Amtrak trips I'm not taking

[Devil's Advocate]

Don't worry y'all - There are many people that will gladly take the rooms you are shunning. Myself included.

This forum represents customers who have some of the strongest affection and deepest ties to passenger rail. When we've finally had enough who do you think is going to replace us? When the Babyboomers are done with their sunset joyrides the Amtrak sleeper fleet is likely to feel a substantial pricing pressure. Average Generation X and Y customers won't have as much free time or disposable income as those who came before us. Pensions or social security are drying up and most of us will be working longer hours for reduced wages (relative to inflation) later in life. That's likely to work against Amtrak sleeper services. Perhaps in the future Amtrak will be a coach only service with limited pitch and recline for a customer base that travels shorter distances and is more price conscious.

 

[chrsjrcj]

Approaching 50 years of existence and Amtrak has never recovered all their operating expenses. As successful as Anderson might have been at Delta, I doubt he is somehow smart enough to solve something that half a century of railroad executives have failed to do.

My guess is that Anderson wants the states to fund LD trains (at least the ones that want to). As I have mentioned in other topics, this is precisely what I believe the Federal government is for, and I am totally against that strategy. But it does get Anderson to 100% recovery, which he then hopes Congress would respond by giving more money to fix the NEC.

 

[jis]

Why do people keep talking about NEC which is getting somewhere between $300 million to $400 million, as compared to the National Network which has been getting $1 billion plus the last couple of years?

My guess is that NEC will get a lion's share of the infrastructure money through FTA, TIGER (or whatever it is newly called) and the States (possibly from yet other federal grants, e.g. CMAQ and such), and not from the FRA Amtrak budget item. The Amtrak budget money will just be for SOGR, and not for new constructions. Some infra money may find its way into the Amtrak budget to work around the obduracy of the current administration, as has happened for 2018.

But also, all this has little to do with trips I am not taking. Sorry for derailing this thread. maybe we should get back to the previously announced program for this thread.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

Well, one more slight derailment, if you'll permit me. About the group DA refers to in post 51--I loved Simple Minds (and I will say "It takes one to know one," before several of you get that in

) and, if anyone else cares, I looked up where Jim Kerr (their lead singer) is now and, at last report, he owns/manages a hotel in Taormina.

And back on track--I didn't have anything super long planned for this year, with the Gathering being in the east. However, for short getaways, I will probably choose Philly for a few day trips and go down on SEPTA, unless the hotel prices at my other favorite getaways (VA and CT) are low enough to make up for the train price (or I have points for the hotel and/or the trains).

 

[crescent-zephyr]

It's been a few years since the dining car menu was anything special. Those really good crab cakes from 5-8 years years ago, the Mahi mahi, lamb shank, etc. Those dishes were very good dinner entrees. Now? Eh depends on the menu rotation. The salmon is usually decent, I haven't tried any of the chicken dishes lately. The tilapia is edible but not great, I'm not much of a steak eater but if you are then at least there is that.

All of that to say, im not sure what people are so sad about losing. The watery vegetables? If they let you order a baked potatoe those were usually good. The mashed potatoes were inconsistent but usually pretty good for instant potatoes but still... Nothing to change travel plans over. A good quality salad with chicken sounds as good as many of the Amtrak dinner entrees I've had lately.

Breakfast I get... Scrambled eggs and potatoes, French toast, omlettes, even hot oatmeal is all a big upgrade from the breakfast box. Still... You can buy a hot breakfast sandwich or oatmeal from the cafe. Im not going to change my travel plans over $5 spent in the cafe car to fill me up for a breakfast.

I did go out of my way to travel on the coast starlight with the parlor car. That's the only travel plans I would change. Even then I wouldn't avoid the Starlight.

 

[Philly Amtrak Fan]

Approaching 50 years of existence and Amtrak has never recovered all their operating expenses. As successful as Anderson might have been at Delta, I doubt he is somehow smart enough to solve something that half a century of railroad executives have failed to do.

My guess is that Anderson wants the states to fund LD trains (at least the ones that want to). As I have mentioned in other topics, this is precisely what I believe the Federal government is for, and I am totally against that strategy. But it does get Anderson to 100% recovery, which he then hopes Congress would respond by giving more money to fix the NEC.

Last year it was 94.7% cost recovery, a record. They're pretty close now.

https://media.amtrak.com/2017/11/amtrak-sets-ridership-revenue-and-earnings-records/

 

[jebr]

For me, the recent changes haven't changed my travel patterns much. The change to AGR 2.0 changed my travel patterns some (I didn't make near as many short trips that were mainly for points) and schedule unreliability tapered off some trips as well. The past couple years my travels have basically been some travel around the AU Gathering and a couple trips a year to somewhere a couple hours away; typically my sister's place. For me, Amtrak just isn't competitive for true long-distance travel outside of my once-a-year journey to the AU Gathering (which I do because I like to have a trip a year where I can just relax while traveling instead of doing the quick pace of the airport, and Amtrak points earned with the AGR card are enough to cover that.)

Once I travel all the long distance routes that may change, but for now the only thing that would significantly increase my travels would be better schedule reliability on the Builder, likely paired with more frequent Fargo/MSP - CHI trains making all stops. (Corridor service Fargo - La Crosse with added stops in the northern metro, Little Falls, Wadena, Perham, and perhaps a city between Detroit Lakes and Fargo along with current stops would be even better.)

 

[railiner]

I too, am not affected by any of this. All of my Amtrak trips in the last 24 years have been for only one purpose...to ride rare mileage excursion's and/or regular train detours. And occasional route changes or extensions, such as Maricopa or Brunswick...

 

[chrsjrcj]

Approaching 50 years of existence and Amtrak has never recovered all their operating expenses. As successful as Anderson might have been at Delta, I doubt he is somehow smart enough to solve something that half a century of railroad executives have failed to do.

My guess is that Anderson wants the states to fund LD trains (at least the ones that want to). As I have mentioned in other topics, this is precisely what I believe the Federal government is for, and I am totally against that strategy. But it does get Anderson to 100% recovery, which he then hopes Congress would respond by giving more money to fix the NEC.

Last year it was 94.7% cost recovery, a record. They're pretty close now.

https://media.amtrak.com/2017/11/amtrak-sets-ridership-revenue-and-earnings-records/

I believe that figure includes state subsidies as revenue. If we did the same thing for Federal subsidies, the number is 100%.

 

[jis]

Approaching 50 years of existence and Amtrak has never recovered all their operating expenses. As successful as Anderson might have been at Delta, I doubt he is somehow smart enough to solve something that half a century of railroad executives have failed to do.

My guess is that Anderson wants the states to fund LD trains (at least the ones that want to). As I have mentioned in other topics, this is precisely what I believe the Federal government is for, and I am totally against that strategy. But it does get Anderson to 100% recovery, which he then hopes Congress would respond by giving more money to fix the NEC.

Last year it was 94.7% cost recovery, a record. They're pretty close now.

https://media.amtrak.com/2017/11/amtrak-sets-ridership-revenue-and-earnings-records/

I believe that figure includes state subsidies as revenue. If we did the same thing for Federal subsidies, the number is 100%.

Canadians account for VIA in that way.
The Federal Government should contract with Amtrak to run specific service for a specific contract amount, together with an independent means of verifying that the contract is being honored. That will also get us out of this purgatory of what Amtrak may or may not provide, since no one has clearly told them exactly what they must provide and there is no independent governance of that. Consequently we potentially get what one gets when the Fox guards the Hen House.

 

[chrsjrcj]

I suppose thats where something like PRIIA comes in to play.

 

[Dakota 400]

Two suggestions to increase beverage revenue: On the SSL cars, staff that area that once was used as a bar instead of making guests go up/down those stairs to the cafe area on the bottom level. I think they would sell more drinks. It's hard to keep from not spilling a drink on a moving train going up those stairs!

Increase the selection of liquor offered. In their minimum space aboard planes, airlines can do it. Amtrak could do so as well. Personally, I find not offering a Canadian whisky to be odd. In Ohio, Crown Royal is a big seller.

 

[neroden]

Charlie, have you written to Coscia specifying which changes lost them $14000 of your business? I'd skip Anderson and write to Coscia. It's worth making the point to the Chairman of the Board that the CEO is mismanaging the company.

I'm going to repeat this to everyone: don't bother with Customer Relations -- their job is to blow you off. Write a *paper letter* and send it by *certified mail* to the CEO and Chairman of the Board. Or, if you are stating that the CEO is incompetent or malicious, just to the Chairman.

Their response is to hand it off to a subordinate, but they really hate getting a lot of direct complaint letters. And even if Coscia doesn't read them, *he knows something is very wrong* if he starts getting dozens of these. Since most people never bother with a certified-mail paper letter; the only reason to do it is to establish a paper trail for a subsequent lawsuit or newspaper expose, so it's a warning that the writer is serious.

 

[bmjhagen9426]

The only Amtrak trips that I'm not taking would be trips that I can't take due to issues (personal or on Amtrak's end). Due to issues with the tunnel on the Cascades (Tunnel 11 extended outage), I was not able to take a trip that I was going to, and going to Medford for the Greyhound was not realistic. I was supposed to make a round trip between Klamath Falls and Sacramento. The bus bridge from Eugene to Klamath Falls on May 28, on my way back from PDX, resulted in downgrade refund between EUG and KFS. Taking into account the prevailing rate on the day of booking, as well as the refund awarded, Amtrak lost $170 in potential revenue. All my remaining trips on the docket (2 KFS-PDX RT's in July, a KFS-SAC RT in August, and a KFS-SAC-LAX-FLG trip in September) as well trips under consideration (EUG to SAC then SAC to KFS trip later this month) will be taken, provided the tunnel outage is over prior to any of the docketed and considered trips (Trips on the docket means trips already reserved or paid for, or trips in which the dates and the routing is set but yet to be reserved. Trips being considered means that the trip is expected to be taken, but there are final details to be worked out). My trips on Amtrak will still happen, but will be LD-centric, as it has been for the last five years.

 

[Anderson]

I'm not far off of Charlie in terms of trips not happening. In particular, I was at one point likely going to travel RVR-WAS/NYP-CHI-LAX-SJC/EMY-CHI-WAS-RVR in conjunction with Worldcon, as a paid trip. Instead, all I'm going to be doing is SEA-SJC on a redemption with Charlie[1]. Blame the combo of the PPC getting yanked (which basically zapped the trip) and then the food situation on the Cap.

I've found myself in a knot already with respect to coming back from Florida (there's a mounting chance I'll have to fly home due to the combined effects of the Silver Starvation and the lack of checked baggage into RVR; I only wound up on Amtrak last month because I smacked my tailbone on my last jump and there was no way in Hades I was going to be able to stomach a two-hour flight or two shorter flights...for reference, I'm still driving as little as possible because keeping continual pressure on said tailbone gets painful after about 15 minutes, but it's at least something that can be done now; at least on the Star, I could sit in a comfortable position without any trouble).

[1] Major qualifier: I'm going to check the Traincon roster at some point. If it looks like there will be a large Business Meeting contingent on the train, I may be compelled to adjust my plans for the purposes of having a "working day" before the convention. Now, I think we would have all loved to do that in the PPC...sigh...

 

[Seaboard92]

Charlie, have you written to Coscia specifying which changes lost them $14000 of your business? I'd skip Anderson and write to Coscia. It's worth making the point to the Chairman of the Board that the CEO is mismanaging the company.

I'm going to repeat this to everyone: don't bother with Customer Relations -- their job is to blow you off. Write a *paper letter* and send it by *certified mail* to the CEO and Chairman of the Board. Or, if you are stating that the CEO is incompetent or malicious, just to the Chairman.

Their response is to hand it off to a subordinate, but they really hate getting a lot of direct complaint letters. And even if Coscia doesn't read them, *he knows something is very wrong* if he starts getting dozens of these. Since most people never bother with a certified-mail paper letter; the only reason to do it is to establish a paper trail for a subsequent lawsuit or newspaper expose, so it's a warning that the writer is serious.

What is his address as I can think of at least fifteen people who will do just that.

 

[bmjhagen9426]

Charlie, have you written to Coscia specifying which changes lost them $14000 of your business? I'd skip Anderson and write to Coscia. It's worth making the point to the Chairman of the Board that the CEO is mismanaging the company.

I'm going to repeat this to everyone: don't bother with Customer Relations -- their job is to blow you off. Write a *paper letter* and send it by *certified mail* to the CEO and Chairman of the Board. Or, if you are stating that the CEO is incompetent or malicious, just to the Chairman.

Their response is to hand it off to a subordinate, but they really hate getting a lot of direct complaint letters. And even if Coscia doesn't read them, *he knows something is very wrong* if he starts getting dozens of these. Since most people never bother with a certified-mail paper letter; the only reason to do it is to establish a paper trail for a subsequent lawsuit or newspaper expose, so it's a warning that the writer is serious.

I had the same experience writing to Customer Relations last year. Slow to respond, not very definitive, and was blown off. How does the chairman differ from the CEO? I'm assuming that the Chairman has special powers that the CEO does not have.

 

[jis]

Chairman is of the Board of Directors, a body that hires, evaluates performance of, and very unusually fires the CEO. The CEO was hired by the Board and It is the Board that has set the goals that the CEO is presumably working towards, since his only financial incentive tied to him achieving satisfactory realization of those goals. The CEO is also a member of the Board in the way Amtrak is set up, which is not unusual.

 

[neroden]

The Board of Directors is the organization with the power to fire the CEO. The Board also sets the CEO's goals. Explaining to the Board, via the Chairman, that the CEO's actions are sabotaging the goals set by the Board.... is a way to get the Board to put some heat on the CEO to explain his stupid and counterproductive actions.

You can also write to your Congressman, of course, but if your point is "The CEO is causing Amtrak to lose lots of revenue", the Board will be more interested. Congressmen are more interested in "Amtrak is causing my local town to lose lots of visitors".