Return of Daily LD Service

Okay. I'm not finding a statement anywhere, the Amtrak site is silent, and there's nothing on their three Twitter feeds for the past few days.

If someone has the full press release, I'd like to see it, or else I'm calling shenanigans.

(BTW, everyone else is ether referencing the WaPo article or carrying the article whole with attribution to the WaPo, so no independent confirmation)

The cancellations selected all stink considering people had travel plans and short schedules. I guess most of these passengers effected will best be accomodated by automobile travel either their own or rental. Airlines and busses are having their own scheduling challenges. It stinks especially to us that remember how common carrier passenger operators [no matter what mode] provided alternatives or found a way to get you to your destination.

Another thing that stinks is that dining service is restricted to sleeping car passengers. Coach passengers should be allowed to eat in the dining car. Pretty hard to justify 'essential service' if those in coach can't get nothing except sandwiches all the way from Chicago to the West Coast. In the pre-Amtrak days, even the 'Limiteds' that had coach service had full dining service for the plebian passengers. How does a tax supported service get off?

Now I will get back to the Thin Man movie with the Sunset Ltd arriving in San Francisco which it did at the time.

ADMIN NOTE

Posts pertaining to comparing Amtrak food to Waffle House have been moved to the Diner thread.

Click here to go directly to them.

On another board some information has been posted related to schedule. Since late March the Coast Starlight has resumed daily service as has the Capitol Limited/Texas Eagle via an equipment run through. According to what has been posted on said other site:


The suspension of the Silver Meteor is extended through September 11.

The 5 days a week operation on the Crescent and City of New Orleans is extended through September 11.

The equipment run through for the Eagle/Capitol ends May 2 and the trains resume separate daily operations.

The Southwest Chief, California Zephyr, Empire Builder, and Lake Shore Limited back to daily May 23.

The CNO and Crescent lack of daily service appears to be lack of OBS at the NOL OBS crew base? As well Sunset OBS crews go to just SAS ?

Amtrak claims most of the trains on 5/week will return to daily service

Link From Trains Magazine: Amtrak to restore four long-distance trains to daily service in late May, By Bob Johnston | April 19, 2022

Brief, fair use quote:

Four of the seven Amtrak long-distance trains currently operating five days per week will return to daily schedules the week of May 23, according to information obtained by Trains News Wire. Two others will continue to run on the five-day-per-week schedule, while cancellation of Silver Meteor service to and from Florida will continue until Sept. 11.

Later in the article

The Capitol Limited-Texas Eagle shared equipment experiment that began March 28 will end May 2. The long layover for servicing at St. Louis in both directions has been eliminated, so the trains will revert to their original schedules.

The Capitol Limited-Texas Eagle shared equipment experiment that began March 28 will end May 2. The long layover for servicing at St. Louis in both directions has been eliminated, so the trains will revert to their original schedules.

Best news I have seen all day.

justalurker66 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 19, 2022 9:26 pm

The Capitol Limited-Texas Eagle shared equipment experiment that began March 28 will end May 2. The long layover for servicing at St. Louis in both directions has been eliminated, so the trains will revert to their original schedules.

Best news I have seen all day.

Was the combined consist running with the observation/lounge? I know the Eagle could get them sometimes, but the Capitol has never had one when I've ridden it.

Mr. McGrath, I presume you are immediately addressing an Amtrak 330XX Sightseer Lounge and not a car styled as such.

Gilbert B Norman wrote: ↑Wed Apr 20, 2022 10:39 am Mr. McGrath, I presume you are immediately addressing an Amtrak 330XX Sightseer Lounge and not a car styled as such.

Yes, my mistake.

No lounge on the consists I have seen. Five cars: one sleeper, one diner, three coaches.

>>The long layover for servicing at St. Louis in both directions has been eliminated, so the trains will revert to their original schedules.<<

Whatever! All Amtrak schedules are wishful thinking.

I just flew Spirit to Florida and everything was packed. What is the issue with Amtrak? Inability to alleviate staffing shortfalls? I can only imagine the amount of business they're turning away as the fleet wastes away in storage.

Matt Johnson wrote: ↑Sat Apr 23, 2022 12:14 pm I just flew Spirit to Florida and everything was packed. What is the issue with Amtrak? Inability to alleviate staffing shortfalls? I can only imagine the amount of business they're turning away as the fleet wastes away in storage.

Seems that more people value their time vs. their comfort...

eolesen wrote:Seems that more people value their time vs. their comfort...

If I'm travelling with a family (wife, children), and we have limited vacation time from our employers, we have a choice:

Spend 4-5 days "in transit" trying to keep the kids occupied in a VERY expensive family bedroom and spotty internet service, which means only three days at our vacation spot, or

Spend two hours "cramped, crammed in like sardines" but have seven full days of vacation fun plus half of each of the travel days.

Yes, it's a choice that is OVERWHELMINGLY made millions and millions of times each and every day here in America. Here in my hometown I have ONE long distance train to choose from that is "so crowded" that it only runs with two coaches, or well over 100 airline flights that travel to a wide range of destinations. When I suggest to anyone "Why not take the train" I get nothing but blank stares, and for those who actually have ridden Amtrak I get a mixture of complaints and "it was okay but it took forever" comments.