Trip Report: 2024 ORL-WPB Premium Class

I lucked out and found a lower premium fare a few days ago. $118 (coach was $65, usual premium more like $200+) from Orlando airport to West Palm.

I know they are having trouble with Chargers in cold weather, but this was a seamless and brilliant ride. Here are things I like:

1. The service was all on time and a seamless experience
2. Every staff interaction was regimented for predictability and safety - no off-script craziness
3. Everything was spotless and clean
4. The train was seriously fast and quiet
5. The new Siemens cars were great on the new track, okay on the FEC just south of Cocoa Beach, and decent closer to Hobe and Palm Beach.
6. The wings on the headrest were perfect for nodding off. The HST125 has these as well. Would be good for coach overnight in a Superliner

The negatives: not sure I love the seats. These are the new Siemens seats that nobody seems to like with no backrest recline, just a seat cushing slide-out. A few degrees of backrest recline would be really nice.

Overall a night and day experience compared to Amtrak.

Why are seats on both Brightline and Amtrak having so many complaints"?

west point wrote: ↑Mon Sep 16, 2024 5:30 pm Why are seats on both Brightline and Amtrak having so many complaints"?

Because they suck! As Tadman reported, the backs don't recline. You basically sit straight up which for me is a hard position to sleep in. The seat only moves forward a couple of inches. Not enough to get comfortable.

west point wrote: ↑Mon Sep 16, 2024 5:30 pm Why are seats on both Brightline and Amtrak having so many complaints"?

This seems prevalent on most new Siemens equipment. Railjet has it, too. Even those British Hitachi 800-series have it as well. It's the trendy thing in railroading, but the seats are not so hot. I'm sure someone with an MBA that never rides the trains figured it has 20 less moving parts and fits in a smaller floor area, but it makes the ride not great.

The slide forward doesn't save on parts, it means that the person reclining impinges on their own knee space, not the knee space of the person behind them. I can see this being an important concern in cattle/economy class in air craft, and I can also seat manufacturers using that design concept even where its not strictly required, simply because it ensures the passenger in front of you can't intrude into your space or because it offers some lean when the seat is backed up against a wall or the backs of other seats, where a traditional seat would simply offer no lean at all.

For regional trains taking around 6 hours of travel time not having fully reclining seats is acceptable. But fully reclining seats are necessary for longer distances, or overnight trains, to allow for sleeping. Few humans in the world can sleep standing up or in a basically upright chair, and sleep is required for potentially 50-70 hour long trips. It will be very interesting what type of chairs Amtrak installs in the new long distance trains.