Viewliner II Delivery/Production

[gokeefe]

Nationally integrated computerized reservation system and ticketing for rail passenger service (Arrow): Amtrak

Showers in Sleeper cars: Amtrak

High speed with active tilt in North American mixed ops: Amtrak (via Alstom technology)

PTC in North America (ACSES I): Amtrak

Master Partnerships for Terminal Redevelopment: Amtrak

ADA Accessible Rail Passenger Equipment and Facilities: Amtrak

Railfone (cellular technology based pay phones): Amtrak

Sous vide food prep and cooking in rail passenger dining service: Amtrak

Onboard WiFi in passenger rail service: Amtrak (prototyped on the Downeaster)

Combined Electrification and Traffic Control (CETC) dispatching: Amtrak (done in the early years via NECIP funding)

I would further strongly dispute that Amtrak's eticketing lift technology is comparable to the airlines. In flight crews don't use a handheld device while underway, it's a static point at the gate. Furthermore the manifest and passenger count changes at a frequency unheard of in the aviation industry.

[Tadman]

A lot of those ideas are adaptations of an idea from outside the US or the industry.

I don’t see how Amtrak should get credit for innovating tilt when Talgo came out 15 years before Cascades and the LRC had essentially the same tilt system as Acela 20 years before. The supplying company is called Hydrep and the owner is a friend and business associate on projects outside of the rail industry. We have drained quite a few bottles of wine in more than one country and I’ve heard many stories of LRC and Acela.

And Arrow reservations was very similar to AMR’s Sabre system, about ten years older. Both run on the same IBM equipment at the time.

[Nasadowsk]

Nationally integrated computerized reservation system and ticketing for rail passenger service (Arrow): Amtrak

Yeah, go to Germany and ride the rails there for a week and tell me how 'integrated' Amtrak's ticketing system is...

Showers in Sleeper cars: Amtrak

Ok?

High speed with active tilt in North American mixed ops: Amtrak (via Alstom technology)

Active tilt was used ages ago on Pendolino, APT, etc. And Acela ain't high speed - its curve speeds are barely higher than the Metroliner, and slower than the X2000 when it was tested on the NEC.

PTC in North America (ACSES I): Amtrak

And LZB has been around since the 70's and is a superior system anyway.

ADA Accessible Rail Passenger Equipment and Facilities: Amtrak

LIRR is all level boarding. Amtrak isn't.

Railfone (cellular technology based pay phones): Amtrak

Penn Central had the fore runner to cellular in the 60's on the Metroliner.

Combined Electrification and Traffic Control (CETC) dispatching: Amtrak (done in the early years via NECIP funding)

And they still can't dispatch the NEC worth a damn. Some progress. Wake me up when Amtrak's operation in the NEC start approaching that of DB, or SNCF (SBB or JR are pretty much not going to happen - management and the employees just don't have the drive. Sorry guys, but that's the truth). +- 15 minutes isn't 'on time', it's a joke.

[mcgrath618]

Here in Philly, the majority of SEPTA trains are made late on the PRR side due to poor dispatching from Amtrak (not to mention how poorly they maintain their track).

[CNJGeep]

Quite a few V-IIs on today's 29 leaving DC

[ThirdRail7]

And they still can't dispatch the NEC worth a damn. Some progress. Wake me up when Amtrak's operation in the NEC start approaching that of DB, or SNCF (SBB or JR are pretty much not going to happen - management and the employees just don't have the drive. Sorry guys, but that's the truth). +- 15 minutes isn't 'on time', it's a joke.

I've asked you before and I don't recall a response. What is the funding like? For the record, at one point NJT received more funding for the rail and bus network than Amtrak received to provide service and maintain the infrastructure for a nationwide network (including the 100 year+ NEC infrastructure...)...and this also includes contributions for the states which are adding their trains into the mix.

Quite a few V-IIs on today's 29 leaving DC

Going testing out west.

[ryanov]

Wonder where all of these incredible entrepreneurs who could save the railroad were on A-day and shortly before.

[mcgrath618]

I mean to be fair, A day happened about 30 years before I was born. I'm allowed to dissent what Amtrak is doing.

[ryanov]

Sure, but if you want to be taken seriously, you should probably make yourself aware of the fact that Amtrak was started precisely to allow the railroads to exit the passenger business because none of them wanted it or could make money at it. I wasn’t alive for A-day either, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know why it happened.

[gokeefe]

Going testing out west.

I'm assuming these are sleepers and bag-dorms?

[gregorygrice]

All Diners.

[gokeefe]

Oh wow. Interesting. 125 MPH certification? Or testing on routes?

[RRspatch]

Oh wow. Interesting. 125 MPH certification? Or testing on routes?

If they're Dining cars they're probably enroute to Beech Grove to be gutted and turned into a single level version of the Cross Country Cafe. Not sure why they wouldn't go on the Cardinal unless Amtrak is running Chicago to Beech Grove hospital/equipment moves again.

[David Benton]

Wouldn't such work be done at Bear ?

[Gilbert B Norman]

Mr. Benton, it would appear that Bear has the equipment and institutional expertise to work on the Amfleets, and in short "busy enough".

What surprises me is that if Amtrak is planning to convert V-IID's to a Cafe' configuration prior to assigning them to, say, The Cardinal, and even in due course, the Star, I'm quite surprised that there hadn't been a "leak" from some "flappy trap" at One Mass.

Now the irony of it all is that as soon as they start to convert these cars, down comes the edict to restore full-service dining to the Single Level LD's.

We follow Amtrak affairs closely around here. One must wonder what kind of folly such as immediately suggested goes on at other Federal Agencies - and with the price tag "Doubled in Spades".