To my fellow posters;
It has occurred to me that Amtrak is being railroaded by some railroads when it comes to being handled as first class trains. In pre-Amtrak days ANY train or switch engine would face immediate discipline, including being pulled out of service, for delaying or even giving a first class train an "approach" (yellow) signal. In todays railroading money, profit and operating ratio are number 1,2, and 3 and not necessarily in that order.
Let's look at what Amtrak has. It pays a railroad to let it run over its tracks from point A to point B. IF the train is on time (within a half hour window) there is a bonus paid by Amtrak to that railroad. Trying to obtain this bonus every trip cost the president of one major Class 1 his position. My point; with money back guarantee contracts for on time performance to companies like UPS there really is no incentive, other than the loss of a meager bonus, to run Amtrak trains for what they are~ First Class Trains. (They still get the money for running the train over their railroad no matter how poorly they do it.) The stack trains and hot shots have helped to degrade the passenger train to where it is of little meaning to some dispatchers. With CTC and TWC you can throw the timetable out the window along with the First Class designation of passenger trains. I have high respect for the BNSF and CN and the NS (only for the Crescent) for trying to get these trains to their destination on time. I have to agree with Amtrak WPK that until the offending railroad(s) is/are made to pay for the overtime, free meals and missed connections there really is no leverage in Amtrak's corner. I'm sure someone in Washington has a running count of what train delays have cost Amtrak and ultimately all of us as Amtrak passengers and tax payers. (I would be willing to bet that the UP tops the list in the way they continually mishandle # 1 and # 2.)
Just this past week bumped passengers on the airlines will be entitled to double what used to be compensation; they will now receive two free tickets for giving up their seat. When will Amtrak not have to continue paying out much needed dollars because of deliberate mishandling by some railroads? Giving free Transportation Vouchers is a nice diplomatic way to soothe over someone who has been offended by a serious delay but in all reality it is not Amtrak's fault. Wouldn't it be nice if Amtrak could forward ALL the bills and voucher values to the offending railroads and receive a check within 30 days?

Just someone who is fed up with standing at station platforms for hours on end with no headlight in sight...

Educate some of us (me) as to what defines a first class train.




It you were to ask someone in Amtrak management why this isn't happening what would (do you think) they say?

Do you think they have a contract limitation that prevents them from passing on ALL the costs? If not, what else could be preventing them from doing this? Is the contract so old that they didn't anticipate the time when the tracks would be so overcrowded that passenger train use would be a problem?

Lastly, what is a plan of action for educating those who need to know?

A first class train is SUPPOSED to have rights over all other trains. In the days of train orders that gave the passenger train the entire railroad to run on. Every other train had to find a place to hide; whether it be a siding or yard. As far as the contracts go I'm not astute to many of them but can tell you that there are few stipulations that protect Amtrak from abuse such as I've listed. Amtrak has had over 35 years to create a solution; I don't know what the ordinary passenger could or would do.

In todays operating rules there is no more class of trains.
All trains are equal for purpose of rules.

What's the story behind that? Where might I read a discussion of the president being fired?

There are a few RR's that still have classes of trains but yes, you are right, it is a by gone way of railroading. Just goes to show how little Amtrak, or the participating RR's have done to prioritize the passenger train. If freight ran alongside passenger on the NEC then I think we would see a class distinction but it looks like that day will never come.

And then after we deal with the freight RR's causing Amtrak big bucks in lost business, in hotel rooms, food, and maybe plane tickets for Amtrak passengers as a result of delays deliberately caused by the freight RRs, we need to work on a federal law that says you can't contract away the liabilities that result from your own negligence. The Florida Auto-Train wreck a number of years ago that killed and injured a lot of people and did untold million$ of damage to Amtrak rolling stock was caused by CSX negligence. Yet when folks sued CSX, and won, for the death and injuries to their parents/children/etc., and loss of their vehicles, for that negligence, AMTRAK (WE, THE TAXPAYERS) HAD TO PAY THOSE VERDICTS, BUT AMTRAK WASN'T NEGLIGENT.
The public policy purpose for punitive damages is to punish, AND DETER, the negligent party. If you allow that liability to be contracted away, it is not a deterrent to future negligent behavior. I keep seeing the argument that the freight RRs will then simply not allow passenger trains on their tracks. When the passenger trains that they themselves ran on those tracks had wrecks caused by the railroads' negligence, who paid those damages? The Easter Bunny? People should be responsible for the forseeeable consequences of their own negligence. THAT is a very large stick that promotes responsible behavior. Any contract that shifts that liability to a non-negligent party (with the exception of insurance, with the premium being paid by the negligent party) should be void as contrary to public policy. If they have insurance, and are negligent, the premium goes way up or they simply lose the insurance. Either way, there is a strong incentive to not be negligent. Under the current situation, vis-a-vis passenger trains, there is NO such incentive.

I concur wholeheartedly; the only one who might get a penalty imposed on the offending RR's might just be the Easter Bunny because no one else seems to care no matter what "class" of train a passenger carrying train is. Brings back an old memory told to me by a New York Central trainmaster, "We'd carry a carload of pigs than people." I think his point being that the pigs could only oink and he could handle that as opposed to people in his face.