Newspapers discontinued as of August 17 - Acela/NER

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amamba

amamba

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I was just looking at some NEC fares when I noticed a service alert. I clicked on it and it said that the newspapers in Acela FC and regional BC would be eliminated starting August 17. In their place, customers will have full access to the digital versions of these papers through amtrak connect.

Here is the full notice:

Free Digital Newspapers for Business Class and First Class Passengers Aboard Select Amtrak TrainsEffective August 17, 2015Starting August 17, 2015, Business class and First class passengers will have free unlimited access to The New York Times and The Washington Post digital newspapers while traveling aboard the following Amtrak trains:

Acela Express

Maple Leaf

Carolinian

Northeast Regional

Downeaster

Palmetto

Empire Service

Pennsylvanian

Ethan Allen Express

Vermonter
To access digital newspapers, visit the AmtrakConnect page, click on the entertainment tab, and choose either The New York Times or The Washington Post. Then, simply enter the access code located on a card in your seat back pocket. Acela Express passengers will not need a code to access digital newspapers. With the start of digital newspapers, hard copy newspapers will be discontinued aboard these trains.

Reservations and information is available on Amtrak.com, our free mobile apps and at 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245).

Thank you for traveling with Amtrak.
 
I didn't know that they still gave out paper newspapers on short distance trains...I thought that was eliminated even before the sleeper ones...
 
They still had them in BC on the Virginia Regionals (at least, the ones out of Newport News). Honestly, the one advantage of the hard copy papers on routes like NPN is that the wifi can go to pot for half the trip up to DC.
 
jimhudson said:
Does this include the WSJ and the Sunday Times, which is the last of the Big Sunday Papers?

In 5 years there won't be any paper Newspapers left, it will all be digital!
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And that is an unfortunate trend as I prefer holding an actual newspaper and turniong real pages rather than flicking a screen.
 
Well, I don't think all paper newspapers are going away, but the big advertisement-filled broadsheets are. Remember the business model: it's not supportable any more, because there are better places to advertise now.

Few people were reading the paper newspapers anyway, and they can buy 'em on the newsstands if they want to. This is one cut which I'm all in favor of.
 
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how insightful they don't' eliminate the data just the mediaum perhaps when wifi comes to LD they will do the same,, many of the locals already have web versions,, i used them last year on the EB (albeit with my Verizon connection
 
neroden said:
Well, I don't think all paper newspapers are going away, but the big advertisement-filled broadsheets are. Remember the business model: it's not supportable any more, because there are better places to advertise now.

Few people were reading the paper newspapers anyway, and they can buy 'em on the newsstands if they want to. This is one cut which I'm all in favor of.
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Yes. Those papers in Business Class on many trains were not even being taken except by a few. Even more so on First Class, large piles left over every day. Years ago when walking thru a train after arrival there would be lots of newspapers and glossy magazines left behind in the seatback. Often Paperback books too. Now mostly only garbage left behind. People have not stopped reading, they are doing their reading on smartphones, tablets, and laptops.
 
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Not all of us have stopped reading hard-copy newspapers. You'd be surprised at how many people on NJ Transit read a hard-copy paper during the morning commute before they tie themselves up in all their electronic stuff.

One reason people didn't take the paper on the Northeast Regional business class was that it was shoved up on a shelf somewhere, and unless you knew to ask where it was, wouldn't have found it.
 
Excellent point MRD! I was never offered a paper in Biz Class on the NECs or on the Acelas, as you said they would be hidden away on a rack or somewhere else so you could help yourself or ask the attendant!

There was lots of waste!

I did like having a paper left under my door by the SCA in the morning on LD trips but alas they too are history!

I'm another one who likes to hold a real paper or book in my hand, even rags like USA Today or the Washington Times!
 
Newspapers like fossils are a thing of the past. I do not miss them on the trains. You can get the real news online. I do miss the simple flowers on the table am really annoyed at the shrinking menu on the autotrain, the elimination of wine tasting for the passengers that pay the most and the elimination of the dining car on the LSL, CONO, and Silver Star. Give me a break!. Passengers are expected to ride 24 hours on some trains without decent food? What is management thinking? If the diners are completely eliminated, or not on a train, I will no longer use the service. It will be back in the drivers seat.
 
dlagrua said:
Newspapers like fossils are a thing of the past. I do not miss them on the trains. You can get the real news online. I do miss the simple flowers on the table am really annoyed at the shrinking menu on the autotrain, the elimination of wine tasting for the passengers that pay the most and the elimination of the dining car on the LSL, CONO, and Silver Star. Give me a break!. Passengers are expected to ride 24 hours on some trains without decent food? What is management thinking? If the diners are completely eliminated, or not on a train, I will no longer use the service. It will be back in the drivers seat.
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Loss of dining car on CONO & LSL?
 
CONO has that reduced menu thing, no idea what he's thinking about the LSL.

I'm a fan of Vox's reporting as well, but now that they've been bought by Comcast, I expect that to change for the worse.
 
amamba said:
Starting August 17, 2015, Business class and First class passengers will have free unlimited access to The New York Times and The Washington Post digital newspapers while traveling aboard the following Amtrak trains:

....

To access digital newspapers, visit the AmtrakConnect page, click on the entertainment tab, and choose either The New York Times or The Washington Post. Then, simply enter the access code located on a card in your seat back pocket. Acela Express passengers will not need a code to access digital newspapers.
Click to expand...
How frequently do you think Amtrak will change the BC special access code? My bet is not very often. So take BC one trip, save the code, and use it the next time you are on a Regional in coach. :p BTW, this feature doesn't provide much value for me as I am already a Washington Post subscriber (and still get the printed edition every day.) And it is pretty easy to get around the NYT 10 article limit (at present).

What I notice about the list of trains getting this BC on-line access upgrade, is that it includes trains with Amfleet II coach cars. Which reportedly, now all have Amfleet II coach cars which have have been upgraded with WiFi. While the Palmetto and Pennsylvanian have Amfleet I BC cars, they may have held off this switch to BC special on-line access until all the cars on the train had WiFi so BC cars would always have active WiFi regardless of the order of the consist.

I expect eliminating the free printed newspapers will trim costs a little on backend in handling of and recycling of trash. And cleaning up the train during servicing. A stack of unread newspapers and free newspapers scattered around the cabin adds to the time it takes to clean the BC car and to the weight & volume of the trash being moved.
 
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