All of this discussion is great, but at the end of the day, what sort of product is Amtrak selling, and who is going to buy it?
We have to be honest;
- the delays in getting the Viewliner order completed has cost the company capacity for first class service, which is considerably better profit than coach, and subsidizes the whazoo out of dining car service. How much of this delay is because of the car builder, and how much is Amtrak not pushing completion harder?
- there's no sign what so ever that Amtrak is even thinking about replacement cars for the Superliners, many of which went into service while I was an undergrad. I'm nearing retirement. They should be too.
- All of the cuts to local station staffing may not affect ticket sales, but what about creating some connection to the local community? Why not use local agents to make visits to local businesses, schools, etc and market the trains better in small communities? How does it feel to drive up to a dirty, quasi-abandoned rail station in the middle of the night to catch a train that only shows up once a day, with nobody around?
- Many of the cars of all types are very tired - frayed upholstery, flat cushions, old restrooms, stained walls, etc. Crews are pushed harder every year on the trains, personal service is catch as catch can. Great they did new seat cushions on the coaches for the Northeast, and single level services, but what about the viewliners, Superliners, and stations?
Against that backdrop, it used to be when I booked Amtrak, I could generally travel via sleeper for what it cost to fly in coach, plus a little bit more, but the product was good, predictable, and relaxing. Now days, when I book Amtrak, the cost for a sleeper is many times pretty close to first class airfare, for a much inferior product. Yes, I don't get xray'd and searched on Amtrak, but terminals are well maintained, good food options in terminals, staff is around if something goes wrong, and the majority of airlines offer a consistent product which while not spacious is tolerable for the shorter haul. Fundamentals, like parking near Amtrak stations and knowing menu items will be available in the diner and not sold out immediately seem to be lacking.
I've seen my share of bashing of Gunn in the comments. He may have been impolitic to many, but his attitude of getting the railroad into a state of good repair is missed. It seems now like every change sets off another round of staff reductions. How much of the real understanding of passenger rail is being sacrificed to cover consulting charges. And where is the will of the government to force the railroad industry to treat Amtrak with something vaguely like respect when it tries to make reasonably simple changes like making a 3 day a week train a daily for less than billions of dollars of capital expense?
I have a trip in a week, and this will probably be my last for a while until I see some progress in making the train service better. All the ham fisted cost savings, from eliminating newspapers in sleepers, cutting back meal options, eliminating staff, not replacing old equipment, canceling trains at the drop of a hat for track maintenance, they're all taking away some of what made train travel fun. I hope something happens, that NARP and AARPCO can push for improvements and our congress pushes back. But what I feel is going to happen is that Amtrak in the end wants to be the NEC railroad, and that will not work long run. The system only works if it's national and serves the nation.
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