Passenger Trains > Traditional Dining serves resumes tomorrow

Tomorrow, June 23rd, is a happy day.

Traditional dining service on the 6 Western trains begins tomorrow. (according to Amtrak's website).

This is the first concrete example of reversing this horrible downgrading caused
by Anderson - and continued under Flynn/Gardner.

Congress gets the credit for forcing this improvement down the throat of Amtrak management.
 

ronald321 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This is the first concrete example of reversing
> this horrible downgrading caused
> by Anderson - and continued under Flynn/Gardner.
>
> Congress gets the credit for forcing this
> improvement down the throat of Amtrak management.

I have to disagree about Flynn. I've been speculating about Amtrak for years, and obviously been wrong before, but it seems Flynn is different from Anderson, possibly in a good way?

I agree. Flynn has done two good things so far --  restored sleepers between Wash. and Boston, and
is challenging the freight railroads before the STB.  He derserves credit for this.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/22/21 08:58 by ronald321.

Wasn't the dining service downgrading more the result of Florida Congressman John Mica's insistence, made into law, that Amtrak food services had to at least break even?  

ronald321 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Tomorrow, June 23rd, is a happy day.
>
> Traditional dining service on the 6 Western trains
> begins tomorrow. (according to Amtrak's website).
>
> This is the first concrete example of reversing
> this horrible downgrading caused
> by Anderson - and continued under Flynn/Gardner.
>
> Congress gets the credit for forcing this
> improvement down the throat of Amtrak management.
>  

Hopefully the next reversal is raising ticket prices higher than Greyhound for a safer environment in the coaches for us poor folks (middle class.lol).

Posted from Android

NPRocky Wrote:
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> Wasn't the dining service downgrading more the
> result of Florida Congressman John Mica's
> insistence, made into law, that Amtrak food
> services had to at least break even?  

Yes, but by Amtrak's own admission, across the eastern LD trains, it saved all of $2 million. That is rounding error, nothing close to break even, and they hide what is left under sleeper car accounting. Forensic audit would reveal that.   

Mica is gone. Congress is not impressed. 
https://www.rollcall.com/2020/06/29/amtrak-dining-cuts-rile-congress/

So does this mean us lowly coach passengers can now dine in the dining car?   Say, on a day trip Denver to Glenwood a nice lunch would be great instead of the stuff from downstairs in the lounge. 

NPRocky

You are quite right, John Mica started the downgrading of dining service--and Anderson then
proceeded to reduce all dining service to basically Amcafe snack service.

I watched all 7 of those Mica hearings on C-Span against poor, helpless Joe Boardman,

But, John Mica is deceased --  and the requirement that dining cars be profit centers, has been
removed from Amtrak funding language.

And in Amtrak's pending funding, there is language forcing Amtrak management to open 
dining cars to ALL passengers. (this will reverse another of Anderson's madness).

 

ronald321 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> NPRocky
>
> You are quite right, John Mica started the
> downgrading of dining service--and Anderson then
> proceeded to reduce all dining service to
> basically Amcafe snack service.
>
> I watched all 7 of those Mica hearings on C-Span
> against poor, helpless Joe Boardman,
>
> But, John Mica is deceased --  and the
> requirement that dining cars be profit centers,
> has been
> removed from Amtrak funding language.
>
> And in Amtrak's pending funding, there is language
> forcing Amtrak management to open 
> dining cars to ALL passengers. (this will
> reverse another of Anderson's madness).
>
>  

John Mica is not deceased 

frntinplate Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So does this mean us lowly coach passengers can
> now dine in the dining car?   Say, on a day trip
> Denver to Glenwood a nice lunch would be great
> instead of the stuff from downstairs in the
> lounge. 

I think this is still in the future. 
Tho not a huge amtak user my experience in coach is that you are somewhat of an annoyng after thought.  Something to delay the cleanup and closeup.

Bob 

I was sorry to see this on TO: 
> Hopefully the next reversal is raising ticket
> prices higher than Greyhound for a safer
> environment in the coaches for us poor folks
> (middle class.lol).

Pretty naked class warfare. This poster wants two segregated transportation systems: One for poor people and another for those who have a few more pennies. Divide and conquer 

John Webb
Trinidad, CA

frntinplate Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So does this mean us lowly coach passengers can
> now dine in the dining car?   Say, on a day trip
> Denver to Glenwood a nice lunch would be great
> instead of the stuff from downstairs in the
> lounge. 

The problem isn't the food in the diner; it's the seating capacity.  Presently Amtrak has suspended community seating and seats only people traveling together.  That means a lot of empty seats--often only one or two people per table.  Until it's again safe to let strangers eat together there won't be sufficient room.  I agree that coach passengers should have full access to the diner, but that probably requires vaccination of all those who can safely take it, which seems to be going more slowly than originally hoped.

They can't tell people to show their vaccination cards in order to sit together. I wouldn't have a problem doing it, but most people would. 
 

ronald321 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Congress gets the credit for forcing this
> improvement down the throat of Amtrak management.
>  

Well Amtrak stated all along flexible dining out west was temporary during the pandemic and that they always planned to bring it back - whether you choose to believe it or not is of course up to you - but I don’t recall anything in any of the bills requiring them to do this. And they have also cut it from the Texas eagle. Also no guarantees as to what they are going to do anywhere else.

Posted from iPhone

Winnemucca Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was sorry to see this on TO:

(snipped, no need to repeat the comment)

> Pretty naked class warfare. This poster wants two
> segregated transportation systems: One for poor
> people and another for those who have a few more
> pennies. Divide and conquer 

This wasn't a noticeable problem years and decades ago, but it has become more widespread today. I can't be blunt or people will lose their minds, but just talking social justice (political rhetoric) hasn't, and won't solve our societal decay. It's sad, but in a much different way.

Winnemucca Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was sorry to see this on TO: 
> > Hopefully the next reversal is raising ticket
> > prices higher than Greyhound for a safer
> > environment in the coaches for us poor folks
> > (middle class.lol).
>
> Pretty naked class warfare. This poster wants two
> segregated transportation systems: One for poor
> people and another for those who have a few more
> pennies. Divide and conquer 

How do you feel about sleeping cars?

altoonafn Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Winnemucca Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I was sorry to see this on TO: 
> > > Hopefully the next reversal is raising ticket
> > > prices higher than Greyhound for a safer
> > > environment in the coaches for us poor folks
> > > (middle class.lol).
> >
> > Pretty naked class warfare. This poster wants
> two
> > segregated transportation systems: One for poor
> > people and another for those who have a few
> more
> > pennies. Divide and conquer 
>
> How do you feel about sleeping cars?

Sleeping cars and dining cars should not be subsidized with tax dollars. I support both but the user should pay the full cost not the tax payer.

Posted from iPhone

Don't forget that the starting date (June 23rd) is based on the origination date.   So, for example on the Calfironia Zephyr, traditional dining service will start on Wed, June 23rd at the origination points of Emeryville, CA and Chicago, IL.   If you catch the train somewhere in the middle points (Salt Lake City, Denver for examples), you will sttil have flex dining for an addtional day or so.  

Winnemucca Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was sorry to see this on TO: 
> > Hopefully the next reversal is raising ticket
> > prices higher than Greyhound for a safer
> > environment in the coaches for us poor folks
> > (middle class.lol).
>
> Pretty naked class warfare. This poster wants two
> segregated transportation systems: One for poor
> people and another for those who have a few more
> pennies. Divide and conquer 

You are so wrong and I really shouldn't respond to someone trying to make a mountain out of a mole hole. But you also must not ride in the Amtrak coach at all anymore. When ticket prices were higher back before Mica, many families rode in the coach and many felt a lot safer than what I am seeing onbored these days. Prices went down by Amtrak officials to get more people in seats, thinking this would appease the politician's to fund service. But politician's only cared about the lack of money Amtrak was bringing in. Thus the cuts. Now do you get it? I'm sorry your on here turning a joke into something about the caste system.

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/22/21 12:24 by grlhughes.

Given that pre-covid, many of the diners were only serving half of the tables, capacity is not a genuine impediment IMHO.