What's new on the AT?

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Allypet

Service Attendant
Joined
Jul 17, 2012
Messages
168
It's been several years since I rode the AT. I'm booked in April, in a bedroom, and was wondering if there has been any changes since my last trip. The last time I rode the sleepers lost the lounge car. I understand that it's back.

Do they still provide sleepers with bottled water? I use it to brush since the water pressure out of the sinks usually is too high to use for this purpose. Any information on what to expect would be greatly appreciated.
 
Sleeper lounge car is back and you still get water. Dinner food service has taken a beating. The Steak is gone from the menu, but still had salad and bread last I rode (October 16). I had no trouble on the last 4 trips with water pressure in the bedroom. They also now have priority car off loading. The first 25 to request for $50 get their cars first off the train.
 
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Sleeper lounge car is back and you still get water. Dinner food service has taken a beating. The Steak is gone from the menu, but still had salad and bread last I rode (October 16). I had no trouble on the last 4 trips with water pressure in the bedroom. They also now have priority car off loading. The first 25 to request for $50 get their cars first off the train.
Thanks for the information. Last I rode we had just lost the wine and cheese and more cuts were being discussed. Glad more wasn't lost. I usually find the water pressure too high to brush without losing toothpaste or taking a bath.

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The changes are that the prices for the sleepers have taken a dramatic increase while amenities have disappeared . No more flowers on the dinner table, menu has been shortened, no after dinner chocolates, no newspaper, no more ice, coffee only made once a day and of course the wine and cheese social hour is gone. In short you pay far more and receive far less.
 
The changes are that the prices for the sleepers have taken a dramatic increase. . .
And just how much is that dramatic increase?

In other words, at present the low bucket Roomette fee is $149 - what was it two years ago? Four years ago?
 
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The changes are that the prices for the sleepers have taken a dramatic increase while amenities have disappeared . No more flowers on the dinner table, menu has been shortened, no after dinner chocolates, no newspaper, no more ice, coffee only made once a day and of course the wine and cheese social hour is gone. In short you pay far more and receive far less.
Coffee once a day? Please don't tell me they didn't do something to the sleepers coffee machines. I live on coffee, I thought they didn't touch that. Please tell me I misunderstood!

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The changes are that the prices for the sleepers have taken a dramatic increase. . .
And just how much is that dramatic increase?

In other words, at present the low bucket Roomette fee is $149 - what was it two years ago? Four years ago?
Give up? OK, here's your dramatic increase: the average ticket price on the AT has risen 4.4% on the average each year for the last 4 years. And when just the Sleeper Class is considered the average annual increase is...wait for it...2.2%
 
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last 6 trips I have made on AT last two years we had all the ice we wanted and had coffe 24 hours a day. No paper, reduced dinner menu, but we still had the full sleeper lunge. Not a bad hit.



Photo shows Coffee Machine and Ice bin.
 
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IMG_0059_zpsoxtwxusd.jpg
 
At least it is actually an increase, unlike his massive (imagined) equipment shortages.
Would liked to have gone back a few more years, but the "Monthly Performance Report(s) for September 20XY" (which have the data) can only be found back to FY 2013. Amtrak withdrew all the previous ones due to some mumbo-jumbo about about errors. As a result, the only somewhat similar data I've been able to track down are the average ticket prices - but for the entire system here: https://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/national_transportation_statistics/html/table_03_18.html The table was rearranged and FY 2015 and FY 2016 added to come up with this:

Fares 1960 To Nowa.jpg

The two figures I added look suspicious - probably because the original table stated "Current Dollars" and I'm not sure how to come up with that.
 
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The new car carriers reduced the number of vehicles hit with oversize fees, that helped overall pricing. The coffee situation is different on most other LD trains, they make it in the morning, not (usually) all day. AT is different because the train leaves in the afternoon, coffee is available at dinner and breakfast meals as well. and right after breakfast you are usually getting your things together to prepare for arrival, you don't get a long day with a dry pot, which is a possibility on some trains.
 
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