Passenger Trains > Try Weakly Capacity

Just booked the last room available on the Capitol Limited for a train over two months out.  So sleeper class is now sold out, anyone else wanting to get a room, tough luck.

But nobody wants to travel right now becasuse of the Pandemic Times of Cronavirus, so Amtrak needs to cut the trains back to Try Weakly serving America.

Makes sense.  Throttling capacity by 58% after already restricting capacity by 50% shouldn't affect forward looking demand at all.

abyler Wrote:
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> Just booked the last room available on the Capitol
> Limited for a train over two months out.  So
> sleeper class is now sold out, anyone else wanting
> to get a room, tough luck.
>
> But nobody wants to travel right now because of
> the Pandemic Times of Cronavirus, so Amtrak needs
> to cut the trains back to Try Weakly serving
> America.
>
> Makes sense.  Throttling capacity by 58% after
> already restricting capacity by 50% shouldn't
> affect forward looking demand at all.
I disagree.  Tri weekly service is the beginning of the end for Amtrak.  Even though fewer people are traveling right now, tri weekly service is very inconvenient for most people because there will not be decent connections due to days where trains do not operate.  So it does not make sense, and there are so many small cities and towns around the USA that have no other public transportation and these people depend on this service.  We will become worse than a third world country when this occurs.  Trust me, this is a very bad idea unless it is your desire to see Amtrak Passenger Trains all but disappear.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

I just looked at a possible trip to a specific event using No's 30 and 29.  29 runs on the needed date. 30 doesn't. So I'll drive. 

> Tri weekly service is the beginning
> of the end for Amtrak.  Even though fewer people
> are traveling right now, tri weekly service is
> very inconvenient....
> ....We will become worse than a third world
> country when this occurs.

Um....perhaps that's just slightly hyperbolic?  Take a deep breath.  Yuma and Alpine and Lafayette are all still kicking along despite not having had daily train service in 50 years or so and there are far more towns that have never had Amtrak than there are that do.  There are a lot of things happening in this country that if not reversed could well lead to the outcome you describe, but the LD Amtrak trains having inconvenent schedules - or even 1-star food - isn't going to be what pushes us over some precipice.

. 

 

abyler Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just booked the last room available on the Capitol
> Limited for a train over two months out.  So
> sleeper class is now sold out, anyone else wanting
> to get a room, tough luck.
>
> But nobody wants to travel right now because of
> the Pandemic Times of Coronavirus, so Amtrak needs
> to cut the trains back to Try Weakly serving
> America.
>
> Makes sense.  Throttling capacity by 58% after
> already restricting capacity by 50% shouldn't
> affect forward looking demand at all.

LD bookings have held up better than all the corridors and not subject to depressed business travel.
If they run 43% as often with capacity capped at 50% of actual seated capacity, capacity will be 22% of of normal daily service. They will be turning away a lot of business, perhaps before most even bother booking, especially around the winter holidays.  

ClubCar Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> abyler Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Just booked the last room available on the
> Capitol
> > Limited for a train over two months out.  So
> > sleeper class is now sold out, anyone else
> wanting
> > to get a room, tough luck.
> >
> > But nobody wants to travel right now because of
> > the Pandemic Times of Cronavirus, so Amtrak
> needs
> > to cut the trains back to Try Weakly serving
> > America.
> >
> > Makes sense.  Throttling capacity by 58% after
> > already restricting capacity by 50% shouldn't
> > affect forward looking demand at all.
> I disagree.  Tri weekly service is the beginning
> of the end for Amtrak.  Even though fewer people
> are traveling right now, tri weekly service is
> very inconvenient for most people because there
> will not be decent connections due to days where
> trains do not operate.  So it does not make
> sense, and there are so many small cities and
> towns around the USA that have no other public
> transportation and these people depend on this
> service.  We will become worse than a third world
> country when this occurs.  Trust me, this is a
> very bad idea unless it is your desire to see
> Amtrak Passenger Trains all but disappear.
> John in White Marsh, Maryland

It was sarcasm my friend. I think this Try Weakly service is a disaster in the making.

I just read some stories in the International Rail Journal weekly website that demonstrate that several places in the world are expecting and investing for growth in passenger service.
Three examples:
Switzerland and Austria are buying equipment to expand the "Nightjet" overnight services into new markets and reinforce existing markets.
Viet Nam is receiving new rolling stock for Hanoi's second metro line with part of the route a subway.
Guadalajara, Mexico, just commissioned their third metro line.
That one week sample made my both glad for a future for passenger transport and sad for the state of affairs in the US.
It could be so much better even with the limited resources our congress has provided if we just had leadership that accepted  the mission to MAGA.

andersonb109 Wrote:
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> I just looked at a possible trip to a specific
> event using No's 30 and 29.  29 runs on the
> needed date. 30 doesn't. So I'll drive. 

This is what it's like living along the route of the Cardinal.

Posted from Android

My friend in the res. dep't. tells me that trips requiring a Chicago connection have " fallen of a cliff" as many desired dates don't work for a Chicago connection without a 1 or in some cases 2 night hotel stay ( on the customers dime) in Chicago. Basically that business has gone down somewhere in the vacinity of 85%.

   Ride 'em while you can.   Ross Rowland 

co614 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My friend in the res. dep't. tells me that trips
> requiring a Chicago connection have " fallen of a
> cliff" as many desired dates don't work for a
> Chicago connection without a 1 or in some cases 2
> night hotel stay ( on the customers dime) in
> Chicago. Basically that business has gone down
> somewhere in the vacinity of 85%.
>
>    Ride 'em while you can.   Ross Rowland 

One problem in lining up separate 3x weekly schedules is they don't line up properly with seven day weeks. As these examples show.

There aren't a lot of trains in the mix, so arranging a trip that leaves the east coast on the 1st would connect with trains west in Chicago on the late night of the 2nd, early morn of the 3rd. With sleepers available for boarding well before departure, and meals served in the station. Eastbound trains would leave the west coast on the 2nd, with arrival in Chicago and New Orleans well before the next eastern / northern departure.

That would require a lot more work from reservations agents and customers, however.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> co614 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > My friend in the res. dep't. tells me that
> trips
> > requiring a Chicago connection have " fallen of
> a
> > cliff" as many desired dates don't work for a
> > Chicago connection without a 1 or in some cases
> 2
> > night hotel stay ( on the customers dime) in
> > Chicago. Basically that business has gone down
> > somewhere in the vacinity of 85%.
> >
> >    Ride 'em while you can.   Ross Rowland 
>
> One problem in lining up separate 3x weekly
> schedules is they don't line up properly with
> seven day weeks. As these examples show.
>
> There aren't a lot of trains in the mix, so
> arranging a trip that leaves the east coast on the
> 1st would connect with trains west in Chicago on
> the late night of the 2nd, early morn of the 3rd.
> With sleepers available for boarding well before
> departure, and meals served in the station.
> Eastbound trains would leave the west coast on the
> 2nd, with arrival in Chicago and New Orleans well
> before the next eastern / northern departure.
>
> That would require a lot more work from
> reservations agents and customers, however.


Fly half way on the Plane, then half way on Amtrak Train.

Absolutely pitiful sized Lake Shore leaving Sunnyside today. Two coaches, Viewliner diner, two sleepers, a baggage car (probably mostly empty). Very sad.

Posted from iPhone

I received my six month notification that I need to renew my Nexus card (expedited cross border transfer between the US and Canada).  Part of the renewal process requires an interview at one of the designated locations.  Living in the Seattle area, my first choice was Blaine about an hour north.  Guess what no interviews at all are available.  I even went 6 months past the expiration date on my card.  No such luck.  The next option was the border crossing at Sweet Grass, MT.  Same as Blaine - no interviews available.  Going further East, the next option was in North Dakota, I think at Portal.  Same situation.  I finally found an opening at International Falls, MN. on December 16th.  OK, fine.  So, I thought I'd splurge and take the Empire Builder to the Twin Cities and drive to International Falls.  If the Empire Builder were still daily, it would be no problem.  But tri-weekly, it doesn't really work.  Going East, I arrive at SPUD when I want to.  No problem there.  The return however means I have to spend two extra days either in the Twin Ports or the Twin Cities.  That's not really an option.  Especially not in December. Since I have some time before I have to buy my tickets, I'm weighing the merits of train east, fly west, train both ways, or plane both ways.  Right now,the plane is winning since the round trip airfare is less than the one way sleeping car fare and would give me the option of having just enough extra time in the Twin Cities at little to no extra expense to ride the light rail .  And no, coach is not an option.  Back in the day when I was young and stupid, I didn't care.  Now that I'm old and stupid, however, the old part puts a lot more toll on my body.

I got to thinking, the tri-weekly restrictions will unfortunately start picking away at current ridership, as we get closer to the October reduction dates.
People won't go, if they can't return on the date they want.  LD ridership will probably trend down the next few weeks.

TSA has seen a lot of agents come down with Covid here in FL.

Posted from Android

Start focusing on rebuilding frequency for Summer 2021.
Might not be daily. Might not be uniform across all LDT.
But restoring back to 4/week or 5/week would be a good next step.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> TSA has seen a lot of agents come down with Covid
> here in FL.
>
> Posted from Android

"come down with Covid": Do you mean a positive test or do they have symptoms?

RRTom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lackawanna484 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > TSA has seen a lot of agents come down with
> Covid
> > here in FL.
> >
> > Posted from Android
>
> "come down with Covid": Do you mean a positive
> test or do they have symptoms?

They are out of work. Fortunately, work loads are down.

Tri weakly is a disaster. Just one data point but I had two CHI-EMY trips planned for Friday departures in Feb & March. I was unable to change to the Sat departure so Amtrak gave me a full refund of both sleeper fares.  I am based in SF and both the Starlight and Zephyr schedules basically will not fit my travel patterns at all. Not likely to be able to take a trip until service is restored (which could  be never). 

andersonb109 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I just looked at a possible trip to a specific
> event using No's 30 and 29.  29 runs on the
> needed date. 30 doesn't. So I'll drive. 

For me, an occasional traveller who enjoys riding the train, this is one of the main problems with tri-weekly service. Less than daily service seldom works when trying to attach travel to the specific dates of an event. There will be lots of potential customers who will opt out of train travel because it means one or two days of waiting for the trains departure dates. My sister and brother in law would have taken the train several winters for an event in San Diego that ran from Wednesday to Sunday, but the Sunset's tri weekly schedule extended the time in San Diego to over a week.