Passenger Trains > Auto-Train not getting much longer...

Thursday's Southbound Auto-Train 53 (09) departed with two locomotives, 13 superliners, and 15 auto carriers tonight. Saturday's train northbound shows availability in all classes, with just lower level coach sold out. The second bucket $112 coach fare is available, as are the roomettes, bedrooms, and family bedroom. Even priority off loading is available.

Curiously, Monday's northbound has the first two coach fare buckets unavailable. Lowest price is $219. But, there's still priority off loading available.

For many years, Amtrak had a wall of auto carriers at Lorton, separating the station track from the CSX / VRE main line. Are they still in place, or have they been moved south to be placed in service?

Amtrak is limiting bookings for coach and business class to 50% of capacity. "Sold out" means half of the seats empty.

52(09) had 13 passenger cars and 13 auto cars.

it will be interesting to see IF the auto-train ever gets back to pre-coronavirus levels...........

66



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/20 07:03 by goneon66.

prr60 Wrote:
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> Amtrak is limiting bookings for coach and business
> class to 50% of capacity. "Sold out" means half of
> the seats empty.

I wondered about that.  It makes a lot of sense, given that a reasonably full train will have about 35%-50% more auto carriers than superliners. That hasn't been the case lately.

But, even with limiting coach space and reducing the number of cars in the consist, they're still selling peak direction tickets at the lowest bucket fare. Not a good sign.  But, nobody is traveling, and airlines etc are storing planes, toll roads are bemoaning low revenues, etc. No reason Amtrak gets a pass from the widespread problem

Latest figures from the TSA show airline loadings nationwide have fallen 93% from same day year ago levels. Loadings into NY City have fallen 98%. Might as well shut down 'till this passes.

   Ross Rowland