Amtrak Downeaster Discussion Thread

[swist]

Sure nice to ride the DE in the off-season. Trains seem pretty much on time due to lack of track work.

But there are two speed restrictions that have been around for a while which I'm wondering the status of.

1) Looks like 20-30 mph for the first 2 miles of the Brunswick branch? Doesn't seem related to the Royal Siding ( now complete ).

2) Southern half of the Rigby Yard - that used to be the area where they would speed up Southbound to get up to track speed (79 I think) for the area up to and including Scarboro marsh. Northbound they are down to 30 or less before even entering the area of the yard.

I also noticed some (all?) trains taking the new track of the Royal siding (and at normal speed) even when there is no traffic on the other track. Is this to "break in" the track or what?
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[gokeefe]

Oh it is the "best in the system" cafe without a doubt in my mind.

Just enjoying the opportunity to mention it.

[mr. mick]

I am curious about one aspect of the dining contract: when the contract is up, I assume that NNEPRA advertises for food service submittals; out of that comes a decision on which company will be used to provide dining services on the Downeaster for the life of the contract. In general, do the dining service attendants carry over ( is there an opportunity to carry over?) from one contractor to another, or is it on the new contractor to advertise, hire and train folks on the new service? I seem to recall that some of the dining staff had been on the train for quite a while, either because the contractor was renewed, or that opportunity was available to join the new contractors staff.

[Rockingham Racer]

Oh it is the "best in the system" cafe without a doubt in my mind.

Just enjoying the opportunity to mention it.

Amtrak loses money on food service. How does the Downeaster do with food service? Does NNEPRA get a cut of the NexDine's sales?

[troffey]

I am curious about one aspect of the dining contract: when the contract is up, I assume that NNEPRA advertises for food service submittals; out of that comes a decision on which company will be used to provide dining services on the Downeaster for the life of the contract. In general, do the dining service attendants carry over ( is there an opportunity to carry over?) from one contractor to another, or is it on the new contractor to advertise, hire and train folks on the new service? I seem to recall that some of the dining staff had been on the train for quite a while, either because the contractor was renewed, or that opportunity was available to join the new contractors staff.

According to earlier discussion in the thread, there was one contractor from launch of service until late 2016, and NexDine since then.

Per http://railroad.net/viewtopic.php?f=46& ... exdine#top, the Downeaster service runs approximately breakeven. I don't think it's been discussed before about NNEPRA getting a cut or not.

[MEC407]

The previous/original cafe car contractor was Epicurean Feast. One of the things I remember about them, which I haven't observed with NexDine, is that they had a lot of local stuff on the menu such as Legal Sea Foods chowder and Amato's sandwiches/salads. I was disappointed to see stuff like that disappear from the menu.

[gokeefe]

Almost all the staff carried over to NexDine. They're a huge part of the cafe's success. Some local food items may be gone but there's no shortage of Maine craft beers!

[gokeefe]

Does NNEPRA get a cut of the NexDine's sales?

There's no revenue division as best I can tell. My impression is NNEPRA pays per contract rates and keeps all the revenue.

[ThirdRail7]

It is nice to see record ridership on this line. Imagine the numbers if there weren't so many disruptions and bustitutions.

[Trinnau]

I also noticed some (all?) trains taking the new track of the Royal siding (and at normal speed) even when there is no traffic on the other track. Is this to "break in" the track or what?

It's not really a siding, it's a second main track. And if they are operating at speed there is no break-in needed, it's ready. By shifting to the new track they potentially leave the other track clear to run freight trains. While you may not see the train, clearing the signals for a freight in advance will allow it to operate at better speed. On the other hand, the old B&M was historically a right-hand running railroad. Maybe they're just sticking to that?

[daybeers]

It is nice to see record ridership on this line. Imagine the numbers if there weren't so many disruptions and bustitutions.

What can be done about it? Pan Am & MBTA's issues?

[Arlington]

MBTA: the Lowell line has been disrupted both by the green line extension and by PTC work.

[eustis22]

>but there's no shortage of Maine craft beers!

Thank you, NNEPRA

[Cosakita18]

I think this has come up before, but what's the likelihood of the new Charger locomotives coming to the DE? Faster acceleration / deceleration times could shave a few minutes off of the BON-POR run.

Would there be issues with cab signals / PTC??

[njtmnrrbuff]

We'll know very soon about what will replace the Amfleets. That includes what will be running on the Downeaster after the Amfleets, P42s, and F40 Cabbage cars are retired. The Chargers would be great for the Downeaster route especially for the sake of acceleration.