Amtrak report on fiscal 2023

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So, back to 2007 levels of ridership on the long distance trains, except on the Capitol Limited which remains stuck at 2020 levels?
 
How do they account for the Eagle and the Sunset?

I assume it is first based on which train was called for on the reservation, of course, but eastbound from LA terminating at or before San Antonio would have to be allocated somehow as would west bound beginning from or after San Antonio, correct?
 
How do they account for the Eagle and the Sunset?

I assume it is first based on which train was called for on the reservation, of course, but eastbound from LA terminating at or before San Antonio would have to be allocated somehow as would west bound beginning from or after San Antonio, correct?
IIRC itineraries that are fully contained in the common segment is allocated to the primary train, Sunset in this case, except in cases where the booking is specifically on the other train. At least that is how it is done on the Lake Shore Limited.
 
@lordsigma, do you happen to know roughly why the Cap, specifically, is having equipment issues? I'd guess due to he overall Superliner availability issues...? It seems sad for it to have declined so far; I didn't know until a few weeks ago that it used to have a Sightseer Lounge (!). That truly shocked me.
On my recent trip on the Cap, there were 2 sleepers and 2 coaches. Two sleepers was the normal consist before Covid. I think in the past 3 coaches were typical. The main thing missing on the Cap is the sightseer lounge.
 
On my recent trip on the Cap, there were 2 sleepers and 2 coaches. Two sleepers was the normal consist before Covid. I think in the past 3 coaches were typical. The main thing missing on the Cap is the sightseer lounge.
Interesting, good to know! Thanks for the info. Down one coach isn't too bad. I've seen many references to the Cap being "a shadow of its former self" and so on; seems like that's a little bit of hyperbole, but I'm sure the loss of the sightseer lounge stings for many. (And less coach capacity is never helpful)
 
For much of the year, the consist was as low a 1 coach, 1 sleeper, 1 CCC. It was impossible to get a seat most of the summer. There was also a full week of suspension due to East Palestine in February. It somehow became the sacrificial lamb, probably because in one sense the Capitol is redundant in a way say the Zephyr is not.
 
Oh my! That is an incredibly low consist and helps explain the nosedive in ridership. Goodness. And I somehow hadn't seen that the Cap was suspended in connection to the East Palestine debacle. The (relative) redundancy factor also makes sense, what with the Cardinal (and I guess the LSL) also being available. Though with the Cardinal only running 3X a week, I can see why the Cap was overwhelmed this summer! But having any train alternative is, of course, gives redundancy that the Zephyr, Builder, etc. don't have at all, as you pointed out.
 
On my recent trip on the Cap, there were 2 sleepers and 2 coaches. Two sleepers was the normal consist before Covid. I think in the past 3 coaches were typical. The main thing missing on the Cap is the sightseer lounge.
Wasn’t your trip around Thanksgiving? I think they increased capacity for that week.
 
@lordsigma, do you happen to know roughly why the Cap, specifically, is having equipment issues? I'd guess due to he overall Superliner availability issues...? It seems sad for it to have declined so far; I didn't know until a few weeks ago that it used to have a Sightseer Lounge (!). That truly shocked me.
The macro reason is the amount of serviceable equipment. As to why the Cap wasn’t prioritized as compared to other routes you’d have to ask management. One reason may be that there are other east coast - Chicago services like the lake shore limited and Cardinal. As for the sightseers it’s simply the logical choice to cut them from if you don’t have enough. While I’d like to see them return to the eagle and cap when they can, they have chosen the correct trains to prioritize them on (the east west two night trains and Starlight.)
 
The thing is, the Capitol Limited is only redundant between Cleveland and Chicago and for those riding the entire route Washington to Chicago. For other stops on the route (except Pittsburgh) it is the only train. It is also the only direct connection via Pittsburg between PA points and west towards Chicago.
The Cap in spite of connecting some unique city pairs, has somehow always been one of the weaker trains. It does serve the purpose of being a safety valve for the LSL, playing essentially the role of a degraded Broadway Limited with connection through Washington DC or Pittsburgh. Consequently when ridership crashed, the Cap was adversely affected not only due to loss of riders on its own route, but also the loss of overflow from the LSL, and now that the LSL is getting overwhelmed again the Cap is bound to rebound. Or at least one can hope so, and hope that equipment will be added to it to accommodate such.
 
The thing is, the Capitol Limited is only redundant between Cleveland and Chicago and for those riding the entire route Washington to Chicago. For other stops on the route (except Pittsburgh) it is the only train. It is also the only direct connection via Pittsburg between PA points and west towards Chicago.
True! I feel like the "redundancy" is viewed in a macro sense, focused on end-to-end travel from the East Coast/mid-Atlantic to Chicago. So in that sense, as Jis said, it's a safety valve for the LSL and the Cardinal also exists (and, we hope, may become a daily train sometime). That said, I do empathize for the smaller communities and the cities who are only served by the Cap. When the Builder when to 3x during the early pandemic period, I know people were furious, and some EB supporters get just as up-in-arms about a lack of equipment/the seasonal changes in number of cars. Of course, with the EB being a 'premier' western LD train with no current alternative, I know it would never be as starved for equipment as the Cap, but if it were to be, there'd be many unhappy campers.
 
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