Passenger Trains > One-line trip report, San Joaquin 713(26)

It's not good, by a friend in California out of Tucson:

"No food service on this run."

Riding Bakersfield-Martinez on bread and water. Minus the bread.

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Not at all. This is Amtrak's State Supported San Jouquin service-not the Cal Dept of Corrections transport service. People who are traveling on the San Jouquins the entire route need food options on the train. On the bright side-it's nice to see the Amtrak owned F40PH cabbage car in the consist.

He may have ridden these same coaches before, with no food service. For years he commuted from Princeton Jct., NJ into NY Penn; until the Amtrak Clockers were killed off; he preferred those but otherwise took NJT. Finally got tired of the Northeast, sold his condo, moved to Arizona where he bought one, and banked the $$$$ left over.

But he went from how many daily trains, to six a week...

One San Joaquin trip each way - #713 northbound and #718 southbound - show no food service.  Since Amtrak provides the services contracted by the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority, it seems the issue is with the SJJPA, not Amtrak. As the OP has repeatedly pointed out, Amtrak does not call the shots with the California services..

Correct. The San Joaquin JPB (Altamont Corridor Express) is tesponsible.

They don’t have Cafe service in the Comet Cars?, or are they short a Comet Car with a cafe?

With the accident involving 717 last week in San Pablo, it seems to have brought back the second set of Comet trains. It was on 710 today, but it shows having cafe service.

I’ve noticed trains 710/711 hadn’t been using the Comet cars as wheel count this past week, they were all bi-level consists.

Gary

Posted from iPhone

SN711 Wrote:
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> They don’t have Cafe service in the Comet Cars?,
> or are they short a Comet Car with a cafe?
>
> With the accident involving 717 last week in San
> Pablo, it seems to have brought back the second
> set of Comet trains. It was on 710 today, but it
> shows having cafe service.
>
> I’ve noticed trains 710/711 hadn’t been using
> the Comet cars as wheel count this past week, they
> were all bi-level consists.
>
> Gary
>
> Posted from iPhone

The Comet Cars had a Horizon Dinette as part of this consist. So there is/was a food service car provided - not sure why it's not operable but I don't think its Amtrak's call..........

The train set with low-level Comet cars used to feature, pre-COVID, a Horizon fleet cafe car. With COVID came the elimination of all cafe car service. Passengers were left "snack packs" and small water bottles. The snack packs contained cookies, pretzels and, as I recall, a granola-type bar. Not much. As a result, I would bring my own food and beverage.

When Amtrak California reintroduced cafe car service it was only on the bi-level train sets. I suspect California let Amtrak remove the Horizon cafe cars and not return them to service. Amtrak may have used the cars on the Midwestern trains instead, meaning they are no longer available for the Comet car train set. On the bi-level train sets, menu items are more limited than pre-COVID. Yet on the Pacific Surfliner, there is a full selection- as in the pre-COVID era. Both trains are state-sponsored but run by different agencies. My analogy to this is the DMV in California is a better run agency than the EDD (not that the DMV is efficient- it is just better than the EDD agency). 

Such a move to not provide food service or at least a meal stop for such a long run would have been denounced as anti-passenger in the pre-Amtrak era.

The three Horizon Dinettes were painted to match the Comet Cars, and included trainlines for door closed summary circuit, WiFi and ethernet.  So no WiFi on this train either.  I don't understand why the Horizon Dinettes are not back in service with the Comet Cars, but I assume it's the SJJPA trying to save a penny.  It would be interesting to know where they went.

Stan Hunter
Fair Oaks, CA

jeffgeldner Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The train set with low-level Comet cars used to
> feature, pre-COVID, a Horizon fleet cafe car. With
> COVID came the elimination of all cafe car
> service. Passengers were left "snack packs" and
> small water bottles. The snack packs contained
> cookies, pretzels and, as I recall, a granola-type
> bar. Not much. As a result, I would bring my own
> food and beverage.
>
> When Amtrak California reintroduced cafe car
> service it was only on the bi-level train sets. I
> suspect California let Amtrak remove the Horizon
> cafe cars and not return them to service. Amtrak
> may have used the cars on the Midwestern trains
> instead, meaning they are no longer available for
> the Comet car train set. On the bi-level train
> sets, menu items are more limited than pre-COVID.
> Yet on the Pacific Surfliner, there is a full
> selection- as in the pre-COVID era. Both trains
> are state-sponsored but run by different agencies.
> My analogy to this is the DMV in California is a
> better run agency than the EDD (not that the DMV
> is efficient- it is just better than the EDD
> agency). 
>
> Such a move to not provide food service or at
> least a meal stop for such a long run would have
> been denounced as anti-passenger in the pre-Amtrak
> era.

So where would you put a "meal stop"? Oh and since you can't sit and block the main for 30-45 minutes you'll need a siding too.

Meal stops would not be an option today given the lack of food establishments near the depots. My example is what happened in the past. When MoPac clipped the Colorado Eagle's wings by removing the dome cars, sleepers, louonge and diner in 1964, they had a few meal stops but then the train likely stopped near downtown areas which had diners or coffee shops. The former Santa Fe line through the Valley is routed away from most downtown areas vs. the former SP line.

When Amtrak California started featuring the bi-level cars they staffed the cafe car with 2 attendants so tray meal table side service was offered. Cut backs killed that. Only other option would be to convince a track side food truck to meet each train mid-way (i.e. Merced). Probably not enough business to warrant it, even if the train could be held on the siding for a prolonged stop (and that would lengthen the trip). Mexico's Aztec Eagle featured coaches and sleepers but no lounge or diner in later years. However, street vendors met the train during service stops (and food quality was very good). But time keeping was less than stellar with long service stops. Best scenario for Amtrak California would be an advisory when anyone books the trains lacking a cafe car (on line or via the phone) to bring your own food if cafe car service is not reestablished. Sad that a train on a 6 hour run cannot offer food service yet the 3 hour run of the Pacific Surflners still feature a cafe car.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/26/21 15:36 by jeffgeldner.

The SJJPA intends to remove cafe service from all San Joaquin trains. The Seimens Venture cars they've ordered do not include cafe cars. The bilevel sets will eventually be transferred to Capitols and possibly Surfliners.

Thanks for the update. Sad that the majority of California's politicians insist on wasting money on the high speed train to nowhere and can't seem to include a cafe car in the San Joaquin consist...par for the course in the Golden State...

 

Boilingman?

thetuck Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The SJJPA intends to remove cafe service from all
> San Joaquin trains. The Seimens Venture cars
> they've ordered do not include cafe cars. The
> bilevel sets will eventually be transferred to
> Capitols and possibly Surfliners.

However, there will be 2 cars with "vending machines" on each of the San Juaquin train sets.

Actually, a good portion of the ridership were "graduates" from the all the state prisons that lined the route. With California now releasing thousands of felons to roam the streets, the ridership on the San Joaquins may well have improved. They used to board at the many prison town stops, go straight for the cafe car, get drunk, harass other passengers (particularly women) and then get thrown off the train ! Caltrans should have let Greyhound keep that market.

If I recall correctly, the San Joaquin corridor trains were originally launched at the turn of the century with the new bi-level cars and the cafe actually offered nice "hot tray meal" service and an additional LSA to assist with the whole dining experience. Things then gradually eroded away. It was similar to the Seattle to Vancouver, BC Cascades corridor train - the 7 am northbound to Vancouver, BC offered a sit-down plated breakfast in the "dining" part of the Talgo train set; then in the evening, the southbound 5:30 pm departure out of Vancouver offered a sit-down plated dinner. It was actually VERY good. But costs had to be cut and slowly this service disappeared......I partook in the Cascades service MANY times and it was quite unique and VERY popular with passenger. Business Class even got a $5 coupon towards the cafe/dining costs. Now - vending machines.....  

Those Siemens Venture Cars, owned by Caltrans, will be operating on the Pacific Surfliner routes in addition to the San Joaquins. If food service on the San Joaquins were to ever get eliminated, that is not going to go well for passengers, especially those traveling from the Bay Area all the way down to Bakersfield. Those people getting off in Bakersfield have to switch to a 2 plus hour bus ride anyway when heading to Los Angeles and I don't think the Amcal buses heading from Bakersfield to LA make food stops.

I'm sure that the San Joaquins still transported ex-cons who just got released from any of the state prisons along the route. Wasco and Corcoran Stations probably can have some "interesting" characters who just got released. I'm not sure is Greyhound even serves many of those rural communities along the San Joaquin route. They have cut back on service so much and the only way without driving into and out of those agricultural communities is the train.

Part of the problem is that the San Joaquin JPA that runs it has been primarily a commuter agency.  They do not really seem to be interested in longer distance riders that would need more in a meal. Gone are the days when Caltrans worked to provide quality vendors and decent food for the Cafe cars.  SP automat days, here we come again.

Passfanatic Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Those Siemens Venture Cars, owned by Caltrans,
> will be operating on the Pacific Surfliner routes
> in addition to the San Joaquins. If food service
> on the San Joaquins were to ever get eliminated,
> that is not going to go well for passengers,
> especially those traveling from the Bay Area all
> the way down to Bakersfield. Those people getting
> off in Bakersfield have to switch to a 2 plus hour
> bus ride anyway when heading to Los Angeles and I
> don't think the Amcal buses heading from
> Bakersfield to LA make food stops.
>
> I'm sure that the San Joaquins still transported
> ex-cons who just got released from any of the
> state prisons along the route. Wasco and Corcoran
> Stations probably can have some "interesting"
> characters who just got released. I'm not sure is
> Greyhound even serves many of those rural
> communities along the San Joaquin route. They have
> cut back on service so much and the only way
> without driving into and out of those agricultural
> communities is the train.

So then this means the food trucks should park right at the Bakersfield train station, in between where passengers walk between the trains and the buses???