First Class Lounge to open in LA Union Station?

[vickinish]

I have never seen more than 40-50 people in the Traxx Bar waiting for the CS to depart. Not all passengers in the sleepers board at LAX.

I have only ridden the CS three times, but I've never seen more than 20 people waiting in the Traxx Bar. Maybe most CS sleeper riders tend to wait in the courtyard in nice weather?

I agree, I was being generous. Can't wait to see if this really comes true. Will be there in November for a BC trip.

 

[EMDF9A]

My last trip north on #14 from LAX, there were 14 passengers waiting at TRAXX. I was the last to board the golf carts for the ride to the train, and actually counted those who had gone before me

 

[afigg]

Amtrak hasn't even publicly acknowledged that they have a lounge here yet, so I suppose that there are no hours made public yet either.

The construction of the Metropolitan Lounge is discussed in the Coast Starlight section of the FY12 Product Improvement Plan report and the FY2013 budget document. So it is not a secret. The opportunity to build the lounge only became available when LAUS was sold in 2011 to the LA Metropolitan Transportation Authority who were willing to lease the space. If Amtrak opens the new lounge in the next several months, this project will have been completed at warp speed compared to many other station upgrade projects that Amtrak is involved in (see Lancaster PA).

On BC customers, excerpts from the FY2012 PIP state that the lounge will be used for BC passengers:

Coast Starlight sleeping car boardings in Los Angeles range from 35 to 90 passengers a day depending on the time of the year. With the increased emphasis on system connectivity, more and more of these passengers come from connecting trains.

At a current facility cost of over $106,000 annually, it was determined that a more beneficial arrangement could be arrived at that:
 Made use of existing Amtrak depot space to benefit all sleeper and business class patrons in LA for all trains.

 Eliminated the annual rental expense

 Provided enhanced customer restroom facilities for connecting passengers

 Allowed for greater connecting train wait time. For example the Sunset Limited arrives almost four and one half hours before the Coast Starlight departure.

The Southwest Division has prepared a plan for using existing Union Station depot space and staff that would require a one time cost of $500,000 for design and construction. This initial investment would rapidly be paid off in terms of avoiding the current $106,000 rental fee as well as attracting additional sleeping car and business class patrons for both long distance and corridor trains. Los Angeles is the largest station on the Amtrak system not to have a lounge for travelers, and Amtrak hopes to move forward with a deployment in FY 2013.

 

[oregon pioneer]

So they pay $106,000 a year to use the Taxx lounge for *just* the northbound CS??? Can that be true? Seems like a ridiculous amount!! And it sounds like having their own lounge and using it for ALL first-class and business pax is a MUCH better deal!For us as well as Amtrak, ha, ha!

 

[Nathanael]

Minor nit and it doesn't make much difference here, the CS departs at 10:10 AM.

Hazards of referencing an out-of-date schedule. I haven't actually made it to a station for a year, so my last paper copy is quite out of date. Given the work which was scheduled for 2013 (and the prices), I decided to skip the train vacation this year and wait for some of the much-delayed station, rolling stock, and track projects to be finished.

 

[Nathanael]

So they pay $106,000 a year to use the Taxx lounge for *just* the northbound CS??? Can that be true? Seems like a ridiculous amount!!

Divide by 365, it's $290/day. I can actually believe that given the value of that space as a restaurant; I'd expect it could do very good turnover.

 

[Nathanael]

I have never seen more than 40-50 people in the Traxx Bar waiting for the CS to depart. Not all passengers in the sleepers board at LAX.

Also, frankly, it can be nicer to wait in the garden. Or the extremely elegant old main waiting room. Or to go wandering around town, coming back just before departure. Come to think of it, we did that.

I guess a fair percentage of sleeper passengers won't use the lounge at all. One thing about LA, the long-distance trains tend to depart on time, and it's possible to just head for the tracks before departure.

The Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago fills up for two reasons:

- people who got there just before departure time, and then have to wait another hour or two for their train (which is being held for a connecting train, perhaps). When all the trains are running on time in Chicago, the Metropolitan Lounge has some spare space; when delays start happening it fills up fast.

- the asinine boarding procedures in Chicago, which mean it is not nearly as straightforward to waltz in 5 minutes before depature and run for the track.

LA doesn't have the weird boarding procedure and is much less likely to be "holding" a departing train, so I guess the sleeper lounge will be less full.

 

[AlanB]

So they pay $106,000 a year to use the Taxx lounge for *just* the northbound CS??? Can that be true? Seems like a ridiculous amount!!

Divide by 365, it's $290/day. I can actually believe that given the value of that space as a restaurant; I'd expect it could do very good turnover.

While there is a Traxx Restaurant, the CS lounge is hosted in the Traxx Bar across the main walkway through the station and is not adjacent to the restaurant. And the bar isn't in use at 10 AM, which is why Amtrak was able to secure a deal to use the area in the first place. And they do staff the bar area with a worker to provide juice, coffee, and some pastries.

 

[EMDF9A]

And if you want a Bloody Mary or Mimosa or even a shot of JD @ 9:30 AM, they'll sell it too you too!

 

[SubwayNut]

There were supposed to be pastries??

There weren't any when I boarded the CS in a Sleeper in late June.

 

[PaulM]

Amtrak hasn't even publicly acknowledged that they have a lounge here yet, so I suppose that there are no hours made public yet either.

The construction of the Metropolitan Lounge is discussed in the Coast Starlight section of the FY12 Product Improvement Plan report and the FY2013 budget document. So it is not a secret.

While not top secret, I wouldn't call a Product Improvement Plan or a budget document public acknowledgement. Besides, I don't think of plans or budgets when I'm looking for information about accomplished facts, like construction in progress.

Which principle of Public Relations 101 prevents Amtrak from spreading good news in advance? Press releases can't be that expensive.

 

[The Davy Crockett]

Which principle of Public Relations 101 prevents Amtrak from spreading good news in advance? Press releases can't be that expensive.

Unless they cost you in bad PR. Amtrak might be unsure of the date the lounge will actually open. A press release promising something that turns out to be not true would be worse than no PR at all, IMHO.

 

[MikefromCrete]

Which principle of Public Relations 101 prevents Amtrak from spreading good news in advance? Press releases can't be that expensive.

Unless they cost you in bad PR. Amtrak might be unsure of the date the lounge will actually open. A press release promising something that turns out to be not true would be worse than no PR at all, IMHO.

Right, the opening date has to be set in stone before announcing, otherwise people would expect the lounge to be open and be disappointed if it wasn't ready yet. We all know how long these Amtrak projects seems to drag on, so no sense making promises that can't be kept.

 

[rickycourtney]

Which principle of Public Relations 101 prevents Amtrak from spreading good news in advance? Press releases can't be that expensive.

Unless they cost you in bad PR. Amtrak might be unsure of the date the lounge will actually open. A press release promising something that turns out to be not true would be worse than no PR at all, IMHO.

That leads you back to another principle of Public Relations 101... under promise, over deliver. People get frustrated when you miss a deadline... but nobody's mad when you're finished ahead of schedule.

Amtrak could simply say something like "expected to open late summer" or "expected to open this fall." You wait to give the exact date until the project is finished.

But the lack of a specific date shouldn't keep them from sending out a release and some images (a rendering of the design, photos of construction). Amtrak is missing out on an opportunity to build public awareness and excitement for the project (outside of our railfan circles.)

 

[Sactobob]

Which principle of Public Relations 101 prevents Amtrak from spreading good news in advance? Press releases can't be that expensive.

Unless they cost you in bad PR. Amtrak might be unsure of the date the lounge will actually open. A press release promising something that turns out to be not true would be worse than no PR at all, IMHO.

That leads you back to another principle of Public Relations 101... under promise, over deliver. People get frustrated when you miss a deadline... but nobody's mad when you're finished ahead of schedule.

Amtrak could simply say something like "expected to open late summer" or "expected to open this fall." You wait to give the exact date until the project is finished.

But the lack of a specific date shouldn't keep them from sending out a release and some images (a rendering of the design, photos of construction). Amtrak is missing out on an opportunity to build public awareness and excitement for the project (outside of our railfan circles.)

In view of all the shots that U.S. Representative Mica has been firing about Amtrak first class service and food service, maybe Amtrak is gun-shy about giving him another target to shoot at.

 

[The Davy Crockett]

But the lack of a specific date shouldn't keep them from sending out a release and some images (a rendering of the design, photos of construction). Amtrak is missing out on an opportunity to build public awareness and excitement for the project (outside of our railfan circles.)

Sorry, but the only people who care enough that it will '...build... ...excitement for the project..." are in railfan circles.

And as far as public awareness is concerned, I think there are other priorites, like making folks aware that Amtrak might not get enough funding to survive as we know it, that are higher priorites for Amtrak right now.

 

[the_traveler]

Amtrak could simply say something like "expected to open late summer" or "expected to open this fall."

Like saying the SL-East is "temporarily suspended" - for the past ## years? :huh: :giggle:

 

[WesternRailFan]

Thanks to all that posted (and future posters) that responded to my question regarding the opening of a first class lounge in LA. This is a great forum. I will be transferring from the SWC to the Texas Eagle - here's hoping the lounge will be ready.

 

[PaulM]

In view of all the shots that U.S. Representative Mica has been firing about Amtrak first class service and food service, maybe Amtrak is gun-shy about giving him another target to shoot at.

You are jesting? Or can Amtrak now publicize only bad news?

How about a "Coming Soon" sign in the station? Can't do that. Mica might have spies that travel around to various stations trying to spot something that might encourage ridership or increase customer satisfaction.

Also, saying that only rail fans care about a lounge is equivalent to saying only rail fans travel in sleepers. Might be true, but I doubt it.

Sorry, all the excuses just seem lame to me.

 

[Nathanael]

I will bet that Amtrak doesn't want to promise anything until the lounge is ready. After all, Amtrak actually did a little tiny bit of publicity of the future move of the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago to its new location -- with what probably seemed like a very generous target year, two years away -- and Amtrak *missed the target year* and still hasn't moved the Metropolitan Lounge.

So. Probably a bit gunshy about making announcements. Even "Soon" may be considered too risky a target date after what happened in Chicago.

 

[Ispolkom]

I will bet that Amtrak doesn't want to promise anything until the lounge is ready. After all, Amtrak actually did a little tiny bit of publicity of the future move of the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago to its new location -- with what probably seemed like a very generous target year, two years away -- and Amtrak *missed the target year* and still hasn't moved the Metropolitan Lounge.
So. Probably a bit gunshy about making announcements. Even "Soon" may be considered too risky a target date after what happened in Chicago.

That's true. When the waiting room at the Minot depot was moved to the baggage area there was a sign promising a restored station in 2008 2009 2010. When the beautifully restored station finally opened in 2011, of course, it then was ruined by the flood a few weeks later.

 

[Aaron]

So they pay $106,000 a year to use the Taxx lounge for *just* the northbound CS??? Can that be true? Seems like a ridiculous amount!!

Divide by 365, it's $290/day. I can actually believe that given the value of that space as a restaurant; I'd expect it could do very good turnover.

While there is a Traxx Restaurant, the CS lounge is hosted in the Traxx Bar across the main walkway through the station and is not adjacent to the restaurant. And the bar isn't in use at 10 AM, which is why Amtrak was able to secure a deal to use the area in the first place. And they do staff the bar area with a worker to provide juice, coffee, and some pastries.

Sorry, I'm not entirely understanding your comment. Who is "they" referring to? Is it Amtrak that provides the worker for the lounge or Traxx? If it's Traxx, and that's included in the lease, then that better explains the cost.

Also, who's shouldering the cost of providing the drinks? If I had to guess, I would guess that Traxx provides the alcohol and keeps the profits on that, but that revenues aren't so great that Traxx would just open on their own dime as a great business opportunity. But do they then provide the juice and sodas as part of that lease agreement?

 

[zephyr17]

The person tending bar at Traxx is a Traxx employee, not Amtrak's. Since I've seen that attendant fill the juice from Traxx supplies, I assume the supplies are theirs, too. So it would appear to me that Amtrak is buying Traxx services for its money, not just the seating area. I am sure that Traxx is making a buck on the arrangement, or they wouldn't have agreed to it.

 

[Rail Freak]

Traxx is definitely not making their money off the profits from drinks made in that short time in the early mornings! ( except when I roll thru!!!!!) :giggle: :hi:

 

[JayPea]

Saw a sign in LAUS this morning saying effective August 19th, station hours will be changing. Passengers arriving at LAUS between 1AM and 4AM will be directed to the Metropolitan Lounge. Remember, you heard it here first!