last (or only) US commuter agencies to have classed service

Speaking of classed service...

Does anyone here know when Jim Crow service ended on commuter trains and in streetcar service, in point of fact? Its lawful end is one thing, but some companies and transit commissions may have ended prior to Federal law, and some only after sit-ins and so forth.

TomNelligan wrote:There is zero chance of this happening these days because of the political incorrectness of publicly funded commuter trains offering premium service, but I'm sure there are a fair number of affluent US commuters who would happily pay a premium for a guaranteed, larger seat in a less crowded car. I've traveled quite a bit on British trains and I do find the concept of first class service on commuter trains to be an interesting amenity, although I couldn't afford it myself.

It would be a challenge with NYC, as LIRR and MNR are MU's, and they are short on capacity as it is. However, on services where trains could be easily extended, if it made a profit, it would be a good idea, but I doubt the economics would work out that way.

Pensey GG1 wrote:It would be a challenge with NYC, as LIRR and MNR are MU's, and they are short on capacity as it is. However, on services where trains could be easily extended, if it made a profit, it would be a good idea, but I doubt the economics would work out that way.

53% of "commuter" passengers in the US use the LIRR, Metro North or NJTransit. Throw in Metra, SEPTA and the MTBA it's 86%. Who is going to be able to scare up a car's worth of passengers willing to pay extra for amenities?

Adirondacker wrote:

Pensey GG1 wrote:It would be a challenge with NYC, as LIRR and MNR are MU's, and they are short on capacity as it is. However, on services where trains could be easily extended, if it made a profit, it would be a good idea, but I doubt the economics would work out that way.

53% of "commuter" passengers in the US use the LIRR, Metro North or NJTransit. Throw in Metra, SEPTA and the MTBA it's 86%. Who is going to be able to scare up a car's worth of passengers willing to pay extra for amenities?

The best shot at it would be if MNRR gets Penn access for the Wall Street folks coming from the likes of Greenwich, but it would only work if they used loco-hauled trains, not MUs. They could even use a couple of restored PRR or NYC cars with Amtrak 110 certification and HEP. Just add PP wiring, and plop one in-between the loco and the rest of the train... However, that's all fantasyland at this point, and it would be kind of a nightmare operationally to have a single train tied to a single run time. However, if they were at the platform capacity of Penn and needed more seats, having 30 or 40 people taking up a whole car length that could seat 140 with regular equipment would be very problematic from a public interest perspective, unless it was successful enough to subsidize the rest of the train... I could see it as a status symbol sort of thing. But yeah, I don't see it being realistic in any way.

MARC trains used to offer first class parlor service for an extra charge on (what is now) the Braddock Inn. It started in Brunswick, turned for a Penn Line round trip and returned to Brunswick at night. It had a snack car and an attendant. It ran through the 90's although I'm not sure when the service stopped. Good stuff.