Ridership Survey Results

[PerRock]

In 2019 I conducted a survey about tipping on Amtrak trains. This is a follow up survey, expanded to cover more general ridership information as well as the tipping data. This survey was available for the first half of December 2021, and plans are being made to run another one in 2022. I know I'm a little late posting the responses!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/...GGOx8gsgq0gHEBB5KTzXFnDGYd9bPTrb9sSsy11Ch/pub
I'd be interested in conducting this survey more regularly (annually), if anyone is interested in helping let me know!

 

[joelkfla]

In 2019 I conducted a survey about tipping on Amtrak trains. This is a follow up survey, expanded to cover more general ridership information as well as the tipping data. This survey was available for the first half of December 2021, and plans are being made to run another one in 2022. I know I'm a little late posting the responses!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/...GGOx8gsgq0gHEBB5KTzXFnDGYd9bPTrb9sSsy11Ch/pub
I'd be interested in conducting this survey more regularly (annually), if anyone is interested in helping let me know!

What are Siver Service and Sunset Limited, chopped liver?

Southwest Chief isn't on your chart either, and you said it was one of the most popular routes.

 

[jis]

What are Siver Service and Sunset Limited, chopped liver?

Southwest Chief isn't on your chart either, and you said it was one of the most popular routes.

These numbers are valid for those that participated in the survey. Apparently not many who ride the Silver Service (Star, Meteor, Palmetto) participated.

In fact the Silver Service trains taken together is the highest ridership LD route in the Amtrak system with over a million passengers a year in 2019, roughly divvied up into three equal chunks among the three trains that constitute the route. Of course in addition there is the Auto Train, but that is not part of the Silver Service. It is a separate self-standing route.

 

[daybeers]

I'd be interested in conducting this survey more regularly (annually), if anyone is interested in helping let me know!

Great survey, I'd love to help out!

 

[joelkfla]

These numbers are valid for those that participated in the survey. Apparently not many who ride the Silver Service (Star, Meteor, Palmetto) participated.

In fact the Silver Service trains taken together is the highest ridership LD route in the Amtrak system with over a million passengers a year in 2019, roughly divvied up into three equal chunks among the three trains that constitute the route. Of course in addition there is the Auto Train, but that is not part of the Silver Service. It is a separate self-standing route.

IMHO, it looks like he just forgot to increase the number of columns on his chart of LDs. The columns are sorted into alphabetical order, and there's nothing shown beyond "L".

 

[jis]

IMHO, it looks like he just forgot to increase the number of columns on his chart of LDs. The columns are sorted into alphabetical order, and there's nothing shown beyond "L".

Oy vey! That should be easy to fix I suppose.

 

[JP1822]

It did seem that the majority of ridership were between 16 and under 65 (in a bucket I would call non-retired folks.....but still a good amount over 65+, so noted. However, sleeping car space still seemed a bit more dominant than what I also would have expected; and the historical routes were interesting to note - Broadway Limited, National Limited, Three Rivers, Night Owl...... Surveys for Amtrak (and any service industry) are VERY important. Ensuring the right population is included gets a bit tricky, but any and all data should at least be evaluated.

EDIT - THANK YOU for sharing this data. Insightful. Overall, the Empire Builder is the single Amtrak long distance train that leads the pack in ridership, and has been for many years, so it's also a bit interesting to see how certain factors line up to it.

 

[PerRock]

IMHO, it looks like he just forgot to increase the number of columns on his chart of LDs. The columns are sorted into alphabetical order, and there's nothing shown beyond "L".

That precisely what I did! It should be fixed now.

peter

 

[jis]

Is the "Do not" train actually "Do Not Know"?

 

[Cal]

Thanks for the survey! Interesting to read through the data. I wonder what conducting one about AU (how we found it, what we use it for, etc) would show.

 

[joelkfla]

That precisely what I did! It should be fixed now.

peter

Much better! Thx, Silver Meteor is in its rightful place and all is well.

I'm surprised to see the Sunset Ltd. near the bottom. I suspect that Auto Train is at the bottom because it's riders are more vacationers & snowbirds than railfans.

 

[PerRock]

Is the "Do not" train actually "Do Not Know"?

Interesting that Google cut it off like that, but it is "Do Not Remember"... so yes.

Another note on the historical ones, is that I left off any routes that had no responses.

peter

 

[Cal]

I'm surprised to see the Sunset Ltd. near the bottom

Why? Seems like a reasonable place for it to be.

 

[joelkfla]

Why? Seems like a reasonable place for it to be.

Seems like a pretty nice ride in Jeb Bush's latest report. And I just thought there would be a pretty good market between LA & Texas or NOL.

 

[Cal]

Seems like a pretty nice ride in Jeb Bush's latest report. And I just thought there would be a pretty good market between LA & Texas or NOL.

That's true. However, I think when compared to other LD trains, then it's easy to see how it lags behind. Many others have more possible same-day connections to/from it at both terminus's, and scenery that people might find more interesting.

Me, personally, I have a ticket to ride #1 this July. However after that I won't be going out of my way to get on it, I would much rather get on the CZ, I just think the scenery is okay to see only once.

 

[Joe from PA]

"Tipping" was a eye-opener. Cannot believe all the cheap-skates. No wonder I get a sincere "thank you".

 

[jebr]

I look forward to your next survey - where I can mark down that I have, indeed, rode the Tren Urbano, and hopefully make it a year where every rapid transit rail system has at least one rider recorded.

 

[Cal]

"Tipping" was a eye-opener. Cannot believe all the cheap-skates. No wonder I get a sincere "thank you".

Everyone has a different budget, and at the end of the day Amtrak employees are probably not working for tips.