Raising Revenue

[AlanB]

Edit: I know that I read a report that sleeper passengers pay a larger share of the cost of their transportation net of perks than coach passengers (even accounting for the lower sleeping car capacity), but those numbers were also about 8-10 years old IIRC. I wonder what those numbers look like these days.

Shortly after that report was created, sleeper fare took a major jump in price. So were I to hazard a guess, I'd say that they now cover even more of their costs.

 

[AlanB]

I'd be OK with Waffle House for breakfast but I'm not sure they'd be the best pick for Lunch or dinner. I do wish Amtrak could find someone other than Aramark to handle the diner. There should be trials for other providers that may or may not pan out but would at least show Amtrak is trying to do something about the current quality. I know there are many who consider what we have now to be the best it's been in a long time, but I believe they have a lot more work to do to bring it up to a reasonable level.

There aren't a whole lot of vendors out there that do the kind of service that Amtrak needs all over the country. Amtrak has already dumped one of them in favor of Aramark.

And not all of the problem is Aramark, it's what Amtrak is willing to pay Aramark for the food. I've no doubt that Aramark can do better, but Amtrak isn't paying for that level of quality.

At the current level I'd be happy if they unbundled the meals entirely. Then we'd finally be able to see how much support the diners truly have when everyone has to make a choice about handing over their money.

We'd have no diners at all.

That was where Amtrak was heading prior to bundling meals into the price of the sleeper cars. Bundling was how Amtrak saved the dining cars from extinction, as it provided enough revenue once again to justify their continued existence.

 

[AlanB]

I know the Superliners are not modular by design, but was it completely impossible to convert some of them into sleepers or even half-sleepers?

I'm not sure what cars you want to convert to sleepers, but anything is possible. However, Amtrak can't afford to convert any of it's cars from their current purpose to a different purpose. Even the Diner's convered into CCC's remained food service cars because Amtrak still needed them in that capacity.

 

[Anderson]

I know the Superliners are not modular by design, but was it completely impossible to convert some of them into sleepers or even half-sleepers?

I'm not sure what cars you want to convert to sleepers, but anything is possible. However, Amtrak can't afford to convert any of it's cars from their current purpose to a different purpose. Even the Diner's convered into CCC's remained food service cars because Amtrak still needed them in that capacity.

You've actually hit on a thought I had earlier today: Is there a way that Amtrak could make sure that future dual-level car orders were modular? I'm mainly thinking that they might be able to find a way to shift some spare cars off of state-purchased trains (particularly if one flops, as happens on occasion, and the cars therefore become available again) and add them into one of the LD trains as sleepers. I know it's not in the budget now, but this does seem to be a long-term planning thing.

As to the sleeper situation...I'm glad to hear that. Is there any way of sorting what the CR numbers looked like 5-6 years ago and/or before that report? I ask because I can't sort CR figures for the LD trains on any continuing basis.

 

[AlanB]

Well I strongly suspect that if Amtrak buys any new bi-level long distance equipment that they will try to get mondular things, although it might be a bit harder with bi-levels to do that than with single level cars. I can't speak to whether or not any short haul bi-levels will be built with modular capabilities.

 

[cirdan]

- a selection of regional microbrews on tap in the bar car- a small shop selling tax-free designer items as in airports (legal permission would have to be obtained for this of course, but why tax to subsidize when you can cut out the middle man?)

Under the current pricing structure wouldn't micro brews on tap be $10 or more, tax or no tax? Who exactly is going to pay $10 for a beer in a McDonald's plastic bench setting? I would strongly support this idea on cars like the PPC.

Sure, I was assuming the bar would also be remodelled to create a setting that people would feel comfortable in enjoying more up-market products.

At the end of the day, increasing revenue means taking more money out of the customer's product in one way or another, and that means you've got to create the environment where the customer is happy with that.

I also agree with what you say about plastic cups. Are the additional costs of having (storing, cleaning etc) of real glasses really that much higher than plastic cups? Or is this just another case of trying to copy the airlines?

 

[jis]

- a selection of regional microbrews on tap in the bar car- a small shop selling tax-free designer items as in airports (legal permission would have to be obtained for this of course, but why tax to subsidize when you can cut out the middle man?)

Under the current pricing structure wouldn't micro brews on tap be $10 or more, tax or no tax? Who exactly is going to pay $10 for a beer in a McDonald's plastic bench setting? I would strongly support this idea on cars like the PPC.

Sure, I was assuming the bar would also be remodelled to create a setting that people would feel comfortable in enjoying more up-market products.

At the end of the day, increasing revenue means taking more money out of the customer's product in one way or another, and that means you've got to create the environment where the customer is happy with that.

I also agree with what you say about plastic cups. Are the additional costs of having (storing, cleaning etc) of real glasses really that much higher than plastic cups? Or is this just another case of trying to copy the airlines?

At least in First Class or Business Class, most self-respecting airlines do not use plastic anything. Few days back on United (Continental) domestic First Class I even got genuine stainless steel silverware and real Corelle, porcelain or glass tableware.

OTOH in Economy all bets are off. It is all plasticware and throw away stuff.

But one thing to keep in mind is that airlines do not have to wash and reuses dishes on board they just load them back up into the containers and the washing is handled in on shore kitchens. Theoretically trains could do the same but that would require many more commissaries. OTOH they could wahs on board, which would require additional staff and possibly equipment too. So there are costs involved either way.

 

[VentureForth]

I know I've been on the whole Waffle House kick for a couple of years now, and I'm not really advocating Amtrak Dining to be Waffle House branded. But of all restaurant models that I've encountered, Waffle House seems to be able to do everything we are asking for - even in roughly the same amount of space.

They wash all their dishes by hand, they have a staff that ranges from 3 to 6 or more depending on the busy-ness of things, and best of all they operate 100% completely around the clock and manage to church a profit.

Sure, there are logistical differences. I'd bet that if you took a handful of staff from a single Waffle House store and had them shadow the dining car crew for 24 hours, they would have LOADS of input on how to improve revenue.

 

[MikeM]

--Allow Taco Bell to take over the lounge car food concession on all trains--Pay toilets and showers

--Extra charge for seating on the side of the train with the "good" scenery

--Extra charge for seating

--Pay one price "All you can drink" wristband

Taco bell for the Cafe' Car, Waffle House for the Diner!

- with that dining combination, maybe you could offer gas masks and ear plugs for sale for the inevitable flatulence in coach? :giggle:

 

[VentureForth]

--Allow Taco Bell to take over the lounge car food concession on all trains--Pay toilets and showers

--Extra charge for seating on the side of the train with the "good" scenery

--Extra charge for seating

--Pay one price "All you can drink" wristband

Taco bell for the Cafe' Car, Waffle House for the Diner!

- with that dining combination, maybe you could offer gas masks and ear plugs for sale for the inevitable flatulence in coach? :giggle:

Nah. Biofuel.

 

[jdcnosse]

--Allow Taco Bell to take over the lounge car food concession on all trains--Pay toilets and showers

--Extra charge for seating on the side of the train with the "good" scenery

--Extra charge for seating

--Pay one price "All you can drink" wristband

Taco bell for the Cafe' Car, Waffle House for the Diner!

- with that dining combination, maybe you could offer gas masks and ear plugs for sale for the inevitable flatulence in coach? :giggle:

Nah. Biofuel.

vents feeding directly from the coach interior down to a special reserve tank, good idea! We can further pay our own way

 

[Devil's Advocate]

There aren't a whole lot of vendors out there that do the kind of service that Amtrak needs all over the country. Amtrak has already dumped one of them in favor of Aramark. And not all of the problem is Aramark, it's what Amtrak is willing to pay Aramark for the food. I've no doubt that Aramark can do better, but Amtrak isn't paying for that level of quality.

Maybe they could select a few regional solutions instead one giant least common denominator solution. Aramark is a one-stop-shop solution that works great in the blubber belt and makes it much easier on the home office but doesn't do much to improve the situation in more enlightened areas. In several parts of the country (including major crew/commissary bases like Chicago and Los Angeles) even lower-end chain restaurants are working on providing fresher, tastier, and healthier food that focuses on locally sourced seasonal ingredients. I have yet to see the Amtrak+Aramark team make a move in this direction. I can expect a route like the Heartattack Flyer to provide nothing but unhealthy junk food because it's a relatively short trip between two health-averse states that aren't part of this movement. However, on routes between Chicago and Los Angeles I would hope to see a better attempt to approach what even basic culinary services are providing in both of those cities.

We'd have no diners at all. That was where Amtrak was heading prior to bundling meals into the price of the sleeper cars. Bundling was how Amtrak saved the dining cars from extinction, as it provided enough revenue once again to justify their continued existence.

I'd still like to see the meals unbundled so that the diners live and die by their own performance, but I'd also like to see diners with a Wafflehouse type crew and management given an actual full-length trial before we write off the diners completely. If multiple diners are handed over to several alternative providers for full length trials and none of them can find a way to at least approach breaking even then maybe Amtrak's diners should be retired. Convert them into sleepers if possible. Food service that was previously provided by the diner could be delivered at station stops or even in sit-down restaurants at longer stops. This may sound absurd at first but the freshest, tastiest meal I've ever consumed while on-board Amtrak was in the form of a sidewalk burrito purchased outside the station in El Paso! If a random lady selling burritos out of an Igloo on the sidewalk can impress me why can't Amtrak?

 

[The Davy Crockett]

Here's another way to generate revenue. create some kind of incentive to make conductors want to sell onboard upgrades. right now it's more miss then hit with finding a conductor willing to do the paper work and that's costing amtrak revenue.

Now I realize that many trains are running at or near capacity in the sleepers, but last week I was chatting with one of my SCAs and somehow the topic of onboard upgrades came up. They said that ever since the 'no cell phone use on duty' policy went into effect for engineers AND conductors, that onboard upgrades occur with much less frequency, as the only way conductors can now confirm availibity is when stopped at a station where they have the time to go inside to make a call to verify the upgrade has not been sold. Needless to say, many conductors don't want to be bothered. I asked about the LSA being able to call instead, but as the SCA started saying something along the lines about it being too much of a hassle, we got interrupted and I never persued the topic further.

Does anybody know more about this?

 

[Oldsmoboi]

Raise prices.

 

[jb64]

Here's another way to generate revenue. create some kind of incentive to make conductors want to sell onboard upgrades. right now it's more miss then hit with finding a conductor willing to do the paper work and that's costing amtrak revenue.

Now I realize that many trains are running at or near capacity in the sleepers, but last week I was chatting with one of my SCAs and somehow the topic of onboard upgrades came up. They said that ever since the 'no cell phone use on duty' policy went into effect for engineers AND conductors, that onboard upgrades occur with much less frequency, as the only way conductors can now confirm availibity is when stopped at a station where they have the time to go inside to make a call to verify the upgrade has not been sold. Needless to say, many conductors don't want to be bothered. I asked about the LSA being able to call instead, but as the SCA started saying something along the lines about it being too much of a hassle, we got interrupted and I never persued the topic further.

Does anybody know more about this?

I upgraded to a sleeper on CZ two months ago. The AC called it in. She didn't have to get off the train at the next station and run in to see if rooms were available. What if the next station was unstaffed?

 

[The Davy Crockett]

Here's another way to generate revenue. create some kind of incentive to make conductors want to sell onboard upgrades. right now it's more miss then hit with finding a conductor willing to do the paper work and that's costing amtrak revenue.

Now I realize that many trains are running at or near capacity in the sleepers, but last week I was chatting with one of my SCAs and somehow the topic of onboard upgrades came up. They said that ever since the 'no cell phone use on duty' policy went into effect for engineers AND conductors, that onboard upgrades occur with much less frequency, as the only way conductors can now confirm availibity is when stopped at a station where they have the time to go inside to make a call to verify the upgrade has not been sold. Needless to say, many conductors don't want to be bothered. I asked about the LSA being able to call instead, but as the SCA started saying something along the lines about it being too much of a hassle, we got interrupted and I never persued the topic further.

Does anybody know more about this?

I upgraded to a sleeper on CZ two months ago. The AC called it in. She didn't have to get off the train at the next station and run in to see if rooms were available. What if the next station was unstaffed?

I agree. What the SCA said was news to me, so that is why I asked. Could this be more of 'Amtrak employees making up the rules as we go?' Another example of the widespread inconsistancy at Amtrak?

 

[NEW RIVER GEORGE]

I hate to bring it up on a train-lover forum, but...Well, Amtrak is already doing it (gasp!) and I suspect there is a lotta money in doing it more. Run more busses all over the country that connect with trains at big city points, or not. You don't have to worry about station-building or any of that sorta stuff. Look at MegaBus, you just stop at the curb in the pouring rain, and everyone lines up to jockey for the cheap seat. No worries about dining cars, wheelchair lifts, none of that sorta stuff, you used the public streets and highways free of charge and it makes tons of money. Heck, as a government entity, Amtrak would probably get a rebate on the state taxes for diesel fuel, and could actually put MegaBus outta business instead of the other way around.

 

[Amtrak George]

CONNECTING BUSES: As some of us have discussed, they could run a convenient La Junta to Denver bus (or passenger van if there is not enough demand). This would accomplish a couple of things: 1. Furnish a convenient train-bus connection from Chgo to Denver when the Cal Zephyr has issues; 2. Get passengers conveniently from the Kansas City area to Denver.

 

[Anderson]

CONNECTING BUSES: As some of us have discussed, they could run a convenient La Junta to Denver bus (or passenger van if there is not enough demand). This would accomplish a couple of things: 1. Furnish a convenient train-bus connection from Chgo to Denver when the Cal Zephyr has issues; 2. Get passengers conveniently from the Kansas City area to Denver.

The old maps seem to indicate more of this (there was a Dayton-Pittsburgh bus at one point to provide a connection through to the NEC, and there used to be a Key West bus from Miami). Particularly on short hauls that might be candidates for rail service (the relative success of the Norfolk and Virginia Beach bus stops is undoubtedly helping the argument for the new Norfolk service), providing connections to a specific bus might be worthwhile. Also, for places that are up to about 60 minutes off the corridor and that have more than X population, bus links might make sense as an offering (parts of upstate NY come to mind here)...and in some cases, this would even make sense if there's nominally service from X to Y but the trains are horribly scheduled one way or another. In some cases where the stations are badly-placed, even working an agreement out with a local transit authority to make sure that there's a "special" bus to run folks to/from the station around connection times might make sense (Richmond, I'm looking at you, and especially at the southbound AM NE Regionals).

 

[railiner]

There aren't a whole lot of vendors out there that do the kind of service that Amtrak needs all over the country. Amtrak has already dumped one of them in favor of Aramark. And not all of the problem is Aramark, it's what Amtrak is willing to pay Aramark for the food. I've no doubt that Aramark can do better, but Amtrak isn't paying for that level of quality.

Maybe they could select a few regional solutions instead one giant least common denominator solution. Aramark is a one-stop-shop solution that works great in the blubber belt and makes it much easier on the home office but doesn't do much to improve the situation in more enlightened areas. In several parts of the country (including major crew/commissary bases like Chicago and Los Angeles) even lower-end chain restaurants are working on providing fresher, tastier, and healthier food that focuses on locally sourced seasonal ingredients. I have yet to see the Amtrak+Aramark team make a move in this direction. I can expect a route like the Heartattack Flyer to provide nothing but unhealthy junk food because it's a relatively short trip between two health-averse states that aren't part of this movement. However, on routes between Chicago and Los Angeles I would hope to see a better attempt to approach what even basic culinary services are providing in both of those cities.

We'd have no diners at all. That was where Amtrak was heading prior to bundling meals into the price of the sleeper cars. Bundling was how Amtrak saved the dining cars from extinction, as it provided enough revenue once again to justify their continued existence.

I'd still like to see the meals unbundled so that the diners live and die by their own performance, but I'd also like to see diners with a Wafflehouse type crew and management given an actual full-length trial before we write off the diners completely. If multiple diners are handed over to several alternative providers for full length trials and none of them can find a way to at least approach breaking even then maybe Amtrak's diners should be retired. Convert them into sleepers if possible. Food service that was previously provided by the diner could be delivered at station stops or even in sit-down restaurants at longer stops. This may sound absurd at first but the freshest, tastiest meal I've ever consumed while on-board Amtrak was in the form of a sidewalk burrito purchased outside the station in El Paso! If a random lady selling burritos out of an Igloo on the sidewalk can impress me why can't Amtrak?

Fred Harvey, where are you when we need you? :unsure: :help:

 

[Guest]

There aren't a whole lot of vendors out there that do the kind of service that Amtrak needs all over the country. Amtrak has already dumped one of them in favor of Aramark. And not all of the problem is Aramark, it's what Amtrak is willing to pay Aramark for the food. I've no doubt that Aramark can do better, but Amtrak isn't paying for that level of quality.

Maybe they could select a few regional solutions instead one giant least common denominator solution. Aramark is a one-stop-shop solution that works great in the blubber belt and makes it much easier on the home office but doesn't do much to improve the situation in more enlightened areas. In several parts of the country (including major crew/commissary bases like Chicago and Los Angeles) even lower-end chain restaurants are working on providing fresher, tastier, and healthier food that focuses on locally sourced seasonal ingredients. I have yet to see the Amtrak+Aramark team make a move in this direction. I can expect a route like the Heartattack Flyer to provide nothing but unhealthy junk food because it's a relatively short trip between two health-averse states that aren't part of this movement. However, on routes between Chicago and Los Angeles I would hope to see a better attempt to approach what even basic culinary services are providing in both of those cities.

We'd have no diners at all. That was where Amtrak was heading prior to bundling meals into the price of the sleeper cars. Bundling was how Amtrak saved the dining cars from extinction, as it provided enough revenue once again to justify their continued existence.

I'd still like to see the meals unbundled so that the diners live and die by their own performance, but I'd also like to see diners with a Wafflehouse type crew and management given an actual full-length trial before we write off the diners completely. If multiple diners are handed over to several alternative providers for full length trials and none of them can find a way to at least approach breaking even then maybe Amtrak's diners should be retired. Convert them into sleepers if possible. Food service that was previously provided by the diner could be delivered at station stops or even in sit-down restaurants at longer stops. This may sound absurd at first but the freshest, tastiest meal I've ever consumed while on-board Amtrak was in the form of a sidewalk burrito purchased outside the station in El Paso! If a random lady selling burritos out of an Igloo on the sidewalk can impress me why can't Amtrak?

A burrito out of a cooler . . . how "enlightened."

Did this woman charge you enough to cover the cost of her health and retirement benefits? Vacation and sick pay? Union dues? Credit card commissions? Did you see a copy of her most recent health department inspection, insurance and business license?

I think Amtrak does a relatively good job with the diners when you think about the unique conditions they operate under. Dinner and breakfast are usually okay, food-wise -- lunch could be better. The one area that I think they could increase quality in the diner is with the service. Warm salads sitting on the table when you sit down and being expected to start eating without even a glass of water on the table is ridiculous. An enhancement in the level of service would greatly increase the impression of value for price. Currently, it often seems that a good portion of diner staffs have very little experience or training.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Did this woman charge you enough to cover the cost of her health and retirement benefits? Vacation and sick pay? Union dues? Credit card commissions? Did you see a copy of her most recent health department inspection, insurance and business license?

If Amtrak needs to charge $20 per burrito instead of $2 in order to cover all the various benefits they bestow upon their staff and regulations they must comply with then so be it. Ten times the cost is a small price to pay for better food. ^_^

 

[cirdan]

CONNECTING BUSES: As some of us have discussed, they could run a convenient La Junta to Denver bus (or passenger van if there is not enough demand). This would accomplish a couple of things: 1. Furnish a convenient train-bus connection from Chgo to Denver when the Cal Zephyr has issues; 2. Get passengers conveniently from the Kansas City area to Denver.

The old maps seem to indicate more of this (there was a Dayton-Pittsburgh bus at one point to provide a connection through to the NEC, and there used to be a Key West bus from Miami). Particularly on short hauls that might be candidates for rail service (the relative success of the Norfolk and Virginia Beach bus stops is undoubtedly helping the argument for the new Norfolk service), providing connections to a specific bus might be worthwhile. Also, for places that are up to about 60 minutes off the corridor and that have more than X population, bus links might make sense as an offering (parts of upstate NY come to mind here)...and in some cases, this would even make sense if there's nominally service from X to Y but the trains are horribly scheduled one way or another. In some cases where the stations are badly-placed, even working an agreement out with a local transit authority to make sure that there's a "special" bus to run folks to/from the station around connection times might make sense (Richmond, I'm looking at you, and especially at the southbound AM NE Regionals).

Some good points here.

Amtrak could further reduce the risk if it could talk the states into supporting these bus services.

Also, Amtrak could look at existing bus services and work with the folks who run them to get them to connect to Amtrak stations and better still, to actually connect to trains. Local bus companies understand the local market far better than Amtrak does so it pays to tap into that knowledge rather than doing everything from scratch - and failing.

 

[Anderson]

There aren't a whole lot of vendors out there that do the kind of service that Amtrak needs all over the country. Amtrak has already dumped one of them in favor of Aramark. And not all of the problem is Aramark, it's what Amtrak is willing to pay Aramark for the food. I've no doubt that Aramark can do better, but Amtrak isn't paying for that level of quality.

Maybe they could select a few regional solutions instead one giant least common denominator solution. Aramark is a one-stop-shop solution that works great in the blubber belt and makes it much easier on the home office but doesn't do much to improve the situation in more enlightened areas. In several parts of the country (including major crew/commissary bases like Chicago and Los Angeles) even lower-end chain restaurants are working on providing fresher, tastier, and healthier food that focuses on locally sourced seasonal ingredients. I have yet to see the Amtrak+Aramark team make a move in this direction. I can expect a route like the Heartattack Flyer to provide nothing but unhealthy junk food because it's a relatively short trip between two health-averse states that aren't part of this movement. However, on routes between Chicago and Los Angeles I would hope to see a better attempt to approach what even basic culinary services are providing in both of those cities.

We'd have no diners at all. That was where Amtrak was heading prior to bundling meals into the price of the sleeper cars. Bundling was how Amtrak saved the dining cars from extinction, as it provided enough revenue once again to justify their continued existence.

I'd still like to see the meals unbundled so that the diners live and die by their own performance, but I'd also like to see diners with a Wafflehouse type crew and management given an actual full-length trial before we write off the diners completely. If multiple diners are handed over to several alternative providers for full length trials and none of them can find a way to at least approach breaking even then maybe Amtrak's diners should be retired. Convert them into sleepers if possible. Food service that was previously provided by the diner could be delivered at station stops or even in sit-down restaurants at longer stops. This may sound absurd at first but the freshest, tastiest meal I've ever consumed while on-board Amtrak was in the form of a sidewalk burrito purchased outside the station in El Paso! If a random lady selling burritos out of an Igloo on the sidewalk can impress me why can't Amtrak?

Fred Harvey, where are you when we need you? :unsure: :help:

Sadly, I'm liking that option in a few places with longer layovers: Do a deal with a chain of places, either high-end fast food (In-N-Out, Steak and Shake, etc.) or perhaps on the higher end of casual dining to set up shop in some of the "mixed use" stations (or try and work something out to get them to set up shop next to the local station, which in a lot of towns on the western LD routes happens to be on one of the main streets. Still, it would make a hash of the OBS situation.

Serious question: Who owns the ABQ station? The wait there is usually at least half an hour, and there's enough of a bazaar of local crafts for sale (ditto La Junta, and Grand Junction, CO has the old gift shop), so if they own the station I'm wondering if Amtrak couldn't make up for a bit of lost cafe business on letting a vendor or two out by the platform to throw more variety in. Mind you, this would work better if you had 2-3 trains per day each way...*sigh*

On the bus front, I have noticed that there's an increasing move towards "intermodal" stations (read: Bus/train connections) in cities...SLC is nominally one (though the CZ's hours are bad enough to neuter any benefits there), NPN has one in the works about 7-8 miles "uptown" from the current station, I suspect that the new Norfolk station will be one, Miami is building one. Richmond is more the red-headed stepchild here (in that it's about the only major city on the extended NEC where the main station is so awkwardly placed)...the improvements to route everything through Main Street Station can't come soon enough.

Edit: Quick thought: Greyhound's bus terminal is located about halfway between the RVR station and downtown. Is there any way the transit links in Richmond could be messed up any more?

 

[Trogdor]

We'd have no diners at all. That was where Amtrak was heading prior to bundling meals into the price of the sleeper cars. Bundling was how Amtrak saved the dining cars from extinction, as it provided enough revenue once again to justify their continued existence.

I'd still like to see the meals unbundled so that the diners live and die by their own performance, but I'd also like to see diners with a Wafflehouse type crew and management given an actual full-length trial before we write off the diners completely. If multiple diners are handed over to several alternative providers for full length trials and none of them can find a way to at least approach breaking even then maybe Amtrak's diners should be retired. Convert them into sleepers if possible. Food service that was previously provided by the diner could be delivered at station stops or even in sit-down restaurants at longer stops. This may sound absurd at first but the freshest, tastiest meal I've ever consumed while on-board Amtrak was in the form of a sidewalk burrito purchased outside the station in El Paso! If a random lady selling burritos out of an Igloo on the sidewalk can impress me why can't Amtrak?

Unbundling meals and sleeper rooms would likely kill off both sleepers and diners.

One of the key selling points of sleeper travel on Amtrak is that the meals are included, so you don't have to worry about anything else once you're on the train.

There are some for whom the "free" meal is the tipping point that makes the sleeper worth it for them. For others, the fact that it's free/included in the ticket is the main (maybe only) reason they eat in the dining car.

If you unbundled the meals and some sleeper passengers decided they weren't going to eat in the diner any more, and that lead to the dining cars going away, now you've seriously devalued the sleeping car product. Without dining cars, I bet a lot of high-revenue sleeper passengers wouldn't bother taking the train, and those that are left would only do so with much lower fares. Now you've killed off the sleeper business case as well.