Inspection Special Train 7/07/2021

I'm going to agree as the information points in that direction.

Years ago Amtrak had a plan to operate from Albany to Port Jefferson. One of the issues was the insistence on a crew change in penn because of the BLE union contract so I wonder if that would be an issue today.

I also heard at that time that the union had declared that its members would refuse to lift tickets from Amtrak origins issued by a travel agency whose employees were not members of the railroad clerks' union. I suppose that since paper tickets are now relics of the past that objection would now be moot.

A question: it was common at one time for people to buy their (air and rail) tickets from travel agents who charged tariff fares and received a commission from the carrier. With current practices, has that completely died out now, passengers getting all the information they need from the internet, and buying and paying for their ticket directly?

Still a good percentage of air travelers who purchase tickets from third parties getting a commission. I'd imagine senior citizens planning tour packages including Amtrak still use travel agencies as well.

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ExCon90 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 13, 2021 10:03 pm I also heard at that time that the union had declared that its members would refuse to lift
tickets from Amtrak origins issued by a travel agency whose employees were not members
of the railroad clerks' union.

I don't see problems, given joint through ticketing is the norm now. Even NJT has joint through fares on the
C line.

Don't forget that the FRA (DOTX) Geometry car covered the eastern main line last month. Also lighter rail out there.

MACTRAXX wrote: ↑Sat Jul 10, 2021 8:19 am

njtmnrrbuff wrote: ↑Fri Jul 09, 2021 4:30 pm I think most people would prefer to travel 100 miles plus in Amtrak equipment rather than an LIRR C3 Bilevel. Those bilevels aren’t meant for traveling all the way out to Montauk from NYC. The great advantage about the Amtrak is that people traveling on vacation to the Hamptons and Montauk from the city would be able to store their suitcase either on overhead racks or in a separate part of the car. The LIRR C3 overhead racks can’t handle suitcases.

Buff: Off topic - 1: The C3 multilevel cars are perfectly adequate for LIRR East End service - as they have
shown for more than 20 years. The majority of LIRR riders are not willing to pay a much higher fare for Amtrak.
Example: Would you pay $44.50 for an Amtrak coach one way fare instead of the LIRR off-peak $22.25 fare?

2: Hamptons Reserve Service is for a "niche" of travelers that are willing to pay up and above regular LIRR fares
for a reserved seat. This is the small percentage of travelers that will be ready and able to pay for Amtrak if and
when Amtrak begins any experimental Montauk Branch East End service.

One of the shortcomings of the C3 fleet is the luggage storage - the overhead racks have limited room.
There is ample space - under ALL seats - and in the "cubbyholes" that some cars have near their ends.

Let's discuss this in the LIRR Forum...MACTRAXX

I fully believe that the city folk would absolutely prefer the ride in an Amfleet over a C3. The seats are more comfortable and there's much more space for luggage. The amfleets are a smoother ride as well. There are thousands that ride the C3 each weekend out to the East End and there's also a ton that take the Jitney. I fully believe they'd pay $30-$50 for the ride. These folks are also willing to shell out hundreds for an Uber to take them to neighboring towns for the bars.