Siemens Caltrans/IDOT Venture design, engineering, testing and delivery (2012-1Q 2024)

[GDRRiley]

The should send the ComArrows up to Seattle, and send as many Horizons back to Chicago, which needs more equipment, and possibly send some of their Amfleet back to the east coast.

they are California owned not amtrak, they are incredibly slow to board. of the 14 we are luck to have about 10 in service at any time.
CA may keep them in service as a stop gap solution along the coast until new equipment can arrive but that requires CA to actually want to run service along the coast which so far has just been study after study for 35 years now.

 

[lordsigma]

The should send the ComArrows up to Seattle, and send as many Horizons back to Chicago, which needs more equipment, and possibly send some of their Amfleet back to the east coast.

Chicago has been getting some Horizons back from beech grove storage. I dont think there’s many Amfleets left in Chicago besides cafe and business and maybe a protect or two for the lake shore/cardinal. I do not believe there are any Midwest services operating with any Amfleets regularly presently besides the ones that have an Amfleet cafe or business. Basically everything other than the Carbondale service should be Venture or Horizon except again for possibly some business/cafes. If they get the shunt enhancer approved for the Carbondale service then they’ll need a few Ventures or Horizons to equip that service and get the superliners back to LD service.

 

[west point]

Train 710 was spotted today with 6 Venture coaches. Led by NPCU #90218 with CDTX #2101 pushing.

Here's a YouTube video.

Good looking ROW and track!

 

[Crowbar_k]

https://sf.streetsblog.org/2024/02/...fornia-passengers-are-starving-for-new-trains

 

[Steve4031]

A balanced report.

 

[TRA_Thom]

Having ridden the Midwest ones many times I guess I’m confused by the comment on the “tiny” seats. Yeah they’re a little narrower, but it seemed like an exaggerated complaint. Especially to then say wheelchair users should be restricted to the hypothetical cafe area only…

I don’t know, maybe as a European I’m just used to a smaller scale.

 

[Amtrak25]

What I wish they would do to the seat is take out the center console and widen the seat cushions to touch each other. No fold away armrest and put the power outlet in the seatframe in front. More hip room. Americans need it.

People may have forgtten, but when Amfleet-1 first came out, there was a big fat center armrest that protruded out about a foot and held up by a steel tube. People found it annoying, was being used as a foot stool to get to the luggage rack, and Amtrak removed it. You can see the vinyl plug where the tube once was planted.

 

[Crowbar_k]

What I wish they would do to the seat is take out the center console and widen the seat cushions to touch each other. No fold away armrest and put the power outlet in the seatframe in front. More hip room. Americans need it.

People may have forgtten, but when Amfleet-1 first came out, there was a big fat center armrest that protruded out about a foot and held up by a steel tube. People found it annoying, was being used as a foot stool to get to the luggage rack, and Amtrak removed it. You can see the vinyl plug where the tube once was planted.

Nah. You need the armrest for when you sit next to strangers

 

[IAlam]

Honestly, the narrower and harder seats could've been excused by me if they weren't fixed. The fact that 1/2 the seats are facing backward at any given time bothers me. At that point, it feels like you're making intercity trips on a commuter train.

 

[Amtrak25]

I'd rather sit backwards in a comfortable seat that forwards in glorified bus seat.

 

[cocojacoby]

Absolutely agree on this one. This seating set-up is a giant step backwards.

 

[Cal]

Honestly, the narrower and harder seats could've been excused by me if they weren't fixed. The fact that 1/2 the seats are facing backward at any given time bothers me. At that point, it feels like you're making intercity trips on a commuter train.

Doesn't the Acela, Surfliner, San Joaquin, Cascades (Talgo), and Capitol Corridor all have fixed seats? What's so bad about facing backwards?

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Motion sickness.

 

[lordsigma]

I haven’t ridden the Midwest cars but I have ridden Brightline which is a similar setup. I agree on keeping the armrests - it makes it much less awkward with a stranger. I hate sitting next to strangers on Amfleet cars.

 

[daybeers]

Doesn't the Acela, Surfliner, San Joaquin, Cascades (Talgo), and Capitol Corridor all have fixed seats? What's so bad about facing backwards?

The Acela seats never face backwards.

 

[Cal]

The Acela seats never face backwards.

My bad. I still think that having a half/half config isn't a big deal.

 

[John Santos]

The Acela seats never face backwards.

Most of the seats are in parallel rows, but there are lots of seats facing each other with tables in between. One half of each such pair is necessarily facing backwards. The rest of the seats would be facing backwards unless they physically turn the train around in Washington and in either Sunnyside or Boston, depending on the northern terminal. I don't think the seats can be flipped or rotated; they have to wye the train.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Most of the seats are in parallel rows, but there are lots of seats facing each other with tables in between. One half of each such pair is necessarily facing backwards. The rest of the seats would be facing backwards unless they physically turn the train around in Washington and in either Sunnyside or Boston, depending on the northern terminal. I don't think the seats can be flipped or rotated; they have to wye the train.

Why would they wye Acelas? The reason they have motors on both ends is so they don’t have to wye them. They get cleaned and the seats are reversed in the station.
That’s also why the FC & Quiet Car are on opposite ends depending on which direction they’re going. For northbound they’re on the back. For southbound they’re on the front.
Look at the car markers on the platforms at stations where the Acela stops.

 

[railiner]

What's so bad about facing backwards?

I would much rather see where I am going, than where I have been. When you see something of interest coming, you can focus on it, and turn to watch it as it passes. If facing backwards, by the time you see something of interest, it is rapidly diminishing from view...

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I would much rather see where I am going, than where I have been. When you see something of interest coming, you can focus on it, and turn to watch it as it passes. If facing backwards, by the time you see something of interest, it is rapidly diminishing from view...

This^^

 

[jis]

The Acela seats never face backwards.

Except for the the few seats adjacent to the tables of course.

 

[GDRRiley]

Some info from their latest presentations
Midwest/CA
Amtrak



\

 

[John Santos]

Why would they wye Acelas? The reason they have motors on both ends is so they don’t have to wye them. They get cleaned and the seats are reversed in the station.
That’s also why the FC & Quiet Car are on opposite ends depending on which direction they’re going. For northbound they’re on the back. For southbound they’re on the front.
Look at the car markers on the platforms at stations where the Acela stops.
View attachment 35735

Interesting. I did not know that! On my last two Acela trips (November), I had backwards-facing seats both times. I guess I was unlucky. The return trip was a bulkhead seat (Car 5, Seat 17F - #2250 - STM->BOS) with a table and the opposite seat faced forward, of course. I don't remember whether there was a table on the previous trip (Car 3, Seat 6A - #2167 - BOS->STM), but it definitely faced backwards. Maybe on its previous trip, 2167 was late and they didn't have time to turn all the seats?

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Thing I learned today.

CALTRANS Venture Railcars will be maintained by Herzog at the ACE maintenance facility in Stockton, CA.

A bit of a detail I somehow have missed.

 

[randomguy65]

It seems the second set of Caltrans Venture cars is about to enter service. The Amtrak San Joaquins Instagram page has been posting weird teasers which feature them. They have a "big announcement" on March 5th.