From the February 2006 NARP newsletter:
"Amtrak postponed to February 15 the introduction of reduced staffing on the Sunset Limited and Capitol Limited. This was to ensure that Amtrak first 'gets it right' on the Eagle and City.
"So far, reviews of the reduced-staff service have been mixed, as Amtrak has experimented with menu items and preparation issues. The original assumption that convection ovens would always be preferable to microwave has not proven correct - it dries out some items. One dinner entree - beef tenderloin - got terrible reviews and was dropped."
It will be a while before I get on a dining car to try them myself, but it's good to know that they're working on this.
I've had plenty of lousy trips on Amtrak, myself. Five-hour late trains (NOT due to freight congestion), frozen toilets in the winter, lousy food before anyone ever heard of diner-lite . . . but overall I consider it a great way to travel. That's why I support it. It's not 1933, folks. Every mode of transportation (except cruise ships and AOE) seems bare-bones, now. I don't agree with it, which is why I take trains generally (even in the current state, they are heavenly compared to airlines). Amtrak has to deal with the economic world it's in, not try to change it.
If the food is unbearable, shame on them for not doing a better job with it.
JPS
"Amtrak postponed to February 15 the introduction of reduced staffing on the Sunset Limited and Capitol Limited. This was to ensure that Amtrak first 'gets it right' on the Eagle and City.
"So far, reviews of the reduced-staff service have been mixed, as Amtrak has experimented with menu items and preparation issues. The original assumption that convection ovens would always be preferable to microwave has not proven correct - it dries out some items. One dinner entree - beef tenderloin - got terrible reviews and was dropped."
It will be a while before I get on a dining car to try them myself, but it's good to know that they're working on this.
I've had plenty of lousy trips on Amtrak, myself. Five-hour late trains (NOT due to freight congestion), frozen toilets in the winter, lousy food before anyone ever heard of diner-lite . . . but overall I consider it a great way to travel. That's why I support it. It's not 1933, folks. Every mode of transportation (except cruise ships and AOE) seems bare-bones, now. I don't agree with it, which is why I take trains generally (even in the current state, they are heavenly compared to airlines). Amtrak has to deal with the economic world it's in, not try to change it.
If the food is unbearable, shame on them for not doing a better job with it.
JPS
