SouthernRailway wrote:Isn’t the downside to Viewliners the fact that they have 2 beds per room but often sell just 1 of the 2 beds?
So wouldn’t Amtrak want to have (1) some rooms with one bed or (2) some rooms where beds are sold to travelers who aren’t together?
I would prefer lie-flat seats over a regular coach seat but if I’m on a long-distance train, I want a room with walls for total privacy.
So I vote for new Slumbercoaches.
Not really, because of the way Amtrak charges fares for both rooms and roomettes. You basically pay for coach plus for the room or roomette. All Amtrak gets from the second passenger is what they would get for a coach seat. That probably only pays for the food and drinks of the second passenger. The increase fares comes from the accommodation charge for the room or roomette, which is usually at least twice that of a coach seat. Amtrak isn’t losing profits if the second bunk isn’t sold relative to full coach car - which by the way usually isn’t completely sold out off the NEC anyways. And neither are the sleeper cars.
Never-the-less, the total number of seats and/or bunks in a car determines what fares Amtrak can charge relative to one another. To make a luxury chair car competitive with a standard coach car from Amtrak’s point of view, it must charge more for fares at least inversely to the ratio in the number of seats.
Examples = 60 seats per car with an average fare of $50 = $30O0 fares per car.
$3000 fares per car / 30 seats = $100 per seat; just to break even without the additional perks to balance payments for.
Don’t get lost in the fare details because there are many variables, it’s the principle that counts.
I’m pretty certain that roomettes and rooms from 15 rooms and roomettes should make Amtrak more revenues than a 30 seat business class car...even if all the rooms and roomettes have signal occupancy.
Having stated that, if it was possible to install like 45 seats into the business class car, maybe just maybe it can earn more profits than a sleeper car. But so far no one has shown how to do it with existing lay flat seats in service anywhere in the world. Slumber sleepers can easily get 45 bunks into a car, but then you wouldn’t have a coach configured car anymore. With half again as many potential passengers in the car, Amtrak could break even with a lower fare than previously suggested, using the same ratios. Example; $3000 fares per car / 45 seats/bunks = $67 per seat or bunk. That’s a savings of approximately 33% vs 30 lay flat seats.... again just to break even on fares per car.