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  • Amtrak Auto Train Discussion

  • Discussion related to Amtrak also known as the National Railroad Passenger Corp.
Discussion related to Amtrak also known as the National Railroad Passenger Corp.

Moderators: GirlOnTheTrain, mtuandrew, Tadman

 #1514295  by gokeefe
 
mmi16 wrote: Wed Jul 17, 2019 7:17 pmFood Trucks at Lorton and Sanford - say good bye to Dining Cars. Stock up at the food truck for dinner or go hungry until the Amtrak served 'breakfast'.
This is not correct. There will be a Cross Country Cafe service for coach passengers. Additionally the Diner for sleeping car passengers will see significant upgrades.
 #1514306  by lordsigma12345
 
All we really know is that coach will no longer be getting a free dinner and that dinner will instead be offered in a car that sells meals for a cost - this appears like it may be accompanied by more reliably low coach fares. The “cross country cafe” has meant different things on different trains at different times so we don’t yet know what level of quality the meals are until we see it. It could be decent meals just sold for a cost or it could just be your typical cafe car food found on every other train. It could end up being a unique service given that the auto train is a unique train. If the meals are acceptable and it comes with lower coach fares most riders will probably accept this change - and it does sound like the sleeper dinner experience may actually be enhanced. This is not unprecedented for this train - hasn’t the auto train had different dining experiences for coach and sleeper in the past? I recall hearing that coach at one time had a buffet dinner while first class had your traditional diner. The food trucks are a great idea to add something for people to do while they are waiting and could help create a new atmosphere for this train that could appeal to younger generations. Craft beer offerings from a local brewery would be a good companion to the food trucks.
 #1514342  by Gilbert B Norman
 
Who; me? :P :P

Doesn't that fall to either Mr. Trainguy or Mr. Vogel?

Or is this meant to be "friendly persuasion" that I "bite" seven months out for a trip that is really only "penciled" to have the $651 rate I find acceptable. :-D :-D :-D
Last edited by Gilbert B Norman on Thu Jul 18, 2019 3:16 pm, edited 2 times in total.
 #1514343  by bostontrainguy
 
You know the biggest upgrade for the Auto Train would be extending it to New Jersey. North of Washington D.C. the traffic is a nightmare and trying to get to Lorton by the cutoff time is getting harder and harder every year. That's the "enhancement" I would gladly pay extra for and I am sure most passengers will agree with me. I have talked to a lot of them.

Having it (or an additional Auto Train) going to the New York area opens the service up to vacationing/snowbirding New Englanders and Canadians. A Superliner version could run on CSX all the way I believe.
 #1514345  by lordsigma12345
 
I will be riding in sleeper both ways in October, heading down to Orlando for a week's vacation with family, so we'll have to see if the "enhancements" come in time for my trip - hoping at least the food trucks arrive by then - it would make lunch easier (as I leave home near Springfield, MA in early morning and have to be punctual in order to make it on time for boarding so lunch is typically rushed at a new jersey turnpike service area - would happily bypass said service areas and eat at a food truck in Lorton.) The service advisories post indicated the various changes will be phased in over the next six months - the only thing which has an actual date on it is the change in coach dining (January) so I admit I am interested to see if there will be any changes in place by then. Coming back north I will probalby grab the Sanford town shuttle as there is an excellent German restaurant where I grabbed a thoroughly enjoyable lunch last year.

I am usually the baggage mule on this trip as the rest of my party flies Spirit so their luggage usually travels with me on the Auto Train in the back of my truck. It works out well as the usual flight they take comes in with plenty of time for me to pick them up at the airport (provided I don't have a major delay on the AT.)
 #1514350  by Gilbert B Norman
 
EKG's business plan for the AT called for an originating location to be within a one-day, ten hour 400 mile, drive from any Northeast population center. That would include Boston. It also contemplated a closing time of 4P with a 5P departure.

But that was 1970, when Northern Virginia was still a "frontier" for "that sleepy Southern Town atop swampland". But with Amtrak's 230P close, and the "rolling parking lot from George to Beltway" The 95 can be, that range had best not be more than 250. I'll defer to Mr.Trainguy, but a Boston passenger had best consider an overnight stop en route - even if a Beltway hotel 20 miles from Lorton.

Not that many a year ago, I started from Greenwich at 8A and "made it" - by the "skin of my teeth".

Now of course the usual suggestion again "makes the scene" - move the Northern terminal up the Corridor. Assuming that Chessie and Amtrak could agree, we should note that the tunnel along the freight route through the District has been dug out for "double stacks", that to my knowledge, under Baltimore has not. Apparently Chessie thinks her Port of Baltimore traffic can be handled to and from the South. Therefore, using existing equipment, the Port area is as far North as the terminal could be relocated.
 #1514364  by Tadman
 
Backshophoss wrote: Mon May 20, 2019 2:02 am After Auto Train's failed Attempt on the Chicago-Florida routing,and today's intermodal competition between the Class ! RR's,
the Auto Train concept is DOA on any of the Transconns.
The Needed Support facilities for loading/unloading and Passengers require too much real estate.
This point is accepted wisdom around here. I'm not sure why. The Chicago/Kentucky route failed in 1980 perhaps, as the private Autotrain company was already in dire straits, the aftermath of Penn Central was very present, and overall things were much different.

Tell me what business (other than Amtrak) operates like it's 1980? Since then, we've had Microsoft, Google, the Space Shuttle come and go, Soviet Union fell, cell phones, battery cars, video calls... on the railroad, we've had umpteen mergers, DPU, HEP adoption, thirty years of prosperity, and a general upswing in passenger train usage and interest.

Yeah, the Kentucky Autotrain failed, but that's ancient history.
 #1514370  by gokeefe
 
Does Amtrak have an underutilized yard next to CSX anywhere south of Baltimore? Seems like there might be a couple of spots where they would be close to each other ...
 #1514380  by bostontrainguy
 
I think I stand corrected. Checking out the CSX clearance map, autoracks can only get as far north as just south of Philadelphia. Is this correct? Kind of looks like a short gap through Philadelphia itself. Autoracks look okay from Philly north so maybe it's just a few bridges still to deal with in the area.

I guess Philly wouldn't be all that bad.

P.S. Baltimore is cleared for autoracks.
 #1514394  by slchub
 
I guess Philly wouldn't be all that bad.

P.S. Baltimore is cleared for autoracks.



Anywhere north of Lorton or south of Sanford and we are talking about time constraints in turning the eqpt. There would also be the issue of additional train crews to cover both ends as it gets very tight with freight traffic and passenger traffic at both ends. You could say start a build-out train for the next day so that turning the eqpt. is not a factor, however, there is not enough eqpt. to do so.
 #1514439  by Jeff Smith
 
https://wtop.com/business-finance/2019/ ... -in-coach/

Adding what hasn't been discussed in previous posts:
Amtrak’s upgrades to Auto Train — and what they’re taking away

Amtrak is making some upgrades to its Auto Train service starting in January, including a new dining car menu, better sleeping car amenities and an expansion of sleeping car accommodations.
...
Amtrak will also add a new Cross-Country Cafe in January, with more meals, snacks and beverages on the menu for sale, and its own seating. Though coach customers will no longer get complimentary dinner, they will receive a complimentary continental breakfast before destination arrival.
...
Amtrak is also expanding the availability of sleeping car accommodations, including more roomettes, bedrooms, family bedrooms and accessible bedrooms, to meet what it says is demand.

Sleeping car upgrades also include better towels and bedlinens.
...
Amtrak is currently offering an Auto Train fare sale for as little as $89 one-way.
 #1514442  by JimBoylan
 
I suspect some of this is to combine the separate Coach Diner and Coach Lounge into 1 car and add another Sleeping Car, so the train length stays the same. It will also mean that Coach riders on Employee passes don't get free dinner, as urged in an evaluation many years ago.
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