Passenger Trains > Best funding ever for worst service ever on Amtrak

Amtrak just got a huge present from Congress ($2.8 or $3.8 can’t remember which. But more money to add/improve service than ever in it’s history and promptly eliminated the diners on the Capitol and the Lakeshore. What is Amtrak doing with the rest of the money? Certainly not spending it on food service.

As taxpayers we are getting less service for more money. I urge everyone to contact their Congressional representatives. I called mine this morning and they were very interested and said they intended to ask Amtrak some hard questions.

John Webb
Trinidad, CA

Even if they got $10 Billion, it doesn't matter. Food service deficit must be eradicated according to PRIIA 2015 provisions and that has to change. The whole issue is no internal cross-subsidies for that in 2019.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/20/18 10:10 by joemvcnj.

if the food service deficit must be eradicated -- then dining cars must be eradicated.

Ah! now you know the real intent of this regulation.

The Delta Team was appointed merely to oversee the complete downgrading and elimination of Amtrak

Our only hope is that our friends in Congress, who gave Amtrak such a nice budget this year, will call some hearings and stop the Delta Team

I don’t understand why people keep saying Amtrak got all this money. No they didn’t they got the same funding as usual, with some extra thrown in specifically and exclusively for Gateway. So where is the extra money coming from. So next year when the Ds control congress, write you critters and get them to eliminate the food service subsidy clause in the next transportation bill.

Posted from iPhone

https://transportation.house.gov/uploadedfiles/prria_2015_packet.pdf

Not to be confused with PRIIA. Food service language is quite explicit above.

NGotwalt: Maybe this will help.

In Anderson's Town Hall Event with employees, he said:

"We are receiving the largest grant in the history of Amtrak - more than we requested..."

"We also have an additional $600 million...for the Northeast Corridor"

But then, Delta Richard muddied the waters with these gobbledygook phrases:

"This funding gives us the capability to execute on all the pillars of our strategy...", and "Let's deploy this capital wisely--only--consistent with our statutory mandate." (translation--we got more money--but I probably won't spend it).

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> https://transportation.house.gov/uploadedfiles/prr
> ia_2015_packet.pdf
>
> Not to be confused with PRIIA. Food service language is quite explicit:

Eliminates Amtrak’s losses in food and beverage service: For years, Amtrak has operated its food and beverage
service at a loss, ignoring mandates that this service must break even. PRRIA 2015 finally tackles this problem
head-on by requiring that Amtrak implement a series of reforms that will reduce losses and grow revenue to
eliminate this loss in five years. The bill will accomplish this by requiring:
• Improved product and supply chain efficiencies
• Strengthened training and accountability for staff
• Improving scheduling of food and beverage staff
• Ticket revenue enhancements

I see nothing in the "requirements" above that explicitly necessitates getting rid of diners....

It's called reading between the lines. What other food service car gets a staff > 1, and where does most of the operating costs of such cars go ?

Only a railroad could figure out a way to lose money on
beverages.

But they do, and on diners, too because they have stuck
to the generations-old systems that have always lost money.

There is no extra money in the first place, and most certainly, there is no extra money for the long distance trains.

I do think Amtrak could do a bit better, and provide heated airline meals similar to what's served om international flights in economy. Dining connoisseurs could be directed to a fine dining restaurant.

It may be time to think about the California Zephyr National Historic Park.

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> It's called reading between the lines. What other
> food service car gets a staff > 1, and where does
> most of the operating costs of such cars go ?

So far, Mr. Anderson (and his support staff) seems to resort to "ready-made solutions" he learned from his previous job, instead of actually sitting down and figuring out what's best for Amtrak based on how passenger railroading actually operates. If his "ready-made solution" doesn't work, then you are right to speculate that eliminating the dining car would be the easiest solution, using "airplane logic" - the weight-and-space-restricted vehicle called the airplane has no room for a "dining" or "cafe" area inside.

On a train, attaching a dining car, or other "non-revenue" car is not that critical as long as it's not overdone. I think PVs fit in that category, too. Does Mr. Anderson know such a basic difference between the airplane and the train?

Judging from comments in many discussions, Amtrak could disappear tomorrow and I estimate about half of the participants of Trainorders couldn't care less. Many want it to disappear, convinced that it's a waste of taxpayer dollars.

Show of hands: How many participants of the Model Railroad or Nostalgia & History discussion forums have ridden an Amtrak train in the last five years, if ever?

CA_Sou_MA_Agent Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Show of hands: How many participants of the Model
> Railroad or Nostalgia & History discussion forums
> have ridden an Amtrak train in the last five
> years, if ever?


I have. Last Amtrak ride was 2 months ago. In the last 5 years, probably ridden 18 times.

Z

Took a cross country trip on Amtrak last year and had a blast, what makes me sick is Ronald, Reindeer, etc. Assu me the worst, how many timnes have we been on this merry go round and nothing happens! If Anderson is smart he better learn quick that downgrading services isn't gonna work and quit canceling trains when snow hits, AMTRAK IS NOT AN AIRLINE!!!!!!

Posted from Android

Realist Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Only a railroad could figure out a way to lose
> money on
> beverages.
>
> But they do, and on diners, too because they have
> stuck
> to the generations-old systems that have always
> lost money.

Lounge cars make money always did, always have, different animal from diners. Food service won't, even if you do it exactly as the airlines do it because that's already been tried, with plastic plates, cutlery, individual portions precooked et al. Even SP Hamburger Grill cars with a minimum of service and menu did not make money nor did the Automats. I've run PVs for over 20 years and my food service is a loss leader; you have to factor it in with the transportation costs and price accordingly - and, yes, I've had trips that lost money overall due to unforeseen expenses. People will not ride long distance trains without a bare modicum of hot meals.

The only way to make the food service profitable is to eliminate it and run coach only or with news agent ala NWP's REDWOOD or a latter day Rock Island train. That, of course, will merely be a precursor to dropping the train entirely, which may be the intention anyway.