Superliner Catenary question

[DutchRailnut]

Amtrak right now is obligated to follow PRII recommendation of a single level fleet .

[R36 Combine Coach]

The Bombardier MLV isn’t my favorite; it feels top-heavy and has a pronounced sway not present in single-level cars, but the Superliner feels very similar.

NJT customers love them and they are highly rated over single levels (possibly due to the 3-2 seating on single levels).

EWR passengers with heavy luggage do not find them comfortable.

[WhartonAndNorthern]

The Bombardier MLV isn’t my favorite; it feels top-heavy and has a pronounced sway not present in single-level cars, but the Superliner feels very similar.

NJT customers love them and they are highly rated over single levels (possibly due to the 3-2 seating on single levels).

EWR passengers with heavy luggage do not find them comfortable.

For commuter cars, they're fine as you don't usually move between cars. For LD with a lounge car and/or diner do you really want to be walking up and down steps in each and every car to get from the first coach to the cafe? The reason they're called multilevel: the vestibules and entry doors are on a mezzanine level requiring a walk up or down steps to get to the seating areas. The ADA seating is also on the mezzanine level, but you'd be confined to your car and the vestibule of the next car. That won't fly for new equipment with tougher ADA standards.

I'm not aware of any bilevel design that has low level passthrough, high level boarding, and fits the NEC loading gauge.

[Nasadowsk]

The Bombardier MLV isn’t my favorite; it feels top-heavy and has a pronounced sway not present in single-level cars, but the Superliner feels very similar.

They're also squeaky and slow as snot. And the door location sucks - too few and too narrow.

[DutchRailnut]

narrow ?? 99% off all rail vehicles are same width, go figure.

[mtuandrew]

narrow ?? 99% off all rail vehicles are same width, go figure.

He says the doors are too narrow, not the car body. I can’t speak to that since it’s been a while for me, but do note that the door openings are smaller than the Comet center doors.

It’s not surprising that PRIIA guides Amtrak to order single-levels, though that’s literally backwards from the rest of the world.

[Patrick Boylan]

As for whether people want to use them for long distances, it’s not up to them - it’s up to what Amtrak decides to put in the consist.

It's only not up to the people who will continue to ride trains. Please don't ignore the people who will stop riding because they don't like the railcars.

[mtuandrew]

It's only not up to the people who will continue to ride trains. Please don't ignore the people who will stop riding because they don't like the railcars.

I assert that the percentage of riders who stop riding because they intensely dislike the railcars will be quite small, and given the car shortage and high ridership, I further think that their seats will be taken by those who aren’t so picky. Assuming that Amtrak provides reasonable seats and lighting, and that the stairs aren’t too ridiculous, any new car will prove popular enough with people who aren’t railfans.

[rcthompson04]

narrow ?? 99% off all rail vehicles are same width, go figure.

He says the doors are too narrow, not the car body. I can’t speak to that since it’s been a while for me, but do note that the door openings are smaller than the Comet center doors.

It’s not surprising that PRIIA guides Amtrak to order single-levels, though that’s literally backwards from the rest of the world.

It makes sense if you are concerned with standardizing fleets and being able to get rid of cars quickly if an operation flops.

[Backshophoss]

The MLV door is about the size of a M-1 door leaf.

[bostontrainguy]

This issue has been pretty much beaten to death BUT I do think a low-profile bi-level car can satisfy Amtrak's desire to have a single food service car for all single-level LD trains. The headroom is adequate for this and such a car could be very attractive. It could have a "dome" lounge on the upper level and a kitchen in the center of the lower level. Coach table seating would be on one end and First Class/Sleeper table seating on the other. Meals can be served out of both sides of the kitchen.

I think it's about as efficient as you can get for a LD train single car food service operation.

[Backshophoss]

NONE of the MLV designs are good for LD services,Amtrak needs to stick with Single level cars for Eastern LD services.

[RRspatch]

Using Superliners on the NEC seems an obsession for some people. Let's face it, it's never going to happen. Too many clearance problems, lack of low level platforms. Time to move on.

This discussion about "Superliners on the NEC" seems to come up regularly about every one and a half years to two years. Some times it's coupled with a "lets extend the Auto Train to north Jersey over CSXT" or "lets bring back the Broadway using Superliners but turn it at Harrisburg or Philadelphia". Each time the standard answers such as low tunnels, low catenary and high level platforms are pointed out and the discussion dies off after a while. If the standard waiting period applies we'll be discussing this again in the fall/winter of 2021.

[bostontrainguy]

NONE of the MLV designs are good for LD services,Amtrak needs to stick with Single level cars for Eastern LD services.

Sadly the new Viewliner diners can't satisfy Amtrak's goal of one food service car for an entire LD train. They just don't have the necessary space. If Amtrak goes down this single food service car track it means no lounge area and no table area for coach passengers. Can I say that result sucks big time?

[frequentflyer]

Amtrak right now is obligated to follow PRII recommendation of a single level fleet .

How do you come to that conclusion?

There have been rumors on this site and other sites that Amtrak is lokking at Simen's bilevel car.