Acela sets interior refresh 2018-19

[daybeers]

Amtrak posted this on their website yesterday:

WASHINGTON – Amtrak is investing in an extensive refresh of its train interiors on the entire Acela Express fleet, which travels along the Northeast Corridor (NEC) between Boston and Washington, DC, aimed at introducing a more modern and comfortable customer experience.

“Customers expect a premium experience when they board an Acela Express train, and these updated interior features will provide a more comfortable, refreshed look and feel – whether you want to relax, move about freely, work or play,” said Amtrak CEO and President Richard Anderson.

The Acela Express refresh is a 14-month program for all of its 20 trainsets, which includes 100 Amtrak cars and 6,080 total seats. Each trainset will be refreshed individually with new cushions and covers for all business class and first-class seats, new carpet for the aisle runner and a deep clean. The total investment is valued at more than $4 million.

The refresh will take just over a year to complete and customers can expect a progression of upgrades during that time, with this approximate delivery schedule:

• May 2018: The first trainset will be refreshed and returned into revenue service;
• June 2018: The second trainset will be refreshed and returned into revenue service
• June 2018 – July 2019: One trainset will be refreshed every three weeks.

Amtrak schedules will not change due to the refresh. The refresh will occur in advance of the debut of the next generation Acela trainsets Amtrak announced in August 2016, which will provide 40 percent more trains, one-third more passenger seats with the same personal space and high-end comfort, more service, better amenities and a smoother ride. The first trainset prototype will be ready for testing in 2019, and will enter revenue service in early 2021. All trainsets in the current fleet will be retired in early 2022.

Materials from the existing Acela cushions and covers will be reused, recycled and turned into carpet padding, while the leather will be recycled and converted into handbags, wallets and other consumer goods.

 

[chrsjrcj]

i guess we found where the savings in cuts from the LSL/CL went.

 

[cpotisch]

Materials from the existing Acela cushions and covers will be reused, recycled and turned into carpet padding, while the leather will be recycled and converted into handbags, wallets and other consumer goods.

I'm sorry, but that just seems cheap. Like pathetically cheap. Oh yeah, I really want to buy a handbag made out of old Acela seats.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Materials from the existing Acela cushions and covers will be reused, recycled and turned into carpet padding, while the leather will be recycled and converted into handbags, wallets and other consumer goods.

I'm sorry, but that just seems cheap. Like pathetically cheap. Oh yeah, I really want to buy a handbag made out of old Acela seats.

Wonder if Amtrak will give "Amtrak Joe" Biden one of the FC Seats that he rode in for so many trips on his commute between Wilmington and DC when he was a US Senator?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Materials from the existing Acela cushions and covers will be reused, recycled and turned into carpet padding, while the leather will be recycled and converted into handbags, wallets and other consumer goods.

I'm sorry, but that just seems cheap. Like pathetically cheap. Oh yeah, I really want to buy a handbag made out of old Acela seats.

It's called recycling rather than filling the landfills with more stuff.

 

[seat38a]

Well many thought the 3.5Million saved from LSL and CL didn't justify the cuts to full service dining car. Well 4 Million which is half a million more can refurbish 20 trains, just imagine what 3.5 million worth of duct tape can do to the rattles in the sleepers.

 

[Thirdrail7]

i guess we found where the savings in cuts from the LSL/CL went.

Absolutely. According to our executive staff, a great deal of LD travelers are utilizing the trains for vacations and Amtrak shouldn't be in the business of using taxpayers funds to provide vacations,

However, It is quite clear taxpayers funds should be used to subsidize business travelers with expense accounts and the need to save 30 minutes.

 

[Anderson]

i guess we found where the savings in cuts from the LSL/CL went.

Absolutely. According to our executive staff, a great deal of LD travelers are utilizing the trains for vacations and Amtrak shouldn't be in the business of using taxpayers funds to provide vacations,

However, It is quite clear taxpayers funds should be used to subsidize business travelers with expense accounts and the need to save 30 minutes.

Well, after the bankers, lawyers, and lobbyists from New York and Philly complained enough in DC...

 

[Zach]

Amtrak posted this on their website yesterday:

WASHINGTON – Amtrak is investing in an extensive refresh of its train interiors on the entire Acela Express fleet, which travels along the Northeast Corridor (NEC) between Boston and Washington, DC, aimed at introducing a more modern and comfortable customer experience.

“Customers expect a premium experience when they board an Acela Express train, and these updated interior features will provide a more comfortable, refreshed look and feel – whether you want to relax, move about freely, work or play,” said Amtrak CEO and President Richard Anderson.

The Acela Express refresh is a 14-month program for all of its 20 trainsets, which includes 100 Amtrak cars and 6,080 total seats. Each trainset will be refreshed individually with new cushions and covers for all business class and first-class seats, new carpet for the aisle runner and a deep clean. The total investment is valued at more than $4 million.

The refresh will take just over a year to complete and customers can expect a progression of upgrades during that time, with this approximate delivery schedule:

• May 2018: The first trainset will be refreshed and returned into revenue service;
• June 2018: The second trainset will be refreshed and returned into revenue service
• June 2018 – July 2019: One trainset will be refreshed every three weeks.

Amtrak schedules will not change due to the refresh. The refresh will occur in advance of the debut of the next generation Acela trainsets Amtrak announced in August 2016, which will provide 40 percent more trains, one-third more passenger seats with the same personal space and high-end comfort, more service, better amenities and a smoother ride. The first trainset prototype will be ready for testing in 2019, and will enter revenue service in early 2021. All trainsets in the current fleet will be retired in early 2022.

Materials from the existing Acela cushions and covers will be reused, recycled and turned into carpet padding, while the leather will be recycled and converted into handbags, wallets and other consumer goods.

Materials from the existing Acela cushions and covers will be reused, recycled and turned into carpet padding, while the leather will be recycled and converted into handbags, wallets and other consumer goods.

I'm sorry, but that just seems cheap. Like pathetically cheap. Oh yeah, I really want to buy a handbag made out of old Acela seats.

Sounds typical of Anderson to upcycle what can be used to be sold. At Delta, it was done often and in fact our soon to be old uniforms (I'm a DL flight attendant). You may think it sounds cheap but there is a market for such items.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Materials from the existing Acela cushions and covers will be reused, recycled and turned into carpet padding, while the leather will be recycled and converted into handbags, wallets and other consumer goods.

I'm sorry, but that just seems cheap. Like pathetically cheap. Oh yeah, I really want to buy a handbag made out of old Acela seats.

Sounds typical of Anderson to upcycle what can be used to be sold. At Delta, it was done often and in fact our soon to be old uniforms (I'm a DL flight attendant). You may think it sounds cheap but there is a market for such items.

I think I remember that. It was part of Richard Mugatu's Deltalicte campaign.

 

[cpotisch]

Materials from the existing Acela cushions and covers will be reused, recycled and turned into carpet padding, while the leather will be recycled and converted into handbags, wallets and other consumer goods.

I'm sorry, but that just seems cheap. Like pathetically cheap. Oh yeah, I really want to buy a handbag made out of old Acela seats.

It's called recycling rather than filling the landfills with more stuff.

There's a difference between recycling and pawning off old seat leather as wallets.

 

[Seaboard92]

Materials from the existing Acela cushions and covers will be reused, recycled and turned into carpet padding, while the leather will be recycled and converted into handbags, wallets and other consumer goods.

I'm sorry, but that just seems cheap. Like pathetically cheap. Oh yeah, I really want to buy a handbag made out of old Acela seats.

Trust me railfans and foamers will buy just about anything if it has come from a train. My case and point is this.

I was working on the 611 trips in Virginia sweeping soot and ash from the vestibules (so I wouldn't have to vacuum as often). I had a passenger offer me $100 for a plastic baggy of soot. Needless to say I made about $500 extra that day.

 

[cpotisch]

Materials from the existing Acela cushions and covers will be reused, recycled and turned into carpet padding, while the leather will be recycled and converted into handbags, wallets and other consumer goods.

I'm sorry, but that just seems cheap. Like pathetically cheap. Oh yeah, I really want to buy a handbag made out of old Acela seats.

Trust me railfans and foamers will buy just about anything if it has come from a train. My case and point is this.

I was working on the 611 trips in Virginia sweeping soot and ash from the vestibules (so I wouldn't have to vacuum as often). I had a passenger offer me $100 for a plastic baggy of soot. Needless to say I made about $500 extra that day.

That's awesome, but how'd you get $500 if he offered you $100?

 

[Seaboard92]

Materials from the existing Acela cushions and covers will be reused, recycled and turned into carpet padding, while the leather will be recycled and converted into handbags, wallets and other consumer goods.

I'm sorry, but that just seems cheap. Like pathetically cheap. Oh yeah, I really want to buy a handbag made out of old Acela seats.

Trust me railfans and foamers will buy just about anything if it has come from a train. My case and point is this.
I was working on the 611 trips in Virginia sweeping soot and ash from the vestibules (so I wouldn't have to vacuum as often). I had a passenger offer me $100 for a plastic baggy of soot. Needless to say I made about $500 extra that day.

That's awesome, but how'd you get $500 if he offered you $100?

Five passengers came to me and asked for it after the first one bought it. And I was way too happy to say no. Easiest money I've ever made. I now carry plastic bags every time I work.

 

[PVD]

Recycled leather is a composite and it is a versatile and useful product. You aren't directly turning a seatcover into a wallet, you are including them in the scraps that make up the leather. Reduce-Reuse-Recycle

 

[frequentflyer]

At least this will keep the interiors fresh until the Acela IIs show up in about three years. But this opens up the age old question, whats going to happen to the first gen Acelas in about three years. Do you redo interiors only to mothball them in three to four years time.?

 

[Devil's Advocate]

At least this will keep the interiors fresh until the Acela IIs show up in about three years. But this opens up the age old question, whats going to happen to the first gen Acelas in about three years. Do you redo interiors only to mothball them in three to four years time.?

The article already answers this.

All trainsets in the current fleet will be retired in early 2022.

 

[frequentflyer]

^^^^^That will teach me to read the whole article. Thanks.^^^^^^^^

 

[sitzplatz17]

At least this will keep the interiors fresh until the Acela IIs show up in about three years. But this opens up the age old question, whats going to happen to the first gen Acelas in about three years. Do you redo interiors only to mothball them in three to four years time.?

The article already answers this.

All trainsets in the current fleet will be retired in early 2022.

So Amtrak is spending $4 million for something that will only last 3-4 years? Seems like a poor use of funds to me.

Aren't the current interiors the ones that came with the Acelas?

 

[cpotisch]

So Amtrak is spending $4 million for something that will only last 3-4 years? Seems like a poor use of funds to me.

Aren't the current interiors the ones that came with the Acelas?

The current ones have apparently been refurbished multiple times before.

The Acela interiors were overhauled three times. This will make the forth. As Cpotisch mentioned, the interiors are starting to wear and it hardly justifies the price it commands as a premium service.

Additionally, the 3-4 years is a lot of usage for these trains. What if the new sets aren't ready by 2022 as predicted? If they stop maintaining and overhauling them now, it may become painful later. One only needs to look to the Heritage dining car fleet to see what happens if you count your cars before they arrive.

And as to it being a poor use of funds: If the car interiors are really rundown or dated and are unbecoming of a "flagship service," I would say a total overhaul and refurbishment is justifiable, even if it'll only be relevant for the next few years. I would say this was long overdue, since the Acelas have been looking very tired in the past few years, and another overhaul was most likely prohibited by poor funding and oversight. So while it might have been more worth it to do this years ago, they can't change the past, and doing so is still better than not doing it at all.

 

[PRR 60]

At least this will keep the interiors fresh until the Acela IIs show up in about three years. But this opens up the age old question, whats going to happen to the first gen Acelas in about three years. Do you redo interiors only to mothball them in three to four years time.?

The article already answers this.

All trainsets in the current fleet will be retired in early 2022.

So Amtrak is spending $4 million for something that will only last 3-4 years? Seems like a poor use of funds to me.

Aren't the current interiors the ones that came with the Acelas?

The current ones are original (though they might have done some minor touch ups here and there).

As to it being a poor use of funds: If the car interiors are really becoming rundown or dated and seem unbecoming of a "flagship service," I would say a total overhaul and refurbishment is justifiable, even if it'll only be relevant for the next few years. I would say this was long overdue, but was most likely prohibited by poor funding and oversight. So while it might have been more worth it to do it years ago, you can't change the past, and doing so at this point is still better than not doing it at all.

Not so. The Acela interiors have been upgraded at least once, including changing the seats from the original cloth to leather.

 

[Thirdrail7]

So Amtrak is spending $4 million for something that will only last 3-4 years? Seems like a poor use of funds to me.

Aren't the current interiors the ones that came with the Acelas?

The current ones are original (though they might have done some minor touch ups here and there).
As to it being a poor use of funds: If the car interiors are really becoming rundown or dated and seem unbecoming of a "flagship service," I would say a total overhaul and refurbishment is justifiable, even if it'll only be relevant for the next few years. I would say this was long overdue, but was most likely prohibited by poor funding and oversight. So while it might have been more worth it to do it years ago, you can't change the past, and doing so at this point is still better than not doing it at all.

Not so. The Acela interiors have been upgraded at least once, including changing the seats from the original cloth to leather.

The Acela interiors were overhauled three times. This will make the fourth . As Cpotisch mentioned, the interiors are starting to wear and it hardly justifies the price it commands as a premium service.

Additionally, the 3-4 years is a lot of usage for these trains. What if the new sets aren't ready by 2022 as predicted? If they stop maintaining and overhauling them now, it may become painful later. One only needs to look to the Heritage dining car fleet to see what happens if you count your cars before they arrive.

 

[Anderson]

I basically presume we won't see the last of the existing Acelas until 2023. This isn't to speak ill of the new sets, but I presume something will delay the project.

 

[Steve4031]

Is there any reason the acela equipment could not be moved to the keystone service? Is there maintenance facility in sunnyside?

Another interesting idea is to use them for harrisburg Washington trips and harrisburg Boston trips.

 

[sitzplatz17]

At least this will keep the interiors fresh until the Acela IIs show up in about three years. But this opens up the age old question, whats going to happen to the first gen Acelas in about three years. Do you redo interiors only to mothball them in three to four years time.?

The article already answers this.

All trainsets in the current fleet will be retired in early 2022.

So Amtrak is spending $4 million for something that will only last 3-4 years? Seems like a poor use of funds to me.

Aren't the current interiors the ones that came with the Acelas?

The current ones are original (though they might have done some minor touch ups here and there).

As to it being a poor use of funds: If the car interiors are really becoming rundown or dated and seem unbecoming of a "flagship service," I would say a total overhaul and refurbishment is justifiable, even if it'll only be relevant for the next few years. I would say this was long overdue, but was most likely prohibited by poor funding and oversight. So while it might have been more worth it to do it years ago, you can't change the past, and doing so at this point is still better than not doing it at all.

Not so. The Acela interiors have been upgraded at least once, including changing the seats from the original cloth to leather.

I stand (well, sitting at the moment), corrected!

I guess it just feels like the interiors are original.

Thanks for the feedback all.