KrazyKoala
Lead Service Attendant
They aren't fillinf the upper deck with BC. Its just the lower level which holds 20 or 24... Not sure how many rows there are down there.
Can you do that? I would absolutely bring a sleeping bag. Just to lie flat and sleep. I'm one of those coach passengers who can't afford a roomette (although I must admit, I finally splurged and will be traveling in style for the first time next month).Just a big room to run around in? Or bring a sleeping bag and sleep on the floor.
Both sound fun actually...
I recommend finding the Coast Starlight Performance Improvement Plan and reading it.Just a big room to run around in? Or bring a sleeping bag and sleep on the floor.
Interesting reading. Thanks for the link. If I understood correctly, they want to apply "Acela-type First Class" to the lower level of the Superliners which are currently used as video game arcades. So my question is this: Does Acela-type First Class accommodate lie-flat seating?I recommend finding the Coast Starlight Performance Improvement Plan and reading it.
Saw a few people doing just that, in the baggage/coach a few trips go. I had gotten off to take a walk, and boarded back in a coach when it was time, saw a few people stretched out down there in sleeping bags.I'm not keen on sleeping on the floor, but, If they'd let me bring a cot.......Just a big room to run around in? Or bring a sleeping bag and sleep on the floor.
Both sound fun actually...
Can a superliner passenger actually access the baggage car? I don't know what you mean by baggage/coach.Saw a few people doing just that, in the baggage/coach a few trips go. I had gotten off to take a walk, and boarded back in a coach when it was time, saw a few people stretched out down there in sleeping bags.I'm not keen on sleeping on the floor, but, If they'd let me bring a cot.......Just a big room to run around in? Or bring a sleeping bag and sleep on the floor.
Both sound fun actually...
I don't think I've been on a Superliner coach with baggage storage in the lower level. Seems to me they have had a minimal amount of seating in the lower level, and a dedicated baggage car between the locomotives and the Transition Dormitory. But I could be wrong, is this common on most Long Distance trains?It's a Superliner coach, but instead of the lower level seating area, it's a baggage storage compartment.
I would think that the door should be locked, I wouldn't want folks wandering in and out of there if my bags were stored there.
I have read it, and a bit confused on why it has not started yet. The only thing they seemed to have done is remove all the arcade games.I recommend finding the Coast Starlight Performance Improvement Plan and reading it.Just a big room to run around in? Or bring a sleeping bag and sleep on the floor.
http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/676/676/PRIIA-section-210-FY-12-performance-improvement-plan-amtrak,0.pdf
Also, you've got the wrong station code for New CaRrollton in your signature.
I was totally kidding, no idea people actually did that. You would think those doors are locked but their really not. Ive even purposely pushed the button to find out if it was locked or not.Saw a few people doing just that, in the baggage/coach a few trips go. I had gotten off to take a walk, and boarded back in a coach when it was time, saw a few people stretched out down there in sleeping bags.I'm not keen on sleeping on the floor, but, If they'd let me bring a cot.......Just a big room to run around in? Or bring a sleeping bag and sleep on the floor.
Both sound fun actually...
The desirability of having an accommodation level less expensive than the sleepers, but less crowded and with a better chance of sleep than coach has been raised before here. People have talked about restoring old-style open-section pullmans, European style couchettes, and airline lie-flat business calss seats, and they have all been knocked down for various reasons. However, one of the main objections is that this is a low priority for Amtrak because of the expense and shortage of cars. But I have an idea that might be practical, although at this time, maybe only for the single-level long distance trains.
Amtrak is going to be getting a whole bunch of new viewliner cars, including coaches. This would free up a lot of Amfleet equipment. More will be freed up whenever they start replacing the Amfleets on the NEC. How about taking some of those Amfleets and configuring them as "long distance business class?" I see this as being 2+1 club seating, so the seats are wider than the long distance coach, even if the seat pitch is similar. The service might also include complimentary blankets, pillows, eyeshades and earplugs. And while the fares won't include meals, they could at least include a guarantee for dinner reservations in the diner, (The most annoying thing about my last long-distance coach trip was that I was shut out of dinner reservations.) The club seating would allow the possibility that single travelers wouldn't have to deal with a seatmate. It can be a bot weird having to sleep next to a stranger. Perhpas they could also have retractable curtains, such as in semi-prvate hospital rooms that could be deployed at night to give a bit more privacy. I could see the fares being perhaps 25-50% over coach, given that the car's capacity would be 3/4 that of a similarly configured 2+2 seat Amfleet II coach.
Would this be practical? Would it attract passengers? Think it might interest Amtrak?
As for the above quote, there are MANY college towns that are severely underserved by Amtrak. A targeted campaign would certainly bring many on board. That being said, I am 40 years old, 270 lbs, have a household income in the barely middle-middle class, and I feel that I would be a segment of the population that would LOVE to see the slumbercoach.The only way I would see the Slumbercoach come back would be if it were marketed agressively to college students. I can't see any other segment of the population signing up to climb in and out of the things! However, it would still be a low margin service. I think it could compete with Megabus, Boltbus because of the advantage of being horizontal instead of vertical. But other than that you'd need a coach full of overnighters to make it work so it would have to be the right corridor. I suspect that even today most state college students travel only a few hours, which would be day trips.
I think this idea is worth further consideration, as I could see the merit here, in terms of getting dual functionality out of a single car. I'm not sure what the actual baggage load in the LD routes is or what the capacity difference is between the lower level of a Superliner vs. a Heritage/Viewliner baggage car, but if the numbers worked out, this might work. I'm not sure you would want this to be on the head end of the consist, and have the LD Business Class passengers having to walk through the sleepers, but I think it could work anywhere. Perhaps between the diner and the SSL?Most LD trains have a single level baggage car preceding the Superliners. Thinking outside the box, why not a newly designed Superliner baggage car? The lower level, completely empty excepts for utilities. The upper level business class and upper level restroom facilities. This would increase the revenue seating without lengthening the train. The car end closest to the locomotive would have a conventional vestibule and a staircase to upper level. Also access to baggage compartment would be made here also. The opposite end would provide high level access to other cars. However, this would bump transition sleepers to opposite end of the train. What would the additional cost in weight to haul bi-level baggage car vs. single level baggage car? Just a few thoughts.
I think tied in with this is that if LD BC was implemented, there would need to be a standardization of what "Business Class" really is, as many posts here have pointed out that on different trains, the features are completely different. For instance, on the NEC, when I last rode BC (exuding 66 and 67), all it was was curtains on the windows and a bit more space between seats; no service or anything. For some of the mid-distance routes like the Pennsylvanian, Carolinian, and Palmetto, it's the same car (60 seat AFI BC iirc), but in addition, there's a dedicated attendent, and in my experience, at-seat beverage service every several hours. On some other routes like 66/67, the Empire Service, and iirc some of the Chicago Corrider trains, BC is the comfortable 1 x 2 seating with the leather chairs. And then there's Acela Business class, which is different in it's own right.yea, the naming scheme needs to be changed.
how about:
standard coach - corridor coach
comfort coach - long distance coach and corridor BC
business class - 2+1 BC
1st class - 1st Acela
sleeper class - sleepers
If you read Amtrak's monthly reports, you'll get a clue why it hasn't started yet. Amtrak has been having trouble finding time to get the Superliners off the road and into the shops to do the retrofits. The Beech Grove shops are therefore running a bit behind. There's a desparate need for spare cars so that cars can get their "shop time".I have read it, and a bit confused on why it has not started yet. The only thing they seemed to have done is remove all the arcade games.I recommend finding the Coast Starlight Performance Improvement Plan and reading it.Just a big room to run around in? Or bring a sleeping bag and sleep on the floor.
http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/676/676/PRIIA-section-210-FY-12-performance-improvement-plan-amtrak,0.pdf
Also, you've got the wrong station code for New CaRrollton in your signature.
I agree that a clearer naming of service classes would help I'm not sure whether you've described the seat classes fully. The Amfleet II class is definitely designed for sleeping passengers, with an emphasis on footrests and reclining, whle the Acela Business Class and Amfleet I BC are designed for awake passengers.I'm not sure exactly what the appropriate terminology is, but I think basically that there are 3 or so tiers of service (for seat service, I'm excluding sleepers here, as I think they are a category all to themselves). I think of them less in terms of the name of the service, but rather the type of car/seating used:
2x2 short haul seating (Amfleet I coach)
2x2 greater space seating/footrests/etc (Amfleet II/Amfleet I BC/Acela Business Class)
2x1 seating, more space, tables, etc (ex Metroliner BC/Acela First Class)
Maybe, but when I was a college student I traveled from Minot to Chicago in Coach on the Empire Builder. That's 20 hours, but I would never have sprung for even a slumbercoach because a) when you're young you can sleep anywhere, and b) I had better uses for that money.The only way I would see the Slumbercoach come back would be if it were marketed agressively to college students. I can't see any other segment of the population signing up to climb in and out of the things! However, it would still be a low margin service. I think it could compete with Megabus, Boltbus because of the advantage of being horizontal instead of vertical. But other than that you'd need a coach full of overnighters to make it work so it would have to be the right corridor. I suspect that even today most state college students travel only a few hours, which would be day trips.
I'm a bit confused by what you're trying to say here, as you first seem to be against standardization across the board, but then refer to an example that is standardized in my opinion too much, calling two different service offerings by the same name, which is exactly what I am advocating getting away from.Frankly, I don't understand this obsession with standardized class naming and amenities across the Board. Generally transportation companies do not do this. They specialize service toc ater to specific market needs.
For example Business Class on a few hours long daytime flight typically is very different accommodation from Business Class in multi hour, possibly overnight international flights. Even within the US JFK to LAX premium flights have different amenities from the run of the mill domestic flight. So why should Amtrak forego th possibility of catering to local corridor needs oin a focused way just to make everything uniform?
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