Amtrak video: "We're Becoming a Transportation Powerhouse"

[jis]

It's very difficult to drink coffee on the Buckingham Branch into Charlottesville (or any rough route). Old equipment performs badly on rough roadbed.

Sometimes it is difficult to drink coffee even on an Acela or Regional on the NEC, which is supposed to be the most premier route in the country.

 

[Maglev]

Maybe it's by design how he was dressed.

Trying to appeal to a younger crowd? This isn't your parents Amtrak anymore kinda vibe.

Like it or not, Amtrak is going after the younger generations and generally speaking they have a less formal vibe than those of us older folk.

I think it's a gimmick that downgrades are sold as appealing to younger generations. Who needs socks on the feet? Who needs sheets and blankets in sleepers?

 

[Cal]

I think it's a gimmick that downgrades are sold as appealing to younger generations. Who needs socks on the feet? Who needs sheets and blankets in sleepers?

He looked neat, clean, and presentable, was wearing Amtrak merchandise, and spoke well. It's not like he was wearing a tank top with messy hair.

 

[Tlcooper44]

I think it's a gimmick that downgrades are sold as appealing to younger generations. Who needs socks on the feet? Who needs sheets and blankets in sleepers?

Just because you feel it’s a downgrade, doesn’t mean others feel that way.

A T-shirt is a far cry from sheet-less beds.

 

[trimetbusfan]

I've never gotten a survey after a LD trip, ever. Ironically, there is much to be learned, I would guess, from passengers who spend hours if not days aboard a LD train. Wonder why they aren't interested in finding out?

I got one recently after riding the CONO. That might have been the first time I have received a survey specifically about a LD trip.

 

[Tlcooper44]

I got one recently after riding the CONO. That might have been the first time I have received a survey specifically about a LD trip.

View attachment 38648

I've never gotten a survey after a LD trip, ever. Ironically, there is much to be learned, I would guess, from passengers who spend hours if not days aboard a LD train. Wonder why they aren't interested in finding out?

I’ve gotten a survey after nearly every Amtrak LD trip, and many others as well.

 

[caravanman]

Do the surveys that are received just ask the "satisfaction" level, or is there any chance to spell out specific problems?

 

[Bob Dylan]

Do the surveys that are received just ask the "satisfaction" level, or is there any chance to spell out specific problems?

They're mostly Generic type surveys designed more for loading into a computer for stats, than actually allowing passengers to actually explain any pluses or minuses about their trip.

 

[MARC Rider]

Having a spokesperson wearing a T-shirt and no socks does not bode well for improving the first-class image.

The first time I got a first class upgrade on an airline was about 25 years ago, and what struck me was that my fellow first-class passengers were dressed as casually as the coach passengers I was familiar with. The same thing is true when one rides Acela First Class. The days of people dressing "semi-formal" for riding the train or planes is so long gone, I'm not even sure there are too many people alive who even remember it. (I remember it a little, but even back in the early 1960s, it really wasn't necessary to dress semi-formal (by which I mean a coat and tie for men and a dress or skirt and top for women, with dress shoes for both genders) when riding the train or plane.

 

[Maglev]

On the topic of attire, I hope that there are some ugly Amtrak Christmas sweaters among our group this holiday season!

Here's a couple facts. I posted, "I think it's a gimmick that downgrades are sold as appealing to younger generations." Do you remember when Amtrak slashed dining car service during COVID--what did they call it? "Contemporary Dining." They were trying to sell a downgrade as something new and modern.

I also posted, "Who needs sheets and blankets in sleepers?", suggesting that it was a possible downgrade analogous to not wearing socks. May I remind you that Viewliner II's were designed without linen closets?

I work at a convenience store, and see a good cross-section of the community and what people wear. Occasionally, men and women come in dressed in formal attire--they might also dig those clothes out if they were going to be on a nationally-broadcast interview. But most of our clientele is construction workers, and their clothes are grimy and tattered.

My first memories of being concerned about clothing were when I entered elementary school in Hawaii. My mother dressed us considerably better than most kids, who just wore shorts, T-shirts, and flip-flops (called "slippers" in Hawaii). Then, I went to an elite boarding school where there was a dress code all the time (no jeans, shirts must have a collar) and we had to wear a jacket and tie to dinner four nights a week, or going to any away athletic meets, as well as other occasions. I was acutely aware that I had a polyester sport coat from Sears, while most of the guys wore wool coats from Brooks Brothers.

Then I married a flight attendant's mother, and we could fly free in first class on United Airlines as long as we wore a sport coat and no jeans. I rarely fly economy now, and wear jeans and a casual shirt in first-class. On Amtrak, I made a point of wearing nice clothes when I rode first-class on Acela, and elsewhere on Amtrak I always try to wear clothes that are (in the words of my prep school) "neat, clean and in good repair."