How much time does it take for Amtrak to change consists?

[wolfspirit]

I ask this because of the upcoming (in Sept.) visit of the Pope to Philly. I know that hotels are currently selling out (and some are sold out) all the way out to Downingtown on the Thorndale(SEPTA)/Keystone(Amtrak) line. I have heard numbers on the local news of around 1 million going to the mass the pope is leading.

What kind of lead time would Amtrak need (or is it even possible) for:

--Additional cars on current Keystone/Pennsylvanian/NEC trains?

--Additional trainsets entirely (mass is on a sunday, which has far fewer trains from WAS/NYP to PHL)?

I personally plan on GTFO of Philly area that weekend, but what steps could Amtrak take to prevent what could be a serious meltdown of transit (or alternatively, a huge boost in operating revenue for that week if they get it right)?

 

[Ryan]

On a Sunday? Plenty of stuff laying around. Should be easy to add cars to existing trains.

Would be really nice if they'd load some extra trains into the schedule, we'll see if they manage to do that.

 

[jis]

I suspect that Amtrak will play some role. but the bigger role in such an event will be that of SEPTA in this case, just like NJT was for the Superbowl in Secaucus.

The relevant question to ask is, to what extent will SEPTA, perhaps with help from NJT, be able to marshal enough resources to handle the crowd.

 

[wolfspirit]

I'm not going to give my opinion of SEPTA's ability to walk and talk at the same time, let alone plan. I've read that SEPTA may just run weekday service all weekend, which would help a lot over the weekend schedule, and probably special passes that last the length of the conference.

What did they do for the Super Bowl? It's more similar to this visit than the WS (lead time, one and done event, weekend only). Press releases show they added a stop on NER trains, but I have no idea if there were additional Amtrak trains running, longer ones, or both. I do remember sold-out problems (I had to go to Boston that weekend, and would have had to pay through the nose for the small number of trains that had seats from BOS ->PHL, and flew on sunday instead). The Presidential Inaugeration also would be a major event that has long lead time, a large out-of-town crowd, and a day-trip friendly schedule.

It's not so much about what is going to happen in Philly itself, but the trains, buses, and planes needed to get people into the city for the event, which is larger than any I can remember.

 

[Anderson]

From what I can tell, as a rule Amtrak will just run longer trains (say, a Regional at 10 cars instead of 8) rather than running extras. With that being said, when something like this happens on a weekend I cannot help but wonder if Amtrak wouldn't be well-served by tweaking the fares a bit and throwing some extra Acela specials on the timecard (presuming the Regionals are relatively highly-utilized already).

 

[afigg]

I suspect that Amtrak will play some role. but the bigger role in such an event will be that of SEPTA in this case, just like NJT was for the World Series in Secaucus.

The relevant question to ask is, to what extent will SEPTA, perhaps with help from NJT, be able to marshal enough resources to handle the crowd.

The World Series in Secaucus? The one between the Secaucus Marsh Dwellers and the Kansas City Royals? Yes, that was an epic series. I think you meant the Super (Mega Hype) Bowl.

As for Amtrak, they certainly can expand the consists of the Regionals and Keystones for the weekend, add special long Regional trains from WAS, NYP, even BOS, run some additional Acelas for the wealthier crowd, and perhaps run some commuter equipment trainsets rented from MARC to/from the big event. Amtrak ramps up for Thanksgiving and has lots of experience doing this for Inaugurals and big events in DC and NYC.

By September, they will be flush with electric locomotives to pull the long trains (if that was even an issue before). 30th Street Station certainly has the capacity to handle long trains and large crowds.

it will be up to SEPTA to get passengers from 30th Street Station to where the Mass is being held, but I expect SEPTA will put all the equipment they have into service that day. Probably team with NJT for special trains from NYC. Going to be a big day for bus operators in the Mid-Atlantic region as well.

 

[afigg]

From what I can tell, as a rule Amtrak will just run longer trains (say, a Regional at 10 cars instead of 8) rather than running extras. With that being said, when something like this happens on a weekend I cannot help but wonder if Amtrak wouldn't be well-served by tweaking the fares a bit and throwing some extra Acela specials on the timecard (presuming the Regionals are relatively highly-utilized already).

Amtrak has run special trains for Presidential Inaugurals and did so, IIRC, for the Daily Show/Colbert Report concert on the National Mall a few years ago. Checking a few news reports, the visit and Mass by the Pope is going to be an Event with over a million people attending. Think Super Bowl times 10.

What I'm surprised by is how few hotel rooms there are in Philly and the metro area compared to NYC and DC. CBS 3 report: Confirmation of Pope Francis’ Visit Sends Philadelphia Hospitality Industry Into Overdrive. Quote:

The city itself has about 11,500 hotel rooms and the expanded region has about 40,000. If you include points as far east as Atlantic City, there are 70,000 hotel rooms.

Even that number is a drop in the bucket compared to the one-million-plus people expected here to greet and hear from Pope Francis. So, those without hotels will be urged to stay with host families.

A search for number of hotel rooms in US cities found this 2013 item: Top Ten U.S. Cities by Hotel Rooms. Vegas has the most hotel rooms of course, with 169,000, but DC had 106,200 and NYC 106,000 hotel rooms in 2013. When all the hotel rooms in the Philly region sell out, people are going to book rooms in NYC, Newark, Baltimore, DC and take the train to Philly for the Mass.

 

[jis]

I suspect that Amtrak will play some role. but the bigger role in such an event will be that of SEPTA in this case, just like NJT was for the World Series in Secaucus.

The relevant question to ask is, to what extent will SEPTA, perhaps with help from NJT, be able to marshal enough resources to handle the crowd.

The World Series in Secaucus? The one between the Secaucus Marsh Dwellers and the Kansas City Royals? Yes, that was an epic series. I think you meant the Super (Mega Hype) Bowl.

Blush! Of course. For a total American Football and Baseball illiterate there is frankly very little difference between the two LOL!

As for Amtrak, they certainly can expand the consists of the Regionals and Keystones for the weekend, add special long Regional trains from WAS, NYP, even BOS, run some additional Acelas for the wealthier crowd, and perhaps run some commuter equipment trainsets rented from MARC to/from the big event. Amtrak ramps up for Thanksgiving and has lots of experience doing this for Inaugurals and big events in DC and NYC.

By September, they will be flush with electric locomotives to pull the long trains (if that was even an issue before). 30th Street Station certainly has the capacity to handle long trains and large crowds.

Indeed! I am sure they will run longer trains and maybe even a few extras. But that's about it. And they won't even have to add a stop where they don't normally stop I suppose.

it will be up to SEPTA to get passengers from 30th Street Station to where the Mass is being held, but I expect SEPTA will put all the equipment they have into service that day. Probably team with NJT for special trains from NYC. Going to be a big day for bus operators in the Mid-Atlantic region as well.

It would be interesting to see if NJT and SEPTA will team up to run a few through trains from points in NJ and NY to Philly.