Passenger Trains > Amtrak Hoosier State Trains Now Offer Free Wi-Fi, Refre

INDIANAPOLIS -- Amtrak is improving service for Hoosier State passengers who travel between Indianapolis and Chicago with the addition of complimentary on-board Wi-Fi, light food and beverages and Business Class seating, Amtrak President and CEO Joe Boardman announced at a series of events on the route in Indiana today.

The addition of the amenities is effective immediately. Amtrak is demonstrating its capabilities while it continues to operate this service under an Indiana Department of Transportation contract extension through Jan. 31, 2015.

"Amtrak is Indiana's best long-term choice for safe, reliable intercity passenger rail service that connects its people, communities and businesses to the Amtrak national network," Boardman said. "Amtrak brings proven expertise in delivering passenger rail service, railroad operations, safety and security, equipment maintenance and repair."

Boardman's comments came at Indianapolis Union Station before he boarded a special "whistle-stop" train to tour the route with state and local officials. Also attending were some of the 775 Amtrak employees who are Indiana residents and work aboard trains, at stations or maintain and overhaul rail equipment in Beech Grove, Ind.

The four-days-weekly Hoosier State (Trains 850 & 851) -- together with the three-days-weekly Amtrak Cardinal (Trains 50 & 51) -- provides daily service between Indianapolis and Chicago and enables passengers to reach the national Amtrak network.
AmtrakConnect(r) Wi-Fi service capitalizes on multiple cellular providers to provide the best mobile experience possible, taking advantage of 4G technologies where available.

"We are continually looking to improve customer satisfaction, and this service is yet one more way to do so, while also delivering the speeds and connectivity required to maintain a competitive position among transportation providers," Boardman added.
AmtrakConnect(r) Wi-Fi service capitalizes on multiple cellular providers to provide the best mobile experience possible, taking advantage of 4G technologies where available.

"We are continually looking to improve customer satisfaction, and this service is yet one more way to do so, while also delivering the speeds and connectivity required to maintain a competitive position among transportation providers," Boardman added.
AmtrakConnect is provided at no cost to passengers. In order to ensure the best Wi-Fi experience for all passengers, there will be restrictions on high-volume data- activities, such as streaming video and music, and large file downloads.

Amtrak also completed the addition of Wi-Fi service to other state-sponsored routes in the Amtrak Chicago Hub last December. Nationwide, approximately 85 percent of Amtrak passengers Enjoy the Journey(r) with free AmtrakConnect Wi-Fi.
Business Class seating, available for a small surcharge, offers wider seats in a two-and-one configuration, with leg rests and foot rests, in a separate portion of the train adjacent to the refreshment area.

Theodore Picraux
St. Peters, MO
Shuttletrain's Wanderings

Link that I posted in Boardman's schedule thread.

http://www.ibj.com/amtrak-angles-to-keep-control-of-hoosier-state-route/PARAMS/article/49760?utm_source=&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=2014-10-01

About time for the food service. Does this mean an additional food service car will be added, or just a cart-service of some kind?

Wifi don't think will make a heck of a lot of difference. Still interesting timing to wait until a train is on borrowed time to make such announcements (it was originally supposed to have been cancelled as of yesterday, the end of Amtrak's 2014 fiscal year). Makes it convenient to swap equipment around in Chicago as well though. No longer any problem with grabbing an Illinois coach when the Hoosier ones are out of service.

Didn't notice any difference on this mornings Hoosier (that preceded the Boardman Special by a couple of hours). But must admit I wasn't expecting any immediate changes. Will check it out tonight and again on Friday.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/14 09:32 by NewRiverGeorge.

How pathetic is it that Amtrak is just now pretending to care about this train? The company has operated The Hoosier State as an embarrassment to the term "passenger train" for decades. Now, only because Amtrak's monopoly is threatened, does the company find it expedient to add amenities, while doing nothing about the basic scheduling disaster that is this train. I hope the people of Indiana will see through this obvious attempt to placate them. It's outrageous.

The cynicism in this is beyond belief.

Amtrak had years and years to make these improvements. All it's ever operated on the Hoosier State is a coach or 2. No food service. No amenities. Nothing. Recrews that delay the train. No influence with CSX or the other railroads to improve its operation. Nothing.

It loses the Indiana contract to Corridor Capital. The day after Corridor Capital was supposed to take over the service, Amtrak institutes WiFi, Business Class and cafe service. Where have these improvements been for all of these years? The answer: Nowhere. The Hoosier State is simply an Amtrak vehicle to move overhaul engines and cars to Beech Grove. That's the only reason it's existed, and that's how Amtrak has treated it. The stories on TO are legion as to the incredibly stepchild status that this train has endured. Even Floridajoe2001 thinks Amtrak should dump it.

And now, having waited until the day after the new operator was supposed to have started the service, Amtrak makes nominal improvements to bring it up to the status of most of the rest of the short-distance trains. It could have done this when it was competing to be awarded the contract, but it waits until after it loses, but the new operator isn't set up yet.

I ride Amtrak. I support Amtrak, when it operates ethically and fairly. But it's times like this that make me think I'm paying my taxes to support cynical thugs.

Rensselaer now at 11:45 Chicago time.

Kinda like the aerial tankers owned by the Forest Service. There are just a few of them, and Congress refuses funding for more. They'd rather force the agency to lay off park rangers than spend money to maintain the fleet they have.

So when a fire breaks out in one place, you gotta scramble to move the tankers.

What happens when you have two fires at the same time in two different places, as in not enough cars to go around (see todays posts about the Sightseer Lounge missing from the Zephyr).

When Amtrak's priorities move on to fighting a fire somewhere besides Indiana, does the Hoosier State fall back to the bottom rung? Does the "free wifi" car go back to Illinois when the politicians over there start to complain?

knotch8 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The cynicism in this is beyond belief.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/14 09:54 by NewRiverGeorge.

I'll take what I can get. If someone corrects himself, I forgive and move forward.

The train crewing arrangement looks OK on paper, but doesn't work in reality given the train's timekeeping and I-65 being what it is, especially in the winter. I don't see anything being done about that.

There are several Biz-Dinette cars roaming around Chicagoland, if nothing else to contribute to Carbondale train axle count at CN's pleasure. Perhaps a soon-to-be-retired baggage car should take their place.

One of the reasons I was hoping for the success of the new operator is shown with how Amtrak responded. Amazing how service can improve when threatened with real competition.

Posted from iPhone

Will happily give up the Hoosier State's "buffer car" and/or "wheel car" to the CN that has run back and forth between Indy and Chicago for years as well.

> Perhaps a soon-to-be-retired baggage car should
> take their place.

altoonafn Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> One of the reasons I was hoping for the success of
> the new operator is shown with how Amtrak
> responded. Amazing how service can improve when
> threatened with real competition.
>
> Posted from iPhone


+1

When customers have a choice, they'll use it.

On the NEC, Amtrak knows customers can take the bus (which has a price advantage and lots of amenities), or fly the shuttles (which have speed), so trains are generally on time, with pleasant staff, have food and coffee and bar service, etc. And Acela prices are usually around 90%-95% of the air fares btw New York and DC.

Contrary to what people post about other parts of the country, just about all the NEC staff I've encountered over the years are polite, friendly, and do their jobs.

New operator is likely to receive plenty of $$$ to operate the train. Amtrak gets starved. What do you expect?

stash, that's a joke, right? Amtrak bid on the service. Likely its bid was higher than Corridor Capital's. I don't know. But I don't think that Amtrak's "starving" from any of its state contracts.

Amtrak was invited to participate in the Indiana DOT procurement, but elected not to submit a bid.

Interesting. Didn't know that. Thanks.

This is just so typical of the mentality on TO: Amtrak actually improves service, and those who have been complaining about bad service are not pleased, preferring to question Amtrak's motives than to enjoy the improved service. Of course most of those folks rarely ride Amtrak anyway.

The change to Business Class, food, and Wifi was made Wednesday night departing Chicago.

NewRiverGeorge Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> About time for the food service. Does this mean an
> additional food service car will be added, or just
> a cart-service of some kind?
>
> Wifi don't think will make a heck of a lot of
> difference. Still interesting timing to wait
> until a train is on borrowed time to make such
> announcements (it was originally supposed to have
> been cancelled as of yesterday, the end of
> Amtrak's 2014 fiscal year). Makes it convenient
> to swap equipment around in Chicago as well
> though. No longer any problem with grabbing an
> Illinois coach when the Hoosier ones are out of
> service.
>
> Didn't notice any difference on this mornings
> Hoosier (that preceded the Boardman Special by a
> couple of hours). But must admit I wasn't
> expecting any immediate changes. Will check it
> out tonight and again on Friday.

Ptolemy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This is just so typical of the mentality on TO:
> Amtrak actually improves service, and those who
> have been complaining about bad service are not
> pleased, preferring to question Amtrak's motives
> than to enjoy the improved service. Of course
> most of those folks rarely ride Amtrak anyway.


Truth. Some wouldn't be satisfied if they ran 500mph and handed out 50lb gold nuggets on the train.

< The change to Business Class, food, and Wifi was made Wednesday night departing Chicago. >

Was the Biz-dinette in addition to the 2 Horizon coaches, or in lieu of one of them ?

Glad for the changes after all our years of complaining about lack of attention to this train.