P
pldenc44
Guest
I've been checking the westbound Texas Eagle / Sunset Limited from Tucson to Los Angeles for several weeks, and with a few days before departure the weekend trains are almost always sold out (or just a few seats left). How many coach/sleeper cars are on the typical consist? Isn't Amtrak losing potential revenue by consistently having these trains sold out?
It seems like from an efficiency standpoint, it would be inexpensive to attach a couple more coach cars to the train. Freight trains routinely run out there with 50-80 boxcars. Why do passenger trains have so few cars?
If trains are so efficient, then why is it just as expensive for me to ride an enormous train as it is to fill up my car with gas and drive the 500 miles myself? Because you need a lot of freight (passengers) to overcome the fixed costs associated with the train. The more passenger cars you get on there, the less you have to charge each passenger. I've never rode this train, but would love to if it made financial sense. Am I naive to think Amtrak should slash the price in half and stick 4-5 more passenger cars on there?
It seems like from an efficiency standpoint, it would be inexpensive to attach a couple more coach cars to the train. Freight trains routinely run out there with 50-80 boxcars. Why do passenger trains have so few cars?
If trains are so efficient, then why is it just as expensive for me to ride an enormous train as it is to fill up my car with gas and drive the 500 miles myself? Because you need a lot of freight (passengers) to overcome the fixed costs associated with the train. The more passenger cars you get on there, the less you have to charge each passenger. I've never rode this train, but would love to if it made financial sense. Am I naive to think Amtrak should slash the price in half and stick 4-5 more passenger cars on there?