by mtuandrew
Not sure about the best ROI ever (Tad makes a good point re: the NPCU), but it'll help the bottom line.
Railroad Forums
Moderators: GirlOnTheTrain, mtuandrew, Tadman
F-line to Dudley via Park wrote: Note that this livery refresh doesn't cover the Amfleet II's, which are scheduled--because of higher mileage than the I's--to be first displaced by the East Coast coach order. So if you figure ~600 total coaches in the order, Am1's second, and the state-sponsored route coaches + Metroliners coming last after the LD + NE Regional national order...then these new Am1 liveries have a minimum of 7 years left to roll. Simply because a monster order of 600 coaches don't get produced and accepted overnight.And that of course assumes an order is forthcoming in the next year or two. I'm not holding my breath.
R36 Combine Coach wrote:Being built on the existing Metroliner MU shell (with the same tooling) didn't hurt.Siemens becomes an interesting analog in this case.
gokeefe wrote:The changes to the cafe galleys have been completely understated and in my opinion represent something potentially more significant if Amtrak can find a way to address issues with capacity for onboard stock levels etc.I've yet to see details reported as to what these changes are. The single-level food service cars strike me as the single most obvious area for improvement in Amtrak's fleet.
SouthernRailway wrote:Same. When I see pictures of streamliner lounge cars of the 1950s, vs. Amfleet cafe cars (with "FOOD SERVICE CAR" stamped on the outside), I get totally depressed with the state of US passenger rail. Surely at the least those cafe cars could get some style, to make them inviting; plastic (or seemingly) plastic walls, floors, benches, tables, etc., and high-priced junk food, are just not appealing.I'm sure VIA would even be more depressing by comparison, with its corridor cars and even more limited food service.
Mackensen wrote:The single-level food service cars strike me as the single most obvious area for improvement in Amtrak's fleet.The Amfleet IIs got a overhaul in the diner lite program starting in 2007, but they are often forced to serve as full diners (on the Lake Shore for example).
SouthernRailway wrote: The Amfleet café/lounge cars, both on NEC and on long-distance trains, are just bleak: zero style, zero sleekness and minimal appeal. At least they could be more colorful, and the seating could be more stylish than the beige/brown benches at beige tables.Amtrak tried an Acela style cafe layout on the Amfleets and it didn't last very long.
SouthernRailway wrote:The Amfleet café/lounge cars, both on NEC and on long-distance trains, are just bleak: zero style, zero sleekness and minimal appeal. At least they could be more colorful, and the seating could be more stylish than the beige/brown benches at beige tables.And Horizons are worse, unless you like eating in elementary school cafeterias.