Water availability in Coach

[KrazyKoala]

I tend to drink a lot of water, and usually buy a 1 gallon water from a nearby store before joining the train, if it is long distance. My biggest pet hate is being charged over the top prices for a tiny water bottle, at an airport or station! I think the train water dispenser would be my last resort, even drink budwieser before that!
Ed

Just curious: how much should AMTRAK charge for a bottle of water they 1) have to buy 2) have to deliver to the train 3) haul around until someone buys it and 4) not lose money on the deal

$2.25 is a little silly. Water should never cost the same as soda. Maybe they wouldn't be so much if they didn't give so many away to sleeping car passengers. I never drink it anyways and always bring it to the SSL for someone who wants it to have it for free.

 

[railiner]

First of all Amtrak has an FDA consent decree that they must comply with.1: All potable(drinking) water hoses are specially made sanitary hoses, colored white.

2: All watering points for potable water must be specifically designated

3: All potable watering points must be equipped with a vacuum breaker to prevent backflow

4: All potable hoses must be kept off the ground and capped when not in use

5: All potable water hose nozzles must be equipped with a metal guard that prevents the nozzle

from touching the ground if dropped.

6: All potable watering points are inspected periodically by Amtrak, federal, or local officials.

7: All employees that are involved in any portion of potable watering must be specially trained

8: All potable tanks are drained on, at the minimum of a 30 day period. Please not that the tanks

will self drain if the if the car is left off power for an extended time. usually as soon as the water

cools to 38 degrees F. When the tanks are drained and refilled a specific sanitation procedure

is followed.

I also thank you for that detailed answer. There was once, I believe in Trains magazine, a photo of a carman taking a drink from the hose on a hot day between watering a couple of cars...amplifying the adage of not putting anything into the tank that you would not drink yourself.....

 

[crescent2]

I guess if he didn't touch the nozzle with his mouth, it's no worse than a drinking fountain. (which I try not to use)

Don't take the water bottles away from the sleepers--water is my preferred drink so I do drink them!

 

[VentureForth]

I tend to drink a lot of water, and usually buy a 1 gallon water from a nearby store before joining the train, if it is long distance. My biggest pet hate is being charged over the top prices for a tiny water bottle, at an airport or station! I think the train water dispenser would be my last resort, even drink budwieser before that!

Ed

Just curious: how much should AMTRAK charge for a bottle of water they 1) have to buy 2) have to deliver to the train 3) haul around until someone buys it and 4) not lose money on the deal

$2.25 is a little silly. Water should never cost the same as soda. Maybe they wouldn't be so much if they didn't give so many away to sleeping car passengers. I never drink it anyways and always bring it to the SSL for someone who wants it to have it for free.

100% supply and demand. Free, potable water is available to all passengers. Though it may smell and taste a bit 'funny', it is safe to drink. If someone want to buy bottled water, they will either pay the price or not.
That all being said, I have seen them fill the water tanks. Nothing like an airliner which has a totally closed system (cap on the receptacle and nozzle, removed, attached, and then a ball valve or something similar actuated), they basically turn on a hose and fill a pipe that they unscrew the cap from. Water splashes all around the outside, but that doesn't get into the system. Also unknown is whether an additional water filter is used between the tank and the water dispensers onboard (probably not - they're expensive).

As for turn around, I believe that the potable water is replaced pretty often - I don't think it ever sits more than a day. The same water source is used for the toilets as for the water fountains (don't freak out, even the most expensive airliners do this - it's a one-way system).

I do what was said early on - buy a 99c bottle of water (or brink your own water bottle from home) and use Mio or some other additive to taste.

 

[TimePeace]

$2.25 is a little silly. Water should never cost the same as soda. Maybe they wouldn't be so much if they didn't give so many away to sleeping car passengers. I never drink it anyways and always bring it to the SSL for someone who wants it to have it for free.

When I review the prices, even low bucket prices, for sleeping car tickets - I don't see anything being given away for free.

That said, I agree the cost of those small bottles in cafe cars does seem a bit much. It in general strikes me as strange that sometimes, bottled water costs more than gasoline - and not only on trains.

But it demonstrates that often the cost of products is not so much in the production of them, but rather in the packaging and handling and shipping and storage.

 

[NW cannonball]

$2.25 is a little silly. Water should never cost the same as soda. Maybe they wouldn't be so much if they didn't give so many away to sleeping car passengers. I never drink it anyways and always bring it to the SSL for someone who wants it to have it for free.

When I review the prices, even low bucket prices, for sleeping car tickets - I don't see anything being given away for free.

That said, I agree the cost of those small bottles in cafe cars does seem a bit much. It in general strikes me as strange that sometimes, bottled water costs more than gasoline - and not only on trains.

But it demonstrates that often the cost of products is not so much in the production of them, but rather in the packaging and handling and shipping and storage.

And when one considers that the water in the bottle is just municipal treated water from some tap for potable water somewhere else - costing less than a penny per gallon - paying a dollar or more per liter for a bottle of the same stuff that's free and safe in USA, EU, Japan, -- just seems crazy.

But if the convenience is what one needs, or if one is a paranoid food-fearer -- ??

The only reason I carry a couple liters of water (freely available from some municipal supply at start point ) on the train - is - that sometimes the pot wat on board runs out.

If I was on an airplane carrying any liquid through the "sterile barrier" would be forbidden - probably because - the "liquids not allowed rule" generates huge profits for the airlines.

Anywhere in the first world - including ships, trains, planes, but not automobiles - drinking water is safe and not too bad tasting (except a few places where the safe water stinks - like Leon Iowa or La Push Washington - where the very safe and very stinking water has been sterilized by deep magma - but people pay to soak in the stinking stuff)

When the pot water tank runs out - that's when the spare couple liters makes the bearer happy.

Take care - take whatever water you like on the train -- it will not be confiscated at the checkpoint.

 

[Shanghai]

That's a good reason to take the train - you can take your bottle of water onboard

without being confiscated by security!!

 

[KrazyKoala]

Is the toilet water potable? Does the water reserve share in the same tank as the drinking water? I know on my boat they are separate. The water for the toilet actually comes from the ocean so it doesn't waste your supply of clean water.

 

[jsreeves]

Hmm, I drank out of garden hoses for years as a kid and it never bothered me any.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Hmm, I drank out of garden hoses for years as a kid and it never bothered me any.

Are you sure about that? :giggle:

I too have drank out of garden hoses and, as some on here will attest to, I'm completely insane.

 

[BCL]

$2.25 is a little silly. Water should never cost the same as soda. Maybe they wouldn't be so much if they didn't give so many away to sleeping car passengers. I never drink it anyways and always bring it to the SSL for someone who wants it to have it for free.

When I review the prices, even low bucket prices, for sleeping car tickets - I don't see anything being given away for free.

That said, I agree the cost of those small bottles in cafe cars does seem a bit much. It in general strikes me as strange that sometimes, bottled water costs more than gasoline - and not only on trains.

But it demonstrates that often the cost of products is not so much in the production of them, but rather in the packaging and handling and shipping and storage.

And when one considers that the water in the bottle is just municipal treated water from some tap for potable water somewhere else - costing less than a penny per gallon - paying a dollar or more per liter for a bottle of the same stuff that's free and safe in USA, EU, Japan, -- just seems crazy.
But if the convenience is what one needs, or if one is a paranoid food-fearer -- ??

I wouldn't worry about safety per se, but some municipal well water is absolutely foul. I used to live in a city with mostly water from wells within the city. Toilets had a crusty ring. Bubbles would take minutes to clear.? It was a little bit yellow. It smelled like sulfur. Anyone washing a car made sure to dry it quickly. It was safe to drink, but even a pitcher filter would become ineffective quickly with all the calcium and magnesium.
Now some municipal water sources are excellent. Where I live we get water from a river in the Sierra Foothills. Much of the Bay Area gets Hetch Hetchy water. The water from local watersheds Marin Water District are also good, although reliable supply is an issue.

No commercial bottling operation is going to sell water straight from the tap. It's going to be filtered where the cost of filtration is several times that of the municipal water itself. Most of the big names go through reverse osmosis, carbon, ozone, and UV. That kind of processing can turn foul well water into something drinkable. And of course spring water doesn't come from a tap.

Still, a lot of restaurants serve reverse osmosis water for nothing extra. I've heard some even use it to supply fountain drinks. It doesn't cost that much as long as it doesn't need to be bottled or transported.

I used to work in the Sacramento area where the local water came from Folsom Lake. The water was actually quite good but was chlorinated so heavily such that it smelled like pool water. A simple carbon filter actually worked well to control the odor,

 

[SP&S]

Is the toilet water potable?

Ask the next service dog you see on board, I'm not brave enough to find out. :blink: :blink:

 

[MiRider]

Is the toilet water potable? Does the water reserve share in the same tank as the drinking water? I know on my boat they are separate. The water for the toilet actually comes from the ocean so it doesn't waste your supply of clean water.

I thinks it's safe to assume that the water that comes out of the faucets in the restrooms is safe to drink.

The same little drinking cups that are at the spigots in the coach cars are also in every restroom.

It's possible they use the regular hose to fill the water tanks used for flushing, if there is such a thing, but the water, more than likely, comes from the same source and no one will get sick or die drinking water that comes out of a garden/regular hose.

 

[VentureForth]

As for flushing water being the same source of the drinking water, yes it is indeed true. Next time the toilets run out of water for flushing, you'll notice that you can't get any water from the drinking spigot. :wacko:

 

[NW cannonball]

You mean Amtrak is wasting drinkable water to flush their lousy toilets ?

This demands a congressional hearing -- (actually Mica might do one on this subject ) :unsure:

 

[VentureForth]

I think the problem is that precious flushing water is being wasted by people filling their water bottles!

 

[KrazyKoala]

Well, that's probably why the toilets are not prefilled with water. (Which I think they should be, to prevent crap from sticking to the bowl.)

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Well, that's probably why the toilets are not prefilled with water. (Which I think they should be, to prevent crap from sticking to the bowl.)

Or maybe so the water doesn't slosh around and get the seat and floor wet? I believe this is standard for toilets on moving vehicles.

 

[Guest]

My main issue is with the little cups. I haven't been on a long distance train for a while, but at least on the Superlines, they had the cone-shaped cups which you can't put down at all since they go down to a point. This pretty much forces the person at the water dispenser to stand there and drink. Wouldn't want the seat right there.

 

[guest]

Well, that's probably why the toilets are not prefilled with water. (Which I think they should be, to prevent crap from sticking to the bowl.)

I take toilet paper and put it in several strips it in the bowl, helps with the sticking problem.

 

[AlanB]

Well, that's probably why the toilets are not prefilled with water. (Which I think they should be, to prevent crap from sticking to the bowl.)

There are multiple reasons from lack of available water storage, sloshing, as well as storage for that which gets flushed. That's why.

 

[KrazyKoala]

Well, that's probably why the toilets are not prefilled with water. (Which I think they should be, to prevent crap from sticking to the bowl.)

I take toilet paper and put it in several strips it in the bowl, helps with the sticking problem.

Haha, I do the same exact thing, except with the tissue paper in the despenser. Works faster.