Passenger Trains > Lake Shore returns to 10 cars

Starting Tues the 7th I noticed LSL 49 reporting 48 axles by the Whitesboro, NY detector (up from 44).
I checked 48 this morning passing the Fairport railcam and it had 10 cars: Sleeper, business, 4 coaches, diner. 2 sleepers and bag.
Before the Jan. consist cutback it had 11 cars.
Andy

Yes the second Boston coach came back Monday as it usually does for spring. If I’m remembering correctly from last year they cut it back from 11 to 9 for the winter cutback then went to 10 for spring (second Boston coach) and back to 11 for summer (third New York coach.)

Still down 1 coach per season since pre-Anderson, as is the Cardinal. 
Too many Amfleet-2's are tied up in corrior services deliberately, while many Horizon cars are stashed in Beech Grove and Chicago.

This continues Gardener's assault on the national network, now in a stealth manner, going on since 2018 as revealed via FOIA by Trains-in-the-Valley of Amtrak Board minutes.

https://cdn.muckrock.com/foia_files/2019/09/18/Board_of_Directors_Minutes_of_Meeting_March_22_2018.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1BxBLHvZoMAvgm7oDWb9NXtsXgum2zxz1viCA5d-qdopQgz8T9kCSqv7E

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Exactly and the last bit "discussion with Gardner and Anderson" concerning the National Networks future was just publicly revealed as that one sentence. A discussion took place but no details were put on th record. Remember even though Anderson was CEO, it appears Gardner was calling the shots even then.

One way to starve off the western transons is to cut capacity on the east coast feeders onto Chicago. We also have the Capitol Ltd cut to 1 coach + 1 sleeper. 

So we have national passenger rail policies being solely determined by the unelected Gardner and Coscia, while Buttigieg and his Deputy Trottenberg are out to lunch, Congress is unaware of the nitty-gritty of consists, and NARPdbaRA refuses to condemn Amtrak's actions in public, thinking they have a seat at the Amtrak management table. 

It would be very interesting to see what percentage of passengers in Chicago are connecting from one Amtrak train to another Amtrak train

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Still down 1 coach per season since pre-Anderson,
> as is the Cardinal. 
> Too many Amfleet-2's are tied up in corrior
> services deliberately, while many Horizon cars are
> stashed in Beech Grove and Chicago.
>
> This continues Gardener's assault on the national
> network, now in a stealth manner, going on since
> 2018 as revealed via FOIA by Trains-in-the-Valley
> of Amtrak Board minutes.
>
> https://cdn.muckrock.com/foia_files/2019/09/18/Boa
> rd_of_Directors_Minutes_of_Meeting_March_22_2018.p
> df?fbclid=IwAR1BxBLHvZoMAvgm7oDWb9NXtsXgum2zxz1viC
> A5d-qdopQgz8T9kCSqv7E

State supported corridors are NOT a national network strategy. It is the antithesis of a NATIONAL NETWORK. How do any of them get away with this?

Posted from Android

ChicagoCoyote Wrote:
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> It would be very interesting to see what
> percentage of passengers in Chicago are connecting
> from one Amtrak train to another Amtrak train

Tends to be higher than one thinks for the long distance trains - Chicago that is. On the contrary New York City, although still high, was much lower. 

Keep in mind after McHugh was brief President of Amtrak, this is also when most of the "receive only" and "discharge only" was dropped for MANY long distance trains operating on trackage that also hosted regular corridor trains (e.g. long distance travel on the NEC or up the Hudson Valley via the Lake Shore Limited). The "receive" and "discharge" only was used so it kept inventory open for those travelling the longer distances. 

 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/10/23 09:45 by jp1822.

So anyone who always got on me on being negative about how the LD Network is being treated, what Joe posted shows me and others who knew what's going on with Amtrak where dead on, I like going both ways, not "corridors only and screw the LD Network" I bet it's gonna bit them in the butt too before too long no thanks to their mindset since Airline Boy was CEO!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/10/23 17:09 by ProAmtrak.

This is one conspiracy theory that 5 years after the fact has proven true, and that is not a good thing. I would love to have been proven wrong. 

We had a couple of unelected bureaucrats gone rogue, defying Congress, unilaterally determining national passenger train policies, and two of them are still there doing damage in a very stealth manner in multiple ways that I won't bother enumerating now, and are both are walking, talking conflicts of interest with their past or present non-Amtrak working lives.  

I fail to see any connection between cars on the Lake Shore and executive management wanting to pitch changes to the network in 2018 nor do I see this as setting transportation policy. They had the right to have a point of view on this and to pitch their point of view. Anything required congressional approval to implement. There’s nothing really new here we all knew they wanted to pitch network changes during Amtrak’s reauthorization and as we know the Chief was the first target. Congress rightly rejected it as this was a highly flawed plan. But there’s nothing here to indicate a connection between what was going on in 2018 and every day to day thing that happens at Amtrak with car shortages etc. They had a different flawed Vision of what they thought the network should look like. That doesn’t mean they’re evil or villainous and constantly twirling their mustache to figure out how to screw LD customers next - they just had different views. People can be wrong and it doesn’t automatically mean they’re evil or malicious. I’m sure most who have posted on this thread will disagree and that’s fine - but just my perspective.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/10/23 18:06 by lordsigma.

When they decided to lie by stating the reason for the bus bridge was PTC (was exempted), and deteriorating track (already being funded to repair from multiple sources), and lie about ridership trends and load factors, their ploy was to deceive Congress to implement their own policy.

Yes, they are evil. Lying is not about disagreement; it is about deception, which is a firing with cause offense as far as I am concerned.

Selective fleet shortages, opening up corridor reservations to LD trains where there is frequent service to lock out longer distance travelers, abolishing TEMPO revenue management, shabby treatment of people in certain trains to sit in cafe cars, abolishing Amtrak Express are all indicators they are still at it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/10/23 18:23 by joemvcnj.

I didn’t really detect any deception in the hearing I watched with Anderson. I think he really did think the idea of PTC exempt areas was inherently unsafe and I do think that factored into the targeting of that route. He came from airlines and I think he was thinking of it from an airline point of view and to be fair he had two major accidents right when he started that PTC could have prevented. He was known to comment that he thought the idea of dark territories was crazy. Anderson was obsessed with PTC.

Not to mention sacraficing a car for another car instead of adding the car back to a certian LD Train! Sorry Lord, but your claim doesn't hold water at all!

ProAmtrak Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Not to mention sacraficing a car for another car
> instead of adding the car back to a certian LD
> Train! Sorry Lord, but your claim doesn't hold
> water at all!

I'm confused. Which car you talking about?

Here's the optics that have played out in recent years - for better or worse:

Amtrak has no problem raiding what is seen or commonly referred to as long distance passenger rail equipment to fill in for corridor, special trains (e.g. Ski Train) NEC passenger cars, etc. BUT it has NOT gone the other way around, when in the past, it typically has.

Think about that, especially those that have ridden Amtrak and seen various Amtrak management in action. Not trying to fuel the fire. As I mentioned, it's interesting optics and plays into a narrative quite easily - for better or worse.  



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/11/23 09:30 by jp1822.

They’ve been raiding northeast corridor Amfleet 1s lately for the Midwest along with Amfleet 2s. The sooner the Ventures All get into service the better.

lordsigma Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> They’ve been raiding northeast corridor Amfleet
> 1s lately for the Midwest along with Amfleet 2s.
> The sooner the Ventures All get into service the
> better.

How about pulling a couple of dozen Horizons out of dead storage in Beech Grove and Chicago ? 
This equipment shortage is FAKE. 

Anyone who thinks Anderson was anything but agenda driven, arrogant and clueless either wasn't watching the two years go down or is revising the facts. As others have already stated this mindset is still going on within Amtrak management, it's just not as brash and in your face as Anderson was. Gardners learned to say the right things, his and the boards actions don't back it up though. I'm am confident had the pandemic not occurred we'd be in a very similar place right now. The Anderson/Gardner plan was one food service car on the Eastern trains just like the Eagle, smaller consists etc. If and it's a big if a new long distance order is place rest assured there probably will be no lounges/domes or more diners. One bastardized car food service car for most trains. The powers to be thought it was wise to take long distance  route planning away from Amtrak and give it to the FRA. They need to take the long distance order away from Amtrak as well. 

What defines the right leadership at Amtrak to design/place a new long distance order.......

Had Claytor not intervened (and actually put forth a change order), there would be no such thing as the Superliner Sightseer Lounge Car (first generation!). Thankfully he was still at the helm when the Superliner II order was contemplated. I am still a bit surprised, overall, that Boardman supported the refurb of the Viewliner I prototype, which did yield the Viewliner II Diner. Perhaps there's hope.