How have you found the patronage on Amtrak LD trains lately?

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the comparison of August to February is interesting. Comparing each month to all others or week to week is a function that only a computer program may be able to do. Then as well the different weeks that certain holidays occur is also a factor extreme example is Easter. Plus with Christmas and New years occurring on different days of the years

Amtrak will not provide each individual route revenue passenger seat miles as opposed to just number of passengers.. Then the max load factor between two stations is also not provided. The Crescent's two different segments NYP / WASH - ATL and the ATL- NOL loads is a great example of need to divide up certain trips. Until ATL can get a location and time to add <> subtract cut off cars in ATL the CRESCENT will never be able to show a very high revenue to costs ratio.

Cut off cars are also needed in Denver, Orlando (?), WASH / PHL (?) northbound LD, DAL/FTW and others. The published Amtrak car operating costs of approximately $4.00 / mile should certainty be a factor. The up front capital costs to lower these operating costs should be easier to justify.

Realize that part of this problem is the lack of equipment especially sleepers and coaches. Letting CAF get by with late deliveries of the V-2 sleepers has hurt.

The potential ridership during the off peak times has one very big unknown. How many persons that have tried to book a train this summer but could not will try in off peak times ? So if I can't get a reservation this month and have to go by airplane or bus will I even try to get one in October or February when plenty of seats may be available.?
 
Data for the LSL and CL from 2014 and 2015 is trashed by NS's Autorouter disaster, unfortunately. Which hit, IIRC, during the beginning of the winter of 2014-2015 and was mostly fixed before August (though with a hangover of "never again" riders). So if you want to tell how seasonal they really are you have to go back to 2013 / 2012 data, or wait for 2016-2017 data. They're less seasonal than this data set would imply.
 
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neroden said:
Data for the LSL and CL from 2014 and 2015 is trashed by NS's Autorouter disaster, unfortunately. Which hit, IIRC, during the beginning of the winter of 2014-2015 and was mostly fixed before August (though with a hangover of "never again" riders). So if you want to tell how seasonal they really are you have to go back to 2013 / 2012 data, or wait for 2016-2017 data. They're less seasonal than this data set would imply.
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Be my guest. I don't personally care how seasonal any of them are. Did what I did just because I got bored.

In addition, Google searches failed to turn up any monthly performance reports more than a year old and that is reflected here: https://www.amtrak.com/reports-documents My guess is that once the Annual report is published, the monthly reports get withdrawn from public view.
 
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One year ago in April/May, I rode the SWC and the Capitol Limited both ways. I found the trains to be over half way full and mostly full of people with no small kids. I also noticed many people were more relaxed the Sightseer Lounges were about two thirds full.

Last July, I rode the Capitol Limited from Washington, D.C. to Chicago and it was packed. I could not find a seat in the Sightseer Lounge and the Diner was extra busy. When I boarded the SWC in Chicago, there were 2 large groups getting on. There were also 3 Boy Scout troops onboard heading to Philmont Scout Ranch. The train had 2 coach/baggage and 2 regular coaches on the end. I tried to find a seat in the lounge, but it was full of families with small kids and Boy Scouts. That was perfectly OK in my opinion. The kids need to have fun and enjoy the trains.
 
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When you rode the SWC in April/May, were there as many coaches as in July?
 
Maybe it is time for Amtrak to schedule the major work on the operative passenger cars during periods of lower ridership. On high ridership times move most regular work away and instead of concentrate work at Bear and Beech Grove during high ridership periods on wreck repairs ?

Realize that this will take some more funds to purchase the needed parts for wreck repairs. Will look at some figures and post later.
 
The Boy Scouts traveling to Philmont can be as large as a contingent of 40 boys and 5 leaders or generally a smaller group of 6-8 with one adult. I imagine that Amtrak adds a Coach/Baggage car if a full contingent is traveling so they can store the 45 large backpacks, since each has a day bag for traveling. Raton is a busy stop during the summer Philmont unloading and loading days.

I remember traveling on the Santa Fe Grand Canyon to/from Philmont. There were two contingents in 1963 and three in 1965. Santa Fe had coaches blocked off just for the Boy Scouts, also each boy had a prepaid meal voucher for a specific selection to make eating in the dining car quicker. Don't remember exactly how early we ate, but breakfast was when it was mostly dark. Back then we had our packs in the coach on the unused seats. Not sure why Santa Fe has us do that instead of using the Baggage Car.
 
I am travelling on CS#14 next week (and hoping that the California wildfires don't come down to the Pacific coast!)

I just enquired of a helpful Amtrak call centre agent who said to me that there were only seven sleeping compartments vacant. I assume it is the usual three sleeping cars plus the Trans/Dorm car so perhaps as expected in August and on the CS generally, the patronage looks to be good.

One might assume that there are always a few late bookings on such trains: prospective passengers who do not know what they are doing (visits to relatives, medical appointments) until the last minute) along with (sadly) those who might have to attend a funeral and get three or four days' notice of that.

Are these call centre agents (1-800-USA-RAIL being the contact number) based in Chicago? How many seats is the call centre?
 
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west point said:
Maybe it is time for Amtrak to schedule the major work on the operative passenger cars during periods of lower ridership. On high ridership times move most regular work away and instead of concentrate work at Bear and Beech Grove during high ridership periods on wreck repairs ?

Realize that this will take some more funds to purchase the needed parts for wreck repairs. Will look at some figures and post later.
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Whatever makes you think that they do not already schedule regular and preventive maintenance in a way that makes the most cars available during heavy traffic months?

As you say, whether wrecks will be repaired, specially the more expensive ones depends on budgets and such and is a different matter.
 
I asked once while waiting for my data to pop up, and the agent said she was in San Diego. I was jealous---I was in Fargo.
 
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