Lots of Amtrak News on NARP Hotline

[battalion51]

The NARP Hotline has a couple of Amtrak related items on its hotline this week, including Smoking Policy Changes out West, Baggage Rates, and track work notices. Check it out here.

 

[Viewliner]

Interesting about the smoking. But, in the end its better to satisfy the opinions of the majority (non-smokers) than that of the few (smokers). Maybe this can be revised if the smoking rooms can be improved like on the Amfleet II Lounges, which seem to work well. I guess the rumor I heard a few months ago is true. I wonder if this means that the Coach Smokers will become Coach Baggages again.

 

[battalion51]

I personally think baggage coaches are very useful. For passengers travelling to unstaffed stations their bags can be stowed in there, and unloaded easily by the Conductor or TA at the other station stop. Although they could just leave the rooms as is, and stow bags in there, just have to retrieve them from the inside instead of the outside. As far as lounges in general go, they can be ventilated properly, they did them right with the Amfleet II's and Auto Train Lounges, I think the key is the automatic door, and ventilating it right. Get in an AT or Amfleet II Lounge, and you would never know people are smoking up a storm in that very car.

 

[Amfleet]

I've always been convinced that a seperate ventalation system was never put ino the Superliner Coach Smokers. It seems they just seeled up the baggage door, installed some walls, through in some seats, and screwed in a couple of light bulbs. No on the other hand, the Amfleet II Lounges ventilate the smoke very well. Even when the door to the "penalty box" is open, there is no smell or evidence of smoke.

I wonder what will become of the Superloner Coach Smokers? Maybe Amtrak later on will improve on the design so that smoke no longer leaks into to where passengers sit. Or maybe the lower level of the Sightseer Lounges will see the instalation of a penalty box? Otherwise, I guess Amtrak made a good call. Hopefully, it won't affect ridership.

 

[jccollins]

Amtrak definitely made a good call in getting rid of the smoking cars! Yes, finally some GOOD news! The entire Superliner coach car with the smoking downstairs on the California Zephyr has really been a waste over the last year since the crew never seats anyone in the section above it unless the train is completely full. The smoke was HORRIBLE in the coach above the smoking car, and the crews and passengers often tried to jam the automatic door open so they could breathe in there. They should sterilize the smoking room and just install lower level seating down there... or how about a few kiddie cars like the Starlight has/used to have?

 

[engine999]

I personally think baggage coaches are very useful. For passengers travelling to unstaffed stations their bags can be stowed in there, and unloaded easily by the Conductor or TA at the other station stop. Although they could just leave the rooms as is, and stow bags in there, just have to retrieve them from the inside instead of the outside. As far as lounges in general go, they can be ventilated properly, they did them right with the Amfleet II's and Auto Train Lounges, I think the key is the automatic door, and ventilating it right. Get in an AT or Amfleet II Lounge, and you would never know people are smoking up a storm in that very car.

The cars smoking room dose vent very well, however If you walk by it it appears that a person could smoke in there with out cigerette. There is alot of smoke within that small the room.

 

[Allen Dee]

Amtrak definitely made a good call in getting rid of the smoking cars! Yes, finally some GOOD news! The entire Superliner coach car with the smoking downstairs on the California Zephyr has really been a waste over the last year since the crew never seats anyone in the section above it unless the train is completely full. The smoke was HORRIBLE in the coach above the smoking car, and the crews and passengers often tried to jam the automatic door open so they could breathe in there. They should sterilize the smoking room and just install lower level seating down there... or how about a few kiddie cars like the Starlight has/used to have?

I am a smoker, but I agree with JC that smoking should banned on all Amtrak trains. I recently took a trip from Santa Barbara to the bay-area and Reno. Only train # 5 had a smoking lounge, and there were no passengers seated on the upper level. I have no problem with waiting a few hours for a scheduled smoke stop.

In an earlier thread, we were asked to tell about our occupations. Northwest (north worst) Airlines was the first major carrier to go non-smoking. At the time, I was employed as a line maintenance aircraft mechanic for a private maintenance contractor that did the C-checks on their DC-9s. Prior to the smoking ban, when we removed the interior panels adjacent to the engine pylons for NDT (non-destructive testing), there was a mass of brown goo that had to be cleaned from the structure. After the smoking ban was implimented, there was only dust.

I am smoking as I write this post, but I am in my own apartment, which I clean regularly (wash the walls and floors, shampoo the carpet), so I am not hurting anyone but myself.

 

[WICT106]

I think the most important item in this week's NARP "hotline" is the notice of Congressman Istook's letter to his fellow Members of Congress. See link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/amtrak/message/6364

Note the misrepresentations of Amtrak's budget. The reason that Amtrak has a larger budget request this year, and one of the reasons that the requests of recent years has been increasing, is because Amtrak deferred maintenance on it's fleet of cars. Amtrak did this so that it could turn in budget requests that showed that it was on the glidepath to sufficiency. what happened was that the necessary maintenance was simply postponed to a later date, with the additional result of having the deferred maintenance returning to haunt Amtrak right now.

In other rumors, it appears that the writing is on the wall for Mr. Gunn, and that Mr. Gunn's future at Amtrak appears very gloomy. This is sad, because I think he was a breath of fresh air over at 60 Massachusetts Ave., and told congress what they needed to be told. As opposed to certain other Amtrak Board members of recent history, who told congress what they thought they wanted to hear ("We're on the glide-path to self-sufficiency / shutdown due to no maintenance being performed, etc")