Passenger Trains > Prnted edition of Amtrak System Timetable is no more

April 20, 2016
 
For several years we have simultaneously produced the Amtrak System Timetable in printed form and as an electronic downloadable document housed on Amtrak.com. The decision has been made to discontinue production of the printed Amtrak System Timetable effective immediately. The final printed timetable is the January 2016 Winter/Spring version recently printed.
The reasons for this decision are:
...•Usage and demand for the printed document have steadily declined over the past five years.
•Surveys have revealed that few customers want or use the printed System Timetable and expressed a preference to access information on line.
•Schedules, policies and programs are ever changing and it’s impossible to keep the printed document accurate and up-to-date.
•Reducing print is financially responsible
•Reducing print is environmentally responsible
•All Amtrak timetables, including the System Timetable are housed within and may be accessed on Amtrak.com.
•At this time many of the smaller individual route and corridor wallet cards and panels will continue to be printed.

Too bad. I'm looking at mine right now. Tedious to download every damn timetable. But that's the way it is.

Posted from Android

Sometimes you just like to have the booklet in your hands with a finger holding your place while you check another train to see maybe you could make the connection.  

Most other forms of transportation have gone to online everything unless it's a schedule or timetable for a particular route.  It's just nice to have the timetable in your hands while planning a trip around the nation and getting those miles on routes you haven't experienced yet.  I guess we can still go to Chicago or Washington or a few other large stations and grab all the individual timetables and staple them together and call it a "System Timetable."

John

You will be able to download the system TT from the Amtrak web site.   For how long is the question.

Its a long time coming. My guess is that 98% of Amtrak's customers can't read a timetable anymore. Is there any other transportation company in the US that
still publishes a real timetable? 
Having said that, I will certainly miss having it all in one handy publication.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/20/16 21:49 by The_Chief_Way.

What Wrong with Amtrak lately being so Cheap lately. I am Very Mad and upset  about the Amtrak system timetable is being cut. Amtrak needs a Big Enema from head to toe??

With the way Amtrak has been running as of late we would be better off guessing what time the train will show up. These days Amtrak is late more often than not. A timetable would  be useless anyway.

Other than collecting, I haven't had need for a system timetable in years.

I would like to see the iPhone app improved to better display individual timetables for a selected route. The current system of having to enter cities to get times is cumbersome.

I would rather view a timetable on my phone.

Posted from iPhone

I still think it has some value, and it is a good tool to give to customers that have questions or are planning a trip.
You would think they could come up with a smaller pocket version like VIA's, without the NEC schedules.
They still disappear off the rack, so It's not as though they aren't being used.  I'm disappointed to say the least.

walstib Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Other than collecting, I haven't had need for a
> system timetable in years.
>
> I would like to see the iPhone app improved to
> better display individual timetables for a
> selected route. The current system of having to
> enter cities to get times is cumbersome.
>
> I would rather view a timetable on my phone.
>
> Posted from iPhone

Speaking of collecting, I sold very few of mine at a recent railroad show.  And the early ones from 1971-75 didn't go at all. 

What would cost to print the pdf one at Staples ?

I am glad they are still going to print the paper route timetables. I feel those are still very useful and make great souvenirs. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/21/16 04:59 by TWC.

Not only did American Airlines quit printing a systemwide timetable, they quit posting it as a pdf for download. They also killed their very useful Windows PC timetable app.

Like it or not, timetables are going the way of the dodo bird, killed off by smartphones and widespread mobile coverage. 

ctillnc Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Not only did American Airlines quit printing a
> systemwide timetable, they quit posting it as a
> pdf for download. They also killed their very
> useful Windows PC timetable app.
>
> Like it or not, timetables are going the way of
> the dodo bird, killed off by smartphones and
> widespread mobile coverage. 

Same for United....stopped the downloadable timetable about six months ago.

Dave

Many of us who fly frequently on business used to subscribe to the paper OAG Pocket Flight Guide, delivered by mail every month. Wouldn't leave home without it. These days a multi-airline timetable is not as valuable because fewer airlines will put you on another airline's flight in case of a misconnect, canceled flight, etc... and very few people buy full-fare tickets in any cabin. 

Not true. In the past 6 months + Amtrak long distance trains have been running amazingly OT. Just got back from a coast to coast journey via Empire Builder, Lake Shore, Acela, Capitol Limited, and back on the Builder. Except for the Lake Shore a few mins late into Boston everything was OT or early. 

And it wasn't that I got lucky. As you should know by reading
my daily posts on LD Trains into Chicago show this to be the case.

msdgbar Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> With the way Amtrak has been running as of late we
> would be better off guessing what time the train
> will show up. These days Amtrak is late
> more often than not. A timetable would  be
> useless anyway.

John Webb
Trinidad, CA

Very sad. Sorry that the penny pinching bean counters at Amtrak have removed this useful tool from the traveling public. Not everyone can go on line, especially the poor. 

If if we want folks to learn to use railroad timetables we need to provide timetables. Planning trips will now be a lot more difficult for myself and others. Let's help Amtrak change its mind.

John Webb
Trinidad, CA

Who needs printed material, clean trains, on time trains, or anything related to transportation when we have wi-fi on board to keep us contented.

sums007 Wrote:

> Speaking of collecting, I sold very few of mine at
> a recent railroad show.  And the early ones from
> 1971-75 didn't go at all. 

I guess the ones that us old farts stashed away back then are coming to market, Oh well, I should have timed it better.

Damn, I was just using Amtrak's most recent system timetable to label photos I took on a recent trip.  So much easier than having to switch back and forth between applications.  Oh the road the paper timetables are even more valuable as battery life is at a premium.  Unfortunately Amtrak doesn't bother to stock its NEC stations with the paper cards so it will be hard to get them before boarding any LD category train.