Texas Eagle Sightseer lounge discontinued
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20th Century Rider
Engineer
Aw c'mon everybody... stop complaining about Amtrak management; their dedicated selfless and highly focused efforts have made Americas passenger railroad the best in the world! Now eat your flex meal or you won't get your brownie!
Ferroequinologist
Lead Service Attendant
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I think 'standard' class in the UK is very uncomfortable. Cramped and limited storage space. First is another matter though minimal difference on regional trains - just a small section of a coach. There are often delays and cancellations. There is frequent service on many lines but some like Greater Anglia are dreadful. As far as I know there is only one dining car service left in the UK, run by Great Western.
20th Century Rider
Engineer
Wow! Big changes in Great Britian since I last was there decades ago... but according to the map... all lines still run. It looks like all information is on one site: Looks like they still have catering although it may have changed from when there were restaurant cars...
https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations_destinations/44872.aspx
The photo of that fine meal will entice me to pay big bucks for a sleeper. Don't forget the blondie!,
Just had the cod for lunch. Bland. Not much different than any flex meal I've had. It is amazing how inferior flex food is to traditional dining. Night and day. I have another round of wine and popcorn after the El Paso stop. One more flex dinner. Hopefully,that will be it.
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I understand that we are promised the return of traditional dining on some western long distance trains. The Amtrak website continues to show menus for traditional dining (including a Texas Eagle traditional dining menu which I understand is not going to happen).
Despite appearances and promises I have a concern that Amtrak's definition of traditional dining post-pandemic might not be the same as the pre-pandemic traditional dining that we have experienced.
Despite appearances and promises I have a concern that Amtrak's definition of traditional dining post-pandemic might not be the same as the pre-pandemic traditional dining that we have experienced.
20th Century Rider
Engineer
Flex meals are made cheaply and in mass... with many artificial 'extenders' and 'taste enhancers.' Very little real food... and nothing which resembles 'fresh.' Flex food has no texture and no taste... both quantity and quality are at rock bottom "0" I am personally sorry for you and every other rail fan who loves the rails, overnight train travel, and the passing landscape... to be treated with such disrespect and disregard.
That you should have to buy your own food after 'forking over' hundreds of $$$ for an overpriced fare which is supposed to include meals ... is just downright abusive.
Everyone... everyone... everyone... frowns when they sit down to a flex meal... most of which is thrown into the trash because it simply isn't edible.
What is the most effective way to show our extraordinary disappointment and upset at customer service??? We have written to our legislators and to the Amtrak board.... and have written many editorials. No one is listening.
All this stuff about the government being 'for the people?' We all know how that goes.
I have a big circle America trip coming up in October... but I'm thinking this will be the last if this dire regressive customer service trend continues. When all the passengers have finally had enough and simply stop coming, I guess Amtrak will focus on high population density corridors. And just move on.
Tracks no longer lead to 'everywhere' as they once did.
Thank you for been part of our plan.
See Congress members nobody rides the trains, so that why we eliminate the LD trains.
Conspiracy theory or Operational Plan?
Ferroequinologist
Lead Service Attendant
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- Jan 18, 2016
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- 374
The Thatcher government closed some services but a couple may have been restored. There is food service at your seat in First Class - usually something cooked or at least a cold plate. I remember in the 1970s when there were two restaurant cars on many of the Birmingham-London trains, one for First and another for Second. Now absolutely none. Now there is an expensive restaurant car service only on the Great Western to Plymouth-Penzance.
Remember when meals on a long distance train were something to look forward to? Delicious made to order food and cheesecake for dessert. I would always bring the dessert back to my room and get a cup of coffee.
I have been on the Texas Eagle/Sunset since Friday and I can report the flex meals are as bad as ever. To that ultra microwaved Jimmy Dean sandwich to the pasta and Cod I had for lunch today,I felt a bit queasy after every meal.
There still is hope that come July 1 we can enjoy real food again. I feel sorry for the Eastern trains and CONO passengers. They deserve better.
As far as the TE and the lack of a SSL car and the possible continuation of flex dining and the $250 plus increase in fares this might be my last TE trip,a route I have enjoyed for decades.
Some people are fine with this abysmal flexible dining. More power to them. The blame goes to Mica and Anderson for foisting this crap upon us. Biggest blunder in Amtrak history.
I have been on the Texas Eagle/Sunset since Friday and I can report the flex meals are as bad as ever. To that ultra microwaved Jimmy Dean sandwich to the pasta and Cod I had for lunch today,I felt a bit queasy after every meal.
There still is hope that come July 1 we can enjoy real food again. I feel sorry for the Eastern trains and CONO passengers. They deserve better.
As far as the TE and the lack of a SSL car and the possible continuation of flex dining and the $250 plus increase in fares this might be my last TE trip,a route I have enjoyed for decades.
Some people are fine with this abysmal flexible dining. More power to them. The blame goes to Mica and Anderson for foisting this crap upon us. Biggest blunder in Amtrak history.
Food service has been a problem for years. The way we eat and what we eat is always changing. Remember when you got your first microwave? Convection ovens? Induction range? It’s just not what we eat, but how we cook it too.
Why don;t you get uber eats at Tuscon? It's 50 minutes
20th Century Rider
Engineer
Oh My! It's a sad day when the AU forum turns helping its traveling members tips for food survival because the stuff on Amtrak is so really disgusting! I had some fun with graphics to add my few cents to the chorus of anger and upset ...
Hmmm.... charging big bucks for food... then throwing this nonsense to the passengers! Put this on a post card and mail to your congress representative!!!
Hmmm.... charging big bucks for food... then throwing this nonsense to the passengers! Put this on a post card and mail to your congress representative!!!
west point
Engineer
Yes food heated in convection ovens as a general rule are much better than nuking.
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Sorry but that statement is a massive exaggeration that simply isn’t true. Most people if they compared flexible dining to traditional dining would agree with you that it’s inferior (including me) - but that doesn’t mean everyone thinks it’s inedible and trash can worthy. I think to a lot of people it’s simply analogous to what’s served on first class flights - not gourmet restaurant food but better than nothing. Most people aren’t riding the train for the food - especially in the east. I understand and respect that some people think it’s awful especially those more conscious about ingredients and sodium and things like that or those with dietary restrictions, but the idea that there’s this mass migration to the trash can along with “never agains” every meal seating simply isn’t true, or at least I haven’t experienced it yet.
Do I think improvements are in order? Absolutely - and trying to be optimistic that they are coming. Amtrak seems to get that the flex meals have negatively effected customer satisfaction scores - especially on the two nighters.
The Silver trains get many older people riding and decent food has always been an important part of a train journey. Sorry,but the food they are serving on a full two day and one night trip is not decent and is an insult to people paying $500 and a lot more for their trip.
Flex dining was introduced in October 2019,before the pandemic. I really hope traditional dining returns to the Eastern trains. I am in the last hour of a trip on the Texas Eagle,starting Friday night. It's now Monday morning and I never want to eat a "flex" meal again.
I still don't understand why people in sleepers can't substitute food from the cafe car. Why? Eating those sodium laded bland reheated meals is tough. The burrito lady was in El Paso. That was the best food I had on my journey. The Jersey Mikes sub I got in Chicago before boarding beat anything I ate on the train.
Yes,what Amtrak is serving is substandard and the sooner flex dining is replaced,the better. Passengers paying sky high prices for sleepers deserve decent food.
Flex dining was introduced in October 2019,before the pandemic. I really hope traditional dining returns to the Eastern trains. I am in the last hour of a trip on the Texas Eagle,starting Friday night. It's now Monday morning and I never want to eat a "flex" meal again.
I still don't understand why people in sleepers can't substitute food from the cafe car. Why? Eating those sodium laded bland reheated meals is tough. The burrito lady was in El Paso. That was the best food I had on my journey. The Jersey Mikes sub I got in Chicago before boarding beat anything I ate on the train.
Yes,what Amtrak is serving is substandard and the sooner flex dining is replaced,the better. Passengers paying sky high prices for sleepers deserve decent food.
crescent-zephyr
Engineer
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Not to me, someone who regularly travels first class domestic and used to travel regularly in Amtrak sleeper.
Let me know who these “a lot of people” are.
20th Century Rider
Engineer
The overwhelming consensus of people pushing away this food has been to the opposite of what you are saying. In my own personal experiences with it on the eastern runs two years ago, folks would take a few bites then throw it in the trash; several reporting bloggers have done the same. I had the shrimp and sausage meal and it tasted rancid... that did it for me. Into the trash it went. I took a bite out of the 'hockey puck' breakfast sandwich... and that went into the trash also. The 'wine braised beef' floating around in broth with the polenta dissolving in it as well... was also found to be disgusting... and I pitched that as well.
I do respect your point of view and I hope you respect mine as well. How many AU'er are in anyway positive about flex dining???
And I poignantly disagree that flex food in any way resembles first class dining in the air... or even coach class meals on airlines that serve it. I've had that too... and there's no comparison.
I also feel that food becomes important when one is on the train for three days and two nights as with the CZ... and even longer on the TE.
There is also the issue of money paid and services received. Flex food is comparable with frozen meals purchased in the dollar stores... flex food has no taste, no texture, and is an affront to the traveler. It's synthetic and it is cheep!
Finally, the flex idea is a reflection of management on lack of care and concern for the passenger.
My point of view is reflected in the picture below... flex food belongs in the pig feed bucket!
20th Century Rider
Engineer
Oops oops oops... my mistake and my blunder... these pigs are actually eating apricots! And I also want to retract my statement regarding giving synthetic slop flex food to pigs... the animal rights activists would be very critical of feeding such poisonous poop to these creatures! Flex food is bad for pigs too!
So sorry for flipping and flopping around with such a yucky Amtrak management mistake!!!
jis
Permanent Way Inspector
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I am afraid I am one of those pigs. I have relatively little problem with the Flex items. Of course I would prefer that earlier modes of service in Dining Cars return. Indeed earlier the better. Perhaps 1950s would be really good. But meanwhile I can survive with Flex. Sorry to disappoint any who is disappointed.
If you really think posting stupid cartoons will change anyone's mind or cause anyone to take you more seriously, you are seriously mistaken. I find it somewhat offensive to tell you the truth. But I suppose letting off steam this way instead of blowing up buildings or shooting up Walmarts is a less harmful way to go Postal.
If you really think posting stupid cartoons will change anyone's mind or cause anyone to take you more seriously, you are seriously mistaken. I find it somewhat offensive to tell you the truth. But I suppose letting off steam this way instead of blowing up buildings or shooting up Walmarts is a less harmful way to go Postal.
20th Century Rider
Engineer
https://www.wvgazettemail.com/life/...cle_5179c3c8-962b-5ced-bc38-f5903858b436.htmlI am afraid I am one of those pigs. I have relatively little problem with the Flex items. Of course I would prefer that earlier modes of service in Dining Cars return. Indeed earlier the better. Perhaps 1950s would be really good. But meanwhile I can survive with Flex. Sorry to disappoint any who is disappointed.
If you really think posting stupid cartoons will change anyone's mind or cause anyone to take you more seriously, you are seriously mistaken. I find it somewhat offensive to tell you the truth. But I suppose letting off steam this way instead of blowing up buildings or shooting up Walmarts is a less harmful way to go Postal.
