Devil's Advocate
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For a long time most of what I've ridden were Amtrak Superliners. I had ridden the Acela and some other commuter lines here and there but I didn't really know much about Amfleet cars. After having ridden the Silver Meteor I was surprised to find that the single level cars seemed just as good as the Superliners, at least from my perspective. What I want to know is why Superliners are so ubiquitous on LD trains? For folks on the top level the Superliners offer a somewhat more expansive view but other than that I don't see why anyone would strongly prefer them over any of the Amfleet trains. And for mobility impaired customers it's probably a huge pain to get up and down the steps on a Superliner. Sure, they can remain sequestered in their downstairs rooms but that's not really the same thing and it won't give them the sort of experience many of us take for granted. At first glance it seems like Superliners bring a lot of extra weight without a lot of extra seats or creature comforts to make all that weight worthwhile. Sure, they have a cool and imposing look when they pull into the station, but other than that I'm not sure what the appeal is for Amtrak or for her customers. Or am I just missing whatever it is that makes Superliners so much better that they're used almost anywhere that doesn't have low ceilings to negotiate?