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    Amtrak Dining and Cafe service discussion 2024 Q1

    I have been offered cafe food on the LSL and Silver's in the diner car as a substitution.
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    Amtrak Dining and Cafe service discussion 2024 Q1

    Be careful what you wish for.
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    MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) discussion

    I remember that shutdown. It was for one day in December 1980 because the MBTA had run out of funding. Ed King called in the national guard. I also remember the Boston and Main Strike on the commuter rail about 2 months later in 1981. That lasted 2 weeks.
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    Interesting facts and notes in old railroad magazines

    This happens in industry all the time even today. It's like the fable of the scorpion and the frog crossing the river. I started out in the computer mainframe industry and saw its demise mostly caused by fiber optics. IBM touted the installation of fiber optics because it speed up information...
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    The economics of budget airlines don't make sense

    According to the most recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports, airline pilots average 75 flight hours per month. The CFRs limit Part 121 pilots to 100 flight hours per calendar month and 30 hours in any seven consecutive days. They work an additional 150 hours per month performing other...
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    The economics of budget airlines don't make sense

    I have found the cost of car rentals downtown are usually more money. I don't travel to Denver and Atlanta but the major Northeast cities and Florida typically have cheaper prices at the airport. But the real problem with downtown located car rentals are the limited business hours. This is a...
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    Can Union Pacific bring back their own passenger trains?

    Via Rail essentially does this with the Canadian. It does have coach class but that ticket costs $500 one way and doesn't include meals. A sleeper ticket in a berth starts at $800, a roomette for one is $1600. All sleeper accommodations are always sold out. It only runs twice a week and it...
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    Northeast Regional discussion

    This wouldn't bother me but some passengers won't like riding "backwards"
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    Trapped on train at CUS?

    How many conductors were on the train when it was moved to the yard?
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    STB and Passenger Rail

    Also, one of the biggest reasons that the railroads agreed to Amtrak running passenger rail was because Amtrak took over financing the pensions of the employees of the passenger trains.
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    Tracking FY 2024 Ridership and Finances

    I don't think it has ever been a better time for Amtrak to expand their fleet. I think the demand is there. The long distance trains appear to have high load factors with many sleepers typically at capacity. I travel to Florida on Amtrak multiple times either on the Auto train or Silver...
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    Tracking FY 2024 Ridership and Finances

    NYS is getting a service that is costing Amtrak almost $3 million a year. Am I naïve in thinking there is a signed contract that breakdown said costs and expenses?
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    Tracking FY 2024 Ridership and Finances

    It should be fairly simple with this data set for the silvers. There are three trains running on mostly the same tracks. 1 is non stop and carries auto freight. The other 2 travel a little longer but have multiple station stops. 1 is profitable the other 2 are not. Take the auto train and...
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    Tracking FY 2024 Ridership and Finances

    The other thing I find interesting is that Amtrak loses $17.7 million on state sponsored trains in total. Shouldn't there be an adjustment made, either ticket price increase or more state funding? To be honest the state sponsored routes should all be profitable to Amtrak. Amtrak is losing...
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    Tracking FY 2024 Ridership and Finances

    So if the other Silver's had more sleeper cars they too could be profitable?
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    Tracking FY 2024 Ridership and Finances

    So the Auto Train actually has the fourth highest operating expense at $8.8 million of all long distance trains. Only the Empire Builder, California Zephyr and the Southwest Chief had higher operating costs at $10.1, $10.4 and $9.9 million respectively. The Auto Train has the highest gross...
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    200MPH+ on the NEC: Is it practical?

    Everything I have seen so far to achieve 200 mph means spending 100's of $billions which result in saving 25 minutes of travel time. I think money would be better spent on expanding rail in the rest of the country.
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    FRA's Corridor ID Program and possible new Corridors

    https://www.poconorecord.com/story/news/local/2023/12/05/scranton-nyc-amtrak-route-gets-500k-move-forward/71813416007/ The Federal Railroad Administration is providing $500,000 for the Scranton to New York City Amtrak route to move forward, the most critical step yet in restoring passenger rail...
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    MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) discussion

    "That is not what the MBTA has done." I agree with you on that. I was hoping for the MBTA to fix its problems and then expand the system. That is impossible with these numbers.
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