Amtrak dining and cafe service

[jis]

The line plans talk about interior refreshes, but I'm guessing they'll wait for the Viewliner order to wrap up before even trying with the Superliners.

They are already working on the Superliner Refresh Program.

 

[Nick Farr]

They6 are already working on the Superliner Refresh Program.

But that's just the interiors, which doesn't address the average age of the cars (35 years) along with their degrading mechanical reliability. (Vacuum pumps for sewage, HVAC, etc.)

It looks like they aren't entertaining a replacement order until 2025 at the earliest.

 

[jis]

But that's just the interiors, which doesn't address the average age of the cars (35 years) along with their degrading mechanical reliability. (Vacuum pumps for sewage, HVAC, etc.)

It looks like they aren't entertaining a replacement order until 2025 at the earliest.

I can only tell you what is funded and is being done. Of course much more could be done, but currently they are not part of any funded program. Incidentally Viewliner Is are also getting just a refresh for now, whether we like it or not.

Yeah look for 2030 and beyond for actual Superliner replacements to arrive. It will indeed be after Amfleet replacement is completed. Viewliners of any vintage do not appear in that equation at present.

 

[Nick Farr]

I can only tell you what is funded and is being done. Of course much more could be done, but current;y they are not part of any funded program. Incidentally Viewliner Is are also getting just a refresh for now, whether we like it or not.

At least the Viewliner IIs are still rolling off the line new, the newest Superliner is older than Google.

What I'm getting at is that we're likely to face a lot of equipment-related problems, car substitutions, increased sleeping car prices, etc. as these cars keep breaking down.

If a dining car goes out of service...back to Flex dining for that trip, right?

 

[zephyr17]

If they are going to run the current fleet of Superliners until at least 2030, they need to do a deep refurbishment of all mechanical systems, including HVAC and plumbing, on the whole fleet. Not just the soft product refresh which is what Amtrak just announced.

I don't think people will fully appreciate the nice new sheets and pillows in an uncomfortably hot room that reeks of sewage.

 

[jis]

At least the Viewliner IIs are still rolling off the line new, the newest Superliner is older than Google.

What I'm getting at is that we're likely to face a lot of equipment-related problems, car substitutions, increased sleeping car prices, etc. as these cars keep breaking down.

If a dining car goes out of service...back to Flex dining for that trip, right?

Only two or three VL IIs to go, but what good does rolling off the line do if they are immediately parked never to be seen in service?

All I can say is that this is nothing new. We have been there back in '79-'80 and then in the mid-'90s when several Superliner trains disappeared in order to keep the remaining ones running daily.

Yes things will get worse before they get better. Hopefully the Budget Reconciliation Bill will provide enough money to speed along the replacement or fleet augmentation program significantly.

 

[Nick Farr]

If they are going to run the current fleet of Superliners until at least 2030, they need to do a deep refurbishment of all mechanical systems, including HVAC and plumbing, on the whole fleet.

Yes, this, exactly.

 

[Cal]

I've never found a Pullman nameplate and ever so occasionally do I find an original Bombardier plate on a Superliner when I travel. It's almost always a Beech Grove shop plate.

Yes because the superliner IIs were made by bombardier. I’ve seen a lot of bombardier plates.

Superliner refreshes are already underway I believe

 

[Cal]

At least the Viewliner IIs are still rolling off the line new, the newest Superliner is older than Google.

What I'm getting at is that we're likely to face a lot of equipment-related problems, car substitutions, increased sleeping car prices, etc. as these cars keep breaking down.

If a dining car goes out of service...back to Flex dining for that trip, right?

No, they don’t just stock flexible dining meals on the trains. It would be probably a smaller portion of the normal traditional menu or take out.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

If a dining car goes out of service...back to Flex dining for that trip, right?

It depends if a replacement (diner or ccc) is available. The CCC cars were specifically designed so they could operate as either a diner or a cafe / lounge, or both.

If no replacement was available it would be cafe car only. On a longer trip it would be take out as well.

 

[user 14106]

Amtrak is also actively considering refurbishment instead of replacement for superliners - and the only cars they are currently looking at as far as fleet renewal are the Amfleet IIs and the Superliner Is as the Superliner IIs have more life in them. A big life extension heavy rebuild of the Superliner Is is a possible path forward they may take. On the other hand the Amfleet IIs will almost definitely be replaced. Currently it’s being studied.

 

[user 14106]

Yes, this, exactly.

You’ll get traditional dining meals - communal dining you likely may not so if you really want to dine at a table in the diner pay attention for reservation opportunities. Word is is they are dropping communal dining again due to delta variant. No word of going back to flex dining in the west. What you may have been hearing was really that they are dropping communal.

 

[Nick Farr]

No, they don’t just stock flexible dining meals on the trains. It would be probably a smaller portion of the normal traditional menu or take out.

I had almost all my flex dining meals as take out...or did you mean actual take out served on the train?

I meant, if the car is unavailable going out of Chicago--or has some kind of service difficulty before leaving and that can't be easily remedied without major repairs to the car.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

I had almost all my flex dining meals as take out...or did you mean actual take out served on the train?

I meant, if the car is unavailable going out of Chicago--or has some kind of service difficulty before leaving and that can't be easily remedied without major repairs to the car.

They wouldn’t be able to serve flex meals either then.

 

[Skimmy]

Has anyone seen Traditional Dining come back to the Western Trains?

I'm guessing that this menu dated June 21 is not actually happening.

A bit of a shame, since we're traveling in a few weeks as a family on the CZ almost the entire length of the trip.

It was in July when I took the zephyr and coast starlight (Klamath falls to Portland)

 

[Ziv]

I do not have a clue as to why Amtrak is not using all of the new VLII's right now. This would be a great time to be re'furbing (or at least deep cleaning) the older rolling stock. And though the VLII's are slow to arrive and slower to be used by Amtrak, this would be a great time to buy more of them in order to get 2 or 3 additional sets of cars, sleepers, coaches and diners, so that if there is an opportunity and funding to do a full re-furb of the oldest SuperLiners, Amtrak could substitute new VLII's for the SL'ers on the Cap Limited to free up the cars to allow time to work on them. The current/pending/potential funding increase for Amtrak may not happen again for a long time. If Amtrak wants new rolling stock, this year or next would be the best time to fund it.
Make hay while the sun shines.

Only two or three VL IIs to go, but what good does rolling off the line do if they are immediately parked never to be seen in service?

All I can say is that this is nothing new. We have been there back in '79-'80 and then in the mid-'90s when a of Superliner trains disappeared in order to keep the remaining ones run daily.

Yes things will get worse before they get better. Hopefully the Budget Reconciliation Bill will provide enough money to speed along the replacement or fleet augmentation program significantly.

 

[fillyjonk]

Practically all reports (including mine) have said it’s better than pre-pandemic.

And I highly doubt Amtrak would revert to flexible dining. Huge waste and it would outrage so many.

I thought the plan was for the "short leg" of the Eagle (San Antonio to Chicago), it was just gonna be Flex forever.
Which sucks, because for the foreseeable future, it's the only Amtrak I will be taking (my mother lives in Illinois, and between work and the pandemic the only traveling I am doing is to see her).

Surely there are easily prepared/low-touch-required meals better than the mystery meat + random sauce with overcooked veggies that could be served? Even a well made cold sandwich would be better than that "shrimp in 'lobster' sauce" thng

 

[Bob Dylan]

I thought the plan was for the "short leg" of the Eagle (San Antonio to Chicago), it was just gonna be Flex forever.
Which sucks, because for the foreseeable future, it's the only Amtrak I will be taking (my mother lives in Illinois, and between work and the pandemic the only traveling I am doing is to see her).

Surely there are easily prepared/low-touch-required meals better than the mystery meat + random sauce with overcooked veggies that could be served? Even a well made cold sandwich would be better than that "shrimp in 'lobster' sauce" thng

That " Short Leg" from SAS to CHI is 32+ Hours!

 

[Nick Farr]

They wouldn’t be able to serve flex meals either then.

Do they need more than a freezer and a microwave to do Flex Meals?

 

[Sidney]

That " Short Leg" from SAS to CHI is 32+ Hours!

No excuse not for the TE not to have a sightseer car and traditional dining. I would imagine that no Amtrak exec ever took a long distance overnight train.

 

[me_little_me]

They wouldn’t be able to serve flex meals either then.

Why not? Most people cook food. And flex meals are not food.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

Why not? Most people cook food. And flex meals are not food.

Flex meal service still requires a freezer, refrigerator and either a microwave or convection oven (I’ve heard they use both, not sure which is accurate).

So a working dining car, café car, or CCC.

 

[Leex]

Hello all….

Newbie here. But something ‘jis’ said has me worried. When will the Texas Eagle get back traditional dining? Jis said “not slated”. Does that mean “not ever”?

I have Texas Eagle reservations for late September/early October (semi-annual trips from west coast to Albany and northern NYS). I swore off Amtrak after they went to TV dinners, but a particularly unhappy airline experience in June and the promise of better food has lured me back. What am I looking at?

thanks

 

[OBS]

Hello all….

Newbie here. But something ‘jis’ said has me worried. When will the Texas Eagle get back traditional dining? Jis said “not slated”. Does that mean “not ever”?

I have Texas Eagle reservations for late September/early October (semi-annual trips from west coast to Albany and northern NYS). I swore off Amtrak after they went to TV dinners, but a particularly unhappy airline experience in June and the promise of better food has lured me back. What am I looking at?

thanks

It is highly unlikely traditional dining in any form will be back by then.....for the texas eagle or for the lakeshore limited...

 

[Leex]

It is highly unlikely traditional dining in any form will be back by then.....for the texas eagle or for the lakeshore limited...

Thanks. Now looking at airline schedules.