wigwagfan wrote: ↑Fri Jul 31, 2020 12:11 am
David Benton wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2020 6:38 am
Sounds like your just adding layers for the sake of it . I can't see it been more efficient .
It's not vertical. It's horizontal.
To the passenger, it's not a layer, but rather separate organizations that work together for a common cause. The passenger/customer only sees one organization, whether it's "Amtrak" (which sells the Coach ticket) or "Pullman" (which sells the sleeping/first class ticket). When they board, and on-board, they deal exclusively with said organization.
The incentive to improve service is simple, because each of these organizations can only provide better service to their specific customer in order to earn more money. The host railroad can only provide a more reliable, faster schedule to "Amtrak" and "Pullman" for better payments. "Amtrak" and "Pullman" can only provide better service to its own customers. "Fred Harvey" can only provide better food. Right now, the current Amtrak model provides absolutely zero incentive to improve, because they can blame poor service on external factors (which may or may not even be true). Train is late? Blame the railroad. Poor equipment? Blame Congress. Fares too high? Blame the Unions. Never is the answer "We have to simply provide a better service." It's always a blame game, and the result is nothing gets done. And when there is blame to go around - there's absolutely no accountability. The railroads get paid the same whether the train is 10 minutes early or ten days late. Congress doesn't care. The Unions only have their employees' interests at hand. And Amtrak - everything is rainbows and unicorns to themselves.
The problem is , a private organisation cannot lose money.Your sleeper operator may have to compensate a passenger for a delay , or cancellation of a service. Its probably not their fault the train is running late , so they seek remedy form the train operator . The train operator says its the track operators fault so they seek remedy from the track owner . The track owner may then decide it needs more subsidy to cover such outcomes , and so the end result is the taxpayer pays . as it does now. Except more for lawyers and other private enterprise bureaucrats.
The key problem is the trains will never be profitable , so private enterprise cannot allow some fat to cover problems such as this . They are more efficient in a lot of ways , but they have thier own costs which the government does not. Either way the end result is the taxpayer subsidises the trains.
Now imagine if the food caterer delays the train, they would probably be out of business within the first claim .
In britan , train delays results in hundreds of pounds per minute payment s to the franchises by Network Rail , aka the taxpayer. Meanwhile the happy taxpayer rejoices in the private operators efficiency, ignoring the subsidies paid to the franchises and Network rail exceed those that were paid to British rail. Cos it aint a subsidy if its paid to a private enterprise. Lets call it a tax credit .
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The only train trips I regret are the ones I didn't take.