Mail and Express Ending in October

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Amfleet

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Official notice from David Gunn on the elimination of Mail and Express services in October 2004. As posted by Gene Poon on various Amtrak forum sites.

Amtrak Mail and Express to end in early October
Notification to employees as follows:

==========================

Dear Amtrak Co-workers:

You have probably heard the rumors that Amtrak is

getting out of the mail and express business, and

those rumors are true. Mail and express

no longer makes business sense for Amtrak and has

negatively impacted the quality of our passenger

service, so the decision has been made to

exit the business.

As a first step, I have informed the Postal Service

of our intentions. I realize that this will be

painful for some employees, but we will make

every effort to provide opportunities for affected

employees to remain with the company.

There will be more information in a week or two

about these changes and the specific actions that

will occur over the next few months.

However, it is my intention to have all mail and

express activity concluded by early October.

/s/ David L. Gunn
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Still, it is sad. Trains have been carrying mail in the US since the 1800s. The railroads usually had specific mail trains--such as the "Fast Mail" on the GN. There was the Railway Express Agency. There was a time when even the limiteds had mail cars, with mail being sorted enroute and dropped off both at stations and at other places along the way (which have become fodder for cartoons and other comedies). I thought, too, that the mail brought revenue to Amtrak. And what about routes like the Empire Builder, which service numerous communities without regular bus or air service, for whom Amtrak Express and package services was a major way of getting products and supplies coming in and going out? It is also one of the reasons often mentioned for keeping the trains--including the long distance runs--goin and funded. I presume Amtrak has a contigency plan for those communities.
 
Amfleet said:
Steve4031 said:
So . . . when I ride the train I can now look out the back window and see track and not a box car? :blink:
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Exactly! :D
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Well . . . thay made my day. Now if you had not put this other post in about the express package servide. I know its much neeeded revenue, but I sure like watching those tracks out the rear door of the sleeper.
 
As Amfleet pointed out, that service is normally conducted using the baggage car, immediately behind the loco, NOT with a separate cargo car on the rear of the train, so THAT service is not going to obstruct your view out the back of the train.
 
They'll just continue to make life hard for the Conductor that works the baggage car. :angry:
 
battalion51 said:
They'll just continue to make life hard for the Conductor that works the baggage car. :angry:
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It should be no different than before. The mail and express that was on the rear of the train isn't being moved to the baggage car.

The only express business that Amtrak is staying with is when the individual shipper comes to the station and wants to a ship a package. One can do this now if they wanted, so nothing is really changing in the baggage car,
 
capltd29 said:
Would this mean discontinuing Mainly mail trains S.A. The Three Rivers
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Someone posted a RUMOR on Trainorders that the Three Rivers and Southwest Chief would be cut down to tri-weekly service. However, I highly DOUBT that as those trains still carry heavy passenger loads during peak and off peak seasons. In fact, both trains could use an extra coach and sleeper, plus the additon of a diner on the Three Rivers. If anything, it will reduce travel times slightly.
 
I can see why you wouldn't want to carry mail on Sunset. By the time it got delivered, postage would have increased :lol: Or maybe they would have required extra postage to start with to cover the additional storage costs :p Probably wouldn't have been a problem on the other routes...
 
I just read on Trainorders that the Three Rivers will be operating NYP-PIT only as of November. The PIT-CHI portion will be cancelled. Some of the station stops in the PIT-CHI corridor are pretty close to the stops on the route of the Capital Limited, so it shouldn't be too inconvenient for those folks, although losing another direct CHI-NYP train is never a good thing.
 
NativeSon5859 said:
I just read on Trainorders that the Three Rivers will be operating NYP-PIT only as of November. The PIT-CHI portion will be cancelled. Some of the station stops in the PIT-CHI corridor are pretty close to the stops on the route of the Capital Limited, so it shouldn't be too inconvenient for those folks, although losing another direct CHI-NYP train is never a good thing.
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Well if that's true, then Amtrak better hurry up and post it's 90 day train off notices, or they won't be able to cut it back in November.

However, this is a move that makes no sense what-so-ever, if that rumor is true. Amtrak already has a train that only runs to PIT. They don't need another one that terminates their. Especially one that at least in first class is almost always sold out. Maybe they need to cut back on coaches, I'm not sure how busy that is.

But the loss of the train through to Chicago, IMHO is not a good idea.
 
My apologies, it wasn't Trainorders, but the general Amtrak forum in Yahoo.

Instead of cutting back the 3Rivers they should rename the train "Broadway Limited" and give it a full Dining Car.
 
NativeSon5859 said:
My apologies, it wasn't Trainorders, but the general Amtrak forum in Yahoo.
Instead of cutting back the 3Rivers they should rename the train "Broadway Limited" and give it a full Dining Car.
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Since some of the enoute cities on the Three Rivers route paid to upgrade and open their stations, Amtrak dropping the train would be a big hit in the municipal offices of those towns.

And, don’t get us started on Amtrak ever using the Broadway Limited name again. Let’s just say that names like Broadway Limited, Twentieth Century Limited, and Super Chief are best left with the memories of the old days than sullied by what Amtrak today passes off as a train.
 
I'm going to guess that if the Three Rivers is cut back to Pittsburgh then the Capitol Limited will run over the route via Akron. When Amtrak originally extended the Three Rivers out to Chicago it was only for Mail and Express and even 5 years ago there weren't enough sleepers or coaches to do the job.
 
Part of the rumor (or at least one version of it) has the Three Rivers replacing the Pennsylvanian on the NYP-Pittsburgh segment in the Spring, following the 180-day train discontinuance notice.

There will, one hopes, be howls of protest along the Three Rivers route west of Pittsburgh. Whethor it could be enough to make a difference is the real question. With at least a six month notice, perhaps there will be sufficient protest that the money might somehow be found (probably by Congress - perhaps a supplemental appropriation) to keep the train going.

Somehow, I fear this move playing right into the hands of Amtrak critics, the ones that see those bad, old, money losing long-distance trains as the source of all Amtrak's problems. The network is skeletol enough already; cutting one route segment could not possibly save anything significant no matter whose financial numbers you believe.
 
Yes just because of the train off notices being issued does not mean its a sure thing that the train will be cut. In 1996/1997 for example there were four trains that were gonna be cut, The Desert Wind, the Pioneer, The Texas Eagle, and Boston section of the Lake Shore Limited. As we all know, the first two trains mentioned were cut in May 1997. But continual fighting for the Texas Eagle and the Lake Shore kept them saved, mainy through agreements partaining to more Mail & Express services along their respective routes.

For instance, Massachusetts promised to expand the mail transfer building in Springfield to increase the amount of mail and revinue on the Boston Section.

But both the trains were extremely close to being cut, and they were both saved at the last minute. I think the Texas Eagle was saved a little over 24 hours or something like that before it was cut!! Pretty much no one was on the first few trains after the supposed cut date because no one thought the train would still be running and reservations couldnt be made for them!
 
P40Power said:
Yes just because of the train off notices being issued does not mean its a sure thing that the train will be cut.
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While I don't disagree with your statement, so far in this case no discontinuance notices have been posted. So for the moment this whole topic is but a rumor.
 
Maybe the reason the 90 day notices have not been out is because the exact date that the mail is ending is not known. I know the post office was very upset and is trying to file some sort of appeal. I don't know if the post office has the right to extend the contract until they are able to set up other contractors to do the work. I do not think that Oct 1st will be the drop dead date. I imagine there will some political pressure brought to the fore now.

I believe that the 3 Rivers would be in serious trouble as soon as the mail ends.
 
Amtrak needs to post a 180-day notice, not a 90-day notice.

Look for one soon.
 
rmadisonwi said:
Amtrak needs to post a 180-day notice, not a 90-day notice.
Look for one soon.
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Well actually, if as someone else suggested, the Capitol was to be diverted to the 3R's route between PIT & CHI, then there would be no need for a notice.

Ps. You're quite correct that it's a 180-day notice. Don't know where I got 90 from originally. :rolleyes:
 
Just a "blurb". :eek:

US mail requires a seperate car on Silver Service consists. We were told that the amount of mail has been reduced and fills 1/4th of the mail car.The cost of maintaining the cars offsets the profit and creates delays.

It looks like Gunn is more concerned with on-time performance and passenger satisfaction. :)

MJ B)
 
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