Passenger Trains > Amtrak ridership for their 1st.Month of 2019 (i.e. Oct.2018)

Ridership for October 2019 (1st month of Amtrak's year) versus prior year:

1. Total System ----- Even
2. Total NEC --------- +2%
-. Acela Exp. --------- +2%
-. Regionals ---------- +2%
3.State Supported---+2%
4. Long Distance-----5.5%

Individual Long Distance trains ridership

Cardinal ........ -18%
Capitol Ltd..... -13%
Texas Eagle ..-12%
Silver Star .....-11%
Palmetto -------11%
Silver Meator..-7 %
E. Builder ......-7 %
Lake Shore .... -5 %
Auto Train......-3 %
C.Daylight...... Even
Cal. Zep......... Even
S.W. Chief......Even
City of N.O.....Even
Sunset Ltd.... +11%
Crescent ...... +3%



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/06/18 12:44 by ronald321.

Sorry if it wasn't clear in my post - total long distance ridership is down -5.5%
 

ronald321 Wrote:
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> Sorry if it wasn't clear in my post - total long
> distance ridership is down -5.5%
>  
What do we expect from that leader Zipper Bag Propeller Head Scrooge?  He is doing everything he can to discourage people from riding Amtrak.  Yes we know that the passenger trains get stuck behind freight trains, but the Boob in charge is not making it easier by his lack of positive leadership.  Bah Humbug to you Scrooge Anderson.

John in White Marsh, Maryland



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/06/18 13:55 by ClubCar.

Mission accomplished

Posted from iPhone

I agree.  Anderson has not taken negative actions (yet) on NEC or State supported trains -  and they are showing increases

But his downgrading of certain Long Distance trains (Lake Shore & Capitol Ltd.) has hurt them badly -- and his inaction on the terrible lateness of most LD trains, has pushed them into serious declines or no growth..

The numbers are beginning to reflect his intentions.

ronald321 Wrote:
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> The numbers are beginning to reflect his
> intentions.

For the trains that suffered the ridership declines, who were their host railroads? Let's not jump to conclusions just yet, and analyze the results we don't like. Stay rational and maybe we can find out who is looking to benefit here.

The Delta Dick Master Plan ( late/dirty trains=less riders=easy train offs) is obviously beginning to pay dividends. As word of mouth does its job the losses should steepen and accelerate. Once the ridership on 50/51, 29/30 and 48/49 gets low enough ( probably will take another 18-24 months ?? ) then the train offs will commence.

   Working like a charm.  Ride 'em while you can.

    Sad but true.  Ross Rowland

Just following the master plan of the SP.

Chop a branch of the tree off every few weeks and soon no tree.  In the meantime few people notice just one or two tree branches gone. But gosh the passengers abandoned us.we had to remove the train. !!

As an employee in the SP passenger department during the cut period was difficult.  One never knew what to expect upon going to work each day.

co614 Wrote:
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> The Delta Dick Master Plan

But blaming all on Anderson achieves very little, unless Amtrak proponents have weapons to terminate him immediately.

I've said it before that he may be acting on behalf of others, and don't let foamer emotions excuse Wick Moorman (former CEO of a Class I railroad) just yet. In the high tech world, I've seen so many "outsider CEOs" who execute destructive plans, because they have no attachments to the organizations they were running, and Anderson is the perfect puppet - get his "no salary" to maximize his retirement benefits from Delta, then collect a bonus at the end of his term. He has no incentive to to see Amtrak "succeed" in a traditional sense.

I understand the problems many have with Anderson which I do too but we should also consider some mitigating factors such as weather/hurricanes which caused mostly CSX cancellations for days of Florida service including Autotrain.Capitol Limited and Lakeshore Limited are another, separate, issue. The summer diversion from NYP to NYG may also have had a lingering effect on the Lakeshore.

cchan006 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> co614 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The Delta Dick Master Plan
>
> But blaming all on Anderson achieves very little,
> unless Amtrak proponents have weapons to terminate
> him immediately.
>
> I've said it before that he may be acting on
> behalf of others, and don't let foamer emotions
> excuse Wick Moorman (former CEO of a Class I
> railroad) just yet. In the high tech world, I've
> seen so many "outsider CEOs" who execute
> destructive plans, because they have no
> attachments to the organizations they were
> running, and Anderson is the perfect puppet - get
> his "no salary" to maximize his retirement
> benefits from Delta, then collect a bonus at the
> end of his term. He has no incentive to to see
> Amtrak "succeed" in a traditional sense.

Yeah, that's why he's been attacked this year with the threat on splitting the Chief, the private care scenario, and the downgrading of the Lake Shore and Capitol, he's doing an awesome job, wonder why nobody could find out how he thinks cutting is gonna suceed, once the national system's gone, it'll be Hell on trying to grow corridors!

ProAmtrak Wrote:
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> Yeah, that's why he's been attacked this year with
> the threat on splitting the Chief, the private
> care scenario, and the downgrading of the Lake
> Shore and Capitol, he's doing an awesome job,
> wonder why nobody could find out how he thinks
> cutting is gonna suceed, once the national
> system's gone, it'll be Hell on trying to grow
> corridors!

Note the other double digit declines (in %) are in NS territory, like the Cardinal, Silver Star, and the Palmetto. Coincidence? Maybe. None of you are looking at this angle, and all I hear are whining.

Except for the Empire Builder, the West Coast LD trains are holding steady, like the Coast Starlight, Southwest Chief, and the California Zephyr. Seems the Sunset Limited could be better served with more than 3 trains a week?

So the ridership numbers here imply an East Coast problem. Weather could be a factor, yes, but the West Coast trains run through some nasty mountain ranges, last I checked.

Running direct to NYP is important for the Cardinal. Ridership should rebound now that the train has finally returned to the NEC.

TWC Wrote:
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> Running direct to NYP is important for the
> Cardinal. Ridership should rebound now that the
> train has finally returned to the NEC.

It's a tri-weekly train.....that's not the main driver of the -5.5% drop. Cardinal has at most three Amfleet II coaches. 

I hate to say this but seeing both the Capitol Limited and Lake Shore with -13% and -7% decline in ridership respectively, speaks to the fact that the only major thing that has changed between these two trains year over year is the food service. Amtrak has to admit defeat with the boxed meal program, and until the RFI and consultant report comes back on what and how to deal with food service on LD trains in the 21st century, just maintain the status quo. That is put the Capitol Limited back to its old system of operation with full meal service and Lake Shore Limited with meal service like the Silver Meteor and Crescent. 

Amtrak should also be promoting the heck out of its new Viewliner II Diners - remarkable sightseeing cars to enjoy a meal in. They've done nothing to promote this. The Great Dome brings ridership, the Viewliner II Diner could too, in ,my opinion if good marketing is done. BUT the Viewliner II Diner is still operating a 1950s Diner operation. I don't refute that it needs to be modernized with better supply chain, logistics, general operations, staffing, and more. Amtrak LD ridership, frankly, should be up for all trains east of the Mississippi River as for the first time ever, they can be outfitted and promoted as having a Sightseer Car (Viewliner II Diner) or a better dining experience (via the Viewliner II Diner). No promotion even with the Crescent or Silver Meteor that are carrying these cars. 

Amtrak is not promoting the equipment and show casing the opportunities they have with said equipment. Parking the Viewliner II Diners is not the answer. They could be vehicles to increase ridership if done right!                                       

Where is the Cardinal on NS ? Truncating back to DC also cut expenses, so cut in ridership may not have worsened its bottom line.

Lack of diner on Capitol and Lake Shore according to Amtrak saves $1.5 million per year on expenses. That is 5% of ticket revenue of LSL and 7.5% of the CL. That much of a decline has now taken place. If that is attributable to removal of dining service, it was self defeating. Amtrak will no doubt blame NS instead, and continue to do nothing about it. Either they want ridership to decline or Anderson is afraid of his own shadow and be taken as a idiot by his Class I counterparts, despite his bluster and temper tantrums with certain members of Congress.

Posted from Android

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> Where is the Cardinal on NS ? 
>
> Posted from Android

Between Alexandria and Orange, Va. About 75 miles.

Paul Wilson
Arlington, VA

cchan006 Wrote:

>
> Note the other double digit declines (in %) are in
> NS territory, like the Cardinal, Silver Star, and
> the Palmetto. Coincidence? Maybe. None of you are
> looking at this angle, and all I hear are
> whining.

cchan006, this is baloney.  The Cardinal is only on NS between Alexandria and Orange, VA, and there are no appreciable delays in that territory.  Even on the Crescent, it runs fine between Washington anbd Atlanta.  It's between Atlanta, Birmingham and Meridian where all the huge delays are occurring.  The Silver Star operates on NS for about 30 miles between Selma and Raleigh, NC.  If you want, go ahead and count the extra 7 miles of shared track with CSX between Raleigh and Cary, dispatched by CSX from Jacksonville.  But, again, no delays on NS between Selma and Raleigh.  Lastly, the Palmetto doesn't touch NS except when it crosses the diamonds at Selma, Fayetteville, Charleston and Savannah.  Please think about what you're posting.

It would be interesting to examine the end points for a sample of trips, and see what common causes exist.  And what can be done to improve them.

For example, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington send a lot of passengers to eastern North Carolina, and South Carolina.  How have the expanded flights of Southwest Air from Baltimore affected rail traffic?  $59 and 90  minutes can be attractive, even for people who don't like to fly.

Is there really a market for a day train from the DC area to Charleston?  Is there a deep enough market to pay for a Viewliner "private" compartment on the Palmetto? Amtrak has the Viewliners to do the job.  
 

ronald321 Wrote:
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> Sorry if it wasn't clear in my post - total long
> distance ridership is down -5.5%
>  

The long-term (100 years) trend continues, for a multitude of reasons. This includes Europe and The Americas. Even in China, having spent $bazillion on passenger rail, people turn to cars when they can afford them.

I don't see anything that's going to change that.

Duna Wrote:
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> ronald321 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Sorry if it wasn't clear in my post - total
> long
> > distance ridership is down -5.5%
> >  
>
> The long-term (100 years) trend continues, for a
> multitude of reasons. This includes Europe and The
> Americas. Even in China, having spent $bazillion
> on passenger rail, people turn to cars when they
> can afford them.
>
> I don't see anything that's going to change that.

Owning your own car is absolutely a marker of affluence, in some demographic groups.

But the reluctance of some millennial to own vehicles, in preference to using Lyft or rentals is worth watching.

Posted from Android