Brightline is banking that with trains slam full, folks who would pass on the train over that will cost them less revenue than the wrap nets them.
Why should it be different in Premium vs. Coach and why should it be different with longer trains?
(1) Because of how much money folks are throwing at the problem.
I honestly don't understand the logic of either of those points. It's either a customer experience issue or it's not. If it is, then it should be fixed for ALL passengers - not 1st class only. The longer train doesn't make a difference, I'm sure they are selling it as a "Full Train Wrap" not a "5-car wrap."
That doesn't match my experience working with people in marketing and advertising, they absolutely care if they can't see their branding full bleed on the entire side of the wagon.
I'm not sure I see this happening, especially once Tri-Rail starts serving the FEC corridor. Just going by the October 2023 numbers, the South Florida service was not quite a third of their revenue, and that's much cheaper revenue for them to book too (in terms of fuel burn, labor, and beverages for first class).
I've come to the conclusion that passenger railroads are just an odd bunch. Amtrak, VIA, Alaska RR and Brightline all have some really weird quirks when it comes to customer service/experiences. (Pullman Rail Journeys / Iowa Pacific as well when they were around). While I sincerely want Brightline to succeed, the kindergarten walks, ticket ordering system (online, app or in station.. it's all bad in my experience), fully wrapped windows, and odd customer service issues when things go wrong are all noticeable.
Interesting... do you have lots of experience working with transit companies in the USA? The fact that you call them wagons makes me think you might be talking from an international perspective. I've seen plenty of transit wraps with windows cut out - New York City being the most recent.
Makes you wonder which pays more? Ad revenue or passenger revenue? Hey empty trains make cool moving billboards.
Also, what do people see themselves as paying for? A person regularly commuting FLL-MIA probably doesn't care what the back of a bunch of buildings look like.
They looked pretty bad looking out on a YouTube video. But sometimes wraps look worse thru a camera than in person; that's true of the wraps on Disney Skyliner cabins. Nevertheless, I always wait for an unwrapped cabin when riding the Skyliner.
I can confirm they are pretty bad in my personal experience - they actually gave me a really bad headache. While it's a different situation (slower speed, less of a travel time) the Disney Skyliner wraps have never given me a headache.
Well first of all... when my company rents billboards we pay like $500-700 per month. I can't imagine this being worth more than $10k per month and that seems high for what you get comparatively. So... $120k per train in a year is what we are probably talking about.
As I said before, it really depends on the market. Regular commuters seeing the back side of warehouses probably don't care much. Tourists going to Orlando probably do. Business travelers who use the train because it's cheaper to fly into MCO and then take the train than to fly into FLL/MIA this week? Eh... *shrugs*
Sadly, when it comes to commuter and LRT, there are examples where the subsidy is greater than the ticket revenue.
Part of the problem in the US is that many of the smaller transit systems are run as politician's and bureaucrat's hobby, and the passengers are just incidental inconvenience one has to suffer.
This is universal, not just in the US.Part of the problem in the US is that many of the smaller transit systems are run as politician's and bureaucrat's hobby, and the passengers are just incidental inconvenience one has to suffer.
I believe that "Clerks" refrain. My DB Regio experience above was definitely affected by how long it took to get an extra hundred sweaty nerds with too much baggage on the train.
Everything involves tradeoffs. The important question is what is the "telos" of the outfit. For passenger railways it has got to be "carrying passengers in a way that is convenient for the passengers", as opposed to convenient for the railway. When tradeoff decisions are made they need to be made within the confines of the core purpose of the outfit, not to make life more comfortable for those operating it alone.
That is a very strong argument. The Crescent schedule is certainly not conducive for passengers especially north of BHM. Atlanta is just plain terrible. Southbound ATL is a little late but the need to get the Empire train 280's only connections to the SE all way to NOL. The northbound needs to leave NOL at 0600. The present #20's schedule does not allow any connections to even Albany . A revised 20 schedule tightened up about 30 minutes would allow connections to the LSL
That's the problem with most long distance trains. Not enough demand to justify more than one train per day for most routes, so, by definition, many places will be served at horrible times. I wish the Silver Star would run 6 hours ahead of the Meteor to get some variety in the overnight schedules.
Not sure about the demand, it seem pretty strong in other countries. California is doing pretty good with the number of trains, PNW just added another round trip. I get a three night train running three times a week is not able to prove demand. But have we ever tried?
Can’t disagree.
I drive for a living, I would not want to drive my automobile for 4 1/2 hours unless there a good reason to. If there is a walkable city or transit where I am going. I am not going to subject myself to the drive to get there. Yes, there a shortage of walkable communities, but there are communities that get it too. With more features getting add ever month. New train station’s built for transit, bikes, pedestrians. We as a society are moving to better connectivity. One problem at a time.
It really depends on what your mobility story is at the destination, and why you're going.
