Passenger Trains > Surfliners short of equipment - by design

Trains Mag. reports this morning that the LA-San Diego trains are coming back strong--with near standee conditions sometimes.

But, although trains will be increased to 9 round trips from 7 -- it is not possible to restore all 13 pre-Covid round trips.

The reason given was  that Calif, returned 28 cars that had been on lease from Amtrak -- as a cost cutting measure.

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/24/21 06:15 by ronald321.

Still at 9 RT a day that's probably some of the best service in the country. Figure on an 18 hour day that's service every 2 hours! 

Also imagine how people on here would have howled if they had kept paying for cars they were not using. Absolutely howled. Why is California wasting money they don’t have…I can hear it now.

Posted from iPhone

The current San Joaquin pool should free up for service elsewhere when the new Siemens cars arrive, correct?

Dave

ronald321 Wrote:
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> The reason given was  that Calif, returned 28
> cars that had been on lease from Amtrak -- as a
> cost cutting measure.

They returned 28 cars? So there was a Horizon train set, and then two train sets that were using ex-NJT cars that California paid for refurbing. Then there were also Superliner Coaches in the RIP track at Beech Grove that the State of California fixed up and leased from Amtrak. presuming, but don't know for sure that it was cars relating to all of the former. and then maybe just some of the refurbed Superliner Coaches? That's a pretty interesting move actually.......Course if the new single level cars from Siemens could be deployed, that would have covered things nicely!

Flyer92122

I agree Completely!  The Surfliners are my favorite trains.  I like everything about them.

 

Flyer92122 Wrote:
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> Still at 9 RT a day that's probably some of the
> best service in the country. Figure on an 18 hour
> day that's service every 2 hours! 

There used to be 13 RTs so pre-pandemic there was more demand/more service

BTW prepandemic there was 15 RT daily on the Cpaitol Corridor trains in the bay area.

NGotwalt Wrote:
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> Also imagine how people on here would have howled
> if they had kept paying for cars they were not
> using. Absolutely howled. Why is California
> wasting money they don’t have…I can hear it
> now.
>
> Posted from iPhone

I don't think TO folks would have howled about keeping the leased cars on reserve until demand returned. By that logic they should have also sold off any excess Surfliner equipment not in use at the low point of service.

And if you want to see the result of that logic -- liquidate the assets you are not using -- look at the mess the rental car industry is facing this summer.

WP17

I never cared for the original California Car order. This is what you get when people that don't ride trains design a railcar interior. It has been a number of years since i rode them but my recolllection was they were uncomfortable.  They had seats that did not recline. Well they sort of reclined by pulling the bottom slightly and it gave you a slight recline, but nothing comfortable.  They also had horribily over bright lighting that kept the passenger on edge during night trips.  They also lacked any usuable overhead luggage compartments with doors that enclose a space capable of holding a briefcase at best. I don't know if they ever upgraded them, but back in the day it was entertaining to watch passengers who never rode the train try to jam their stuff into these compartments.  

 

Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com

I believe cars were returned to Amtrak in anticipation of the new Siemens cars going into service on the San Joaquins would free up the bi-levels currently used on the San Joaquins for use in So. Cal. Since the Siemens cars have not been accepted by Caltrans, and probably still a ways off, the So. Cal services are impacted as well as the Capitols with their expanded service plan.

Those seats are standard on most trains in Europe.
 

New Jersey cars owned by the State of California, not used on the Surfliners.

Fleet of Horizons are gone to Washington State for Talgo replacement's.

The Superliners that were being used as 2nd business class are part of equipment returned.

Reported that eight California cars were sent south a few months back to backfill.

Note that reservations are now necessary on 3 day weekends and during the Del Mar Race track.

Sure they expected cars released from San Joaquin would be available, one wonders how long the new cars remain waiting for acceptence.

mundo Wrote:
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 one wonders how long the new cars remain waiting for acceptence.

Without going into the details, which I can't anyway, there is a laundry list of issues to be resolved by Siemens before Caltrans will take delivery and Amtrak will operate them in revenue service. There may be some light at the end of the tunnel though, as IDOT accepted 5 cars today in Chicago.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/24/21 11:54 by KM-ML4000.

If Illinois accepted some of these cars today -- it sounds like
the led pipe problem was "fixable", as Siemens told us it was.

Anybody know who will get these cars first - Illinois or Calif. ?

 

The lead problem is not corrected, and the IDOT cars will need to be outfitted with WiFi and do crew training runs before they are placed in service. Just because IDOT took delivery, does not mean that there is still not considerable work to be done by the States, Amtrak, and most fo all Siemens before they haul revenue trains.
ronald321 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If Illinois accepted some of these cars today --
> it sounds like
> the led pipe problem was "fixable", as Siemens
> told us it was.
>
> Anybody know who will get these cars first -
> Illinois or Calif. ?
>
>  

No worries. High Speed Rail is coming. Any decade now ! LOL

SanDiegan Wrote:
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> No worries. High Speed Rail is coming. Any decade
> now ! LOL

Not in our lifetimes that's for sure!

Well, Beech Grove sent this freshly outshopped leased Superliner coach back to California in February. 
I would be curious to know which 28 cars were returned?

---

Seeing as California subsidizes the Surfliners, I would say the root of this issue lies with the state, and not so much Amtrak 

mundo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> New Jersey cars owned by the State of California,
> not used on the Surfliners.
>
> Fleet of Horizons are gone to Washington State for
> Talgo replacement's.
>
> The Superliners that were being used as 2nd
> business class are part of equipment returned.
>
> Reported that eight California cars were sent
> south a few months back to backfill.
>
> Note that reservations are now necessary on 3 day
> weekends and during the Del Mar Race track.
>
> Sure they expected cars released from San Joaquin
> would be available, one wonders how long the new
> cars remain waiting for acceptance.

I lost track of what is going on there. This is how i remember it:

Some years ago, California paid Amtrak money to wreck-repair 7 or 8 Superliner coaches, and got renumbered for Surfliner service.
Anderson leased about 20 more Superliners expecting the SW Chief was going to get killed, more to come as he would kill or reduce to tri-weekly 5 - 10 more LD trains. 

Where did Seattle's 18 or 20 Horizon cars come from, LA or Chicago ? 
Are there any Amfleet cars in LA anymore ?