Siemens Venture cars in revenue service on Lincoln services

Yeah, I thought there were more Horizons in the Midwest rotations than Amfleets.

But it does facilitate some shifting of equipment.

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Would love to see Horizons return to the east as a result. They certainly have a bit more time on their clocks left than the Amfleets.

Some of the Horizons will likely go to planned new corridors in the south, like the NOL-Mobile, NOL-Baton Rouge, and possibly a revived Gulf Breeze (Yes, they have been studying this). This is so they can get these trains up and running as soon as Amtrak and the host railroads are ready to run them. In other words, because the soon-to-be-displaced Horizons will be available shortly for use elsewhere in the US, lack of equipment availability won't be a reason for a delay to starting these services on time. Newer rolling stock can be ordered for these new routes once they have been running for a while and have established a ridership base.

Newer rolling stock had better be coming quickly, because if Amtrak doesn't get started spending the $8B or so they just got for equipment, they're going to lose it.

Points Guy takes a ride - and presents a comprehensive "pro and con" report:

https://thepointsguy.com/news/amtrak-ne ... n-onboard/

Fair Use:

That’s because last week Amtrak quietly unveiled the first deliveries from a previous order with Siemens dating back to 2017. While some interior modifications may occur, this is essentially the same product that will roll out throughout the country over the next decade.

Dubbed the Amtrak “Venture” fleet, I journeyed through the Chicago suburbs to see if these passenger coaches are truly going to “reshape the future of rail travel,” as Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn said in a statement from 2021.

One plus I note; center armrests are back. You know: "yourspace, myspace kind of stuff".

Honestly the seats don't look that bad to me. Granted, the Amfleet seats look a little more comfortable but if greater aisle width is required, then it is what it is. Overall I like the looks of the cars, and the Brightline versions have gotten good reviews for comfort.

The VIA Rail version looks nicer, but again, it's the same seat frame and different cushions. I'm guessing the width is identical.

From the article, my biggest critique probably will be the lack of any sort of real recline, and slightly less padding.
That said, I still look forward to it. But again I'll say, I LIKE the Amfleets, I find them cozy.

Mr. Moore, I have no knowledge if you've been "down below" for a joyride, but you'll find that Brightline has the same seats in their Coaches.

Oh, and lest we forget, that's "Smart" in Brightlineese.

It's one thing to sit in them Miami to West Palm, maybe a different story when they start operating to McCoy.

Here's a first-hand review. Verdict: cars very nice, seats ok but not great.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1DPNKk6DkE

Matt Johnson wrote: ↑Sat Feb 19, 2022 6:14 pm Here's a first-hand review. Verdict: cars very nice, seats ok but not great.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1DPNKk6DkE

Good enough for a 5 hour trip but long distance... not so much. These are day-trip seats... and that plug between the seats? Wait... ahhh, that's where the 2" between a 19" seat and a 21" seat went to.

That's a bad place to put an outlet. MARC had it right and put the outlet pair under the seats facing back, so instead of twisting and having to plug in your laptop besides you, you plug in in front of you, route the cables clear of your legs, and just work.

That said, I can see these seats on the commuter level and day-trip style... but those seats? Talk to MARC for what they did with the MARC IV's and swap 'em out.

The plug in the next seat works great as long as there's a seat back in front of you. How is that supposed to work at table seats or bulkheads?

Putting it in the center is becoming standard on airline seating for the ergonomics of 3' USB charge cord lengths... if the outlet is too far away it does no good.

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One thing I have noticed lately on the NJ Transit Bombardier multilevels is that the windows are becoming very opaque which is quite annoying if you want to view anything outside. I don't know why these relatively new coaches are having the windows go bad more quickly than those on the old Amfleets, but I hope it doesn't apply to these new Siemens coaches as well.

The Venture coaches have been out of service for about a month due to reported occurrences of magnets on coach tables causing electronic devices to shut down. IllDOT actually has not received any reports of the magnets causing damage to any electronic devices. Out of an abundance of caution the decision was made to take the Venture cars out of service and come up with a solution to the issue. IllDOT is working with Siemens and Amtrak to determine the best course of action and return the Venture cars to service as quickly as possible.
Andy

Interesting. The Viewliner II sleepers used magnets for the table extensions, so I wonder if it might be an issue there too.

twropr wrote: ↑Mon Mar 28, 2022 2:07 pm The Venture coaches have been out of service for about a month due to reported occurrences of magnets on coach tables causing electronic devices to shut down. IllDOT actually has not received any reports of the magnets causing damage to any electronic devices. Out of an abundance of caution the decision was made to take the Venture cars out of service and come up with a solution to the issue. IllDOT is working with Siemens and Amtrak to determine the best course of action and return the Venture cars to service as quickly as possible.
Andy

First lead in the sinkwater, now this! Do the Brightline Ventures have this problem (or any problems with the Ventures in general)? Any reasons as to why the Brightline Ventures have fewer problems than the Amtrak coaches overall?