Amtrak five year plan

[frequentflyer]

Amtrak lays out what it wants to do in the next five years, no need to guess.

https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/...rak-Service-Line-Asset-Line-Plans-FY21-26.pdf

 

[railiner]

Not commenting on the actual information offered, but that is a pretty comprehensive report. I'd be very curious how much it cost to produce, and how many man-hours of Amtrak or outsourced employees...

 

[jis]

Not commenting on the actual information offered, but that is a pretty comprehensive report. I'd be very curious how much it cost to produce, and how many man-hours of Amtrak or outsourced employees...

I believe that is a required supporting document for doing the reauthorization, which makes a lot of sense to me. Now if Congress would find the time and desire to actually say that we are specifically funding you to do this, and if you don't there will be consequences. In theory at least the Executive Branch, which holds all the preferred shares can boot the Board out and replace it, with the cooperation of Congress. Of course in our divide and conquer er... checks and balances setup, none of that will happen anytime soon

 

[railiner]

I believe that is a required supporting document for doing the reauthorization, which makes a lot of sense to me. Now if Congress would find the time and desire to actually say that we are specifically funding you to do this, and if you don't there will be consequences. In theory at least the Executive Branch, which holds all the preferred shares can boot the Board out and replace it, with the cooperation of Congress. Of course in our divide and conquer er... checks and balances setup, none of that will happen anytime soon

I am not debating the benefit of the production of the report...simply curious what it cost...nothing more...

 

[Tlcooper44]

"Millennials, the largest population cohort, seek travel experiences that are inexpensive yet Instagram-worthy, with seamless Wi-Fi capability for any work or leisure/social activity. By contrast, Baby Boomers gravitate toward luxury experiences with differentiated amenities, yet also value seamless connectivity."

Pretty insulted. Is all we care about a dumb social app?
Many of us would be willing to front some cash for a nice luxurious experience.

 

[fdaley]

"Millennials, the largest population cohort, seek travel experiences that are inexpensive yet Instagram-worthy, with seamless Wi-Fi capability for any work or leisure/social activity. By contrast, Baby Boomers gravitate toward luxury experiences with differentiated amenities, yet also value seamless connectivity."

Pretty insulted. Is all we care about a dumb social app?
Many of us would be willing to front some cash for a nice luxurious experience.

It does sound like they're saying millennials are less discerning on some level, which I find hard to credit based on the younger people I know. The funny thing to me, as someone born at the tail end of the boomer generation, is that I never really thought of Amtrak as offering a luxury experience, even in sleeping cars. As a regular rider since the '70s, I just thought it was a comfortable way to travel and see the country. The dining car meals were often good, but hardly gourmet.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

I’m a millennial and used to go out of my way to ride the coast starlight specifically for the PPC.

Oddly enough I think the majority of people who defend the flex meals are actually older than millennials. Maybe they are used to eating TV dinners?

 

[MisterUptempo]

Lots of interesting revelations in the document. For me, anyway, glad to see some clarity regarding corridor expansions and new corridor starts. Always subject to change, of course.

From page 223-

State Partners will make their own determinations about desired levels of service and pace of restoration, so frequency plans for these routes will continue to evolve. However, the Plan assumes base service will remain at FY 2020 levels with 15 route expansions beginning in FY 2022. Expansions include;

-Four frequency increases or route extensions beginning in FY 2022 (Hiawatha 8th roundtrip, Pacific Surfliner 14th roundtrip, Norfolk 3rd roundtrip, Ethen Allen extension to Burlington).

-Six frequency increases or route extensions beginning in FY 2023 (Capitols expansion, Keystones 14th roundtrip, Lynchburg 2nd roundtrip, Cascades 5th & 6th roundtrips, plus two new routes, Gulf Coast and Chicago-Twin Cities).

-One frequency increase beginning in FY 2024 (Piedmont 4th roundtrip), and two frequency increases beginning in FY 2025 (Hiawatha 9th & 10th roundtrips), plus a new Chicago-Moline route.

A little disappointed to see Chicago-Quad Cities won't start until FY2025 and no mention at all of Chicago-Rockford, but I guess Rauner all but killing off those two routes while Illinois governor would help explain that.

 

[neroden]

I am not debating the benefit of the production of the report...simply curious what it cost...nothing more...

They could have produced timetables for less than they paid for that report.

 

[neroden]

It does sound like they're saying millennials are less discerning on some level, which I find hard to credit based on the younger people I know.

Yes -- certainly not based on talking to millennials. Some Boomer in Amtrak management is making up fake profile descriptions of millennials rather than doing actual market research.