to them.

 

[OBS]

Commissary in NYPenn is open 24 hours.

 

[railiner]

Commissary in NYPenn is open 24 hours.

I wasn't sure....so 66 and 67 could get restocked if necessary?

As for the trains originating in New York...probably most of those get stocked at the Sunnyside commissary. The NYP commissary probably stocks the trains that "turn" at NYP...

 

[OBS]

Yes, 66/67 can be supplied with anything ordered, no problem. Trains that turn in NY (regional/Acela) are not "stocked" at NYP, but rather just issued a backorder for whatever attendant requests. The exception to this is some Acela F/c cars which are stripped and restocked. Most originating trains in NYP are stocked in SSYD with the exception being: All Acela's are stocked in NYP as well as a couple early regional trains are stocked in NYP.

 

[jis]

Yes, 66/67 can be supplied with anything ordered, no problem. Trains that turn in NY (regional/Acela) are not "stocked" at NYP, but rather just issued a backorder for whatever attendant requests. The exception to this is some Acela F/c cars which are stripped and restocked. Most originating trains in NYP are stocked in SSYD with the exception being: All Acela's are stocked in NYP as well as a couple early regional trains are stocked in NYP.

Is it true then that Sunnyside does not carry any Acela restocking inventory at all? That is all at NYP? Thanks for the info BTW.

 

[OBS]

That would be true regarding the fresh meal products. all other items are warehoused at SSYD, and, in fact, for a majority of the Acela's, all other supplies are "pulled" and carted at SSYD, and trucked to Penn stn for loading on the trains. Hope this makes sense.

 

[jis]

Yes it does. Thanks.