Looking at LD on-time statistics, I really don't think Amtrak is vaguely relevant. Trains 16 hours late? Plain inexcusable. And please... don't discuss the on-time performance of legacy airlines vs. Amtrak -- that ship sailed ages ago (and there's no excuse for the absurd on-time performance of legacy airlines, either). But steel wheels on steel rails should simply get through... but weak-kneed Amtrak management coupled with absurd governmental rules (freight before passengers?) hamstring the carrier.
Sure, sometimes trains can't get through... a mountain pass snowed under; tracks flooded. Happens. But it seems that there are no contingency plans that Amtrak can put into place to overcome obstacles. The weather has been good for a week or so; no major issues other than heat, yet the wonderful Amtrak Status Map system shows red box after red box after red box -- trains dramatically late (like more than 1/2 day).
I don't want to hear that "Amtrak is doing the best it can" as an argument; no, it is not. As someone else said here, once the Heritage diners come off eastern LD trains, they'll go to Canada, be properly maintained, and put in another half-century of good, reliable service. So... maintenance crews are not doing the job, plain and simple. They're quasi-government employees and have no incentive to do a better job (just like Congress).
I'm a big believer in privatization rather than government subsidy; if it's time for Amtrak LD trains to be gone, I'd try to privatize them and see what happens. If they fail, then that's how it goes. Companies go in and out of business all the time. And I truly don't want to hear about "it's the only way I have to go see my grandchildren" or any of that rot; the move closer to your grandchildren or have the little buggers move in with you.
If you're incapable (for physical or emotional reasons) of flying or driving, then don't go -- you have absolutely no right to travel, regardless of the means. And if you can't afford to fly or drive... then don't go. Like all of us, I have plenty of things I want but will never have; doesn't bother me one whit.
Don't get me wrong: I'm all for train travel. I've ridden great US trains pre-Amtrak; I've ridden trains all over Europe in both luxury and basic accommodations, depending on the destinations. I prefer to ride trains here in the US, given the relative ease of travel compared to flying (no TSA intrusion, for instance). Even though it's bad, the food on an Amtrak train is better than anything you can get on a plane (if you even get food). And few things are as comfortable and comforting as seeing the American (or European or Asian) countryside go by as you relax in a sleeper. The best.
I'm just talking relevance here. And with so few LD routes to handle, Amtrak simply might no longer be relevant as anything other than a regional/corridor carrier. Perhaps that's for the best, too.
Sure, sometimes trains can't get through... a mountain pass snowed under; tracks flooded. Happens. But it seems that there are no contingency plans that Amtrak can put into place to overcome obstacles. The weather has been good for a week or so; no major issues other than heat, yet the wonderful Amtrak Status Map system shows red box after red box after red box -- trains dramatically late (like more than 1/2 day).
I don't want to hear that "Amtrak is doing the best it can" as an argument; no, it is not. As someone else said here, once the Heritage diners come off eastern LD trains, they'll go to Canada, be properly maintained, and put in another half-century of good, reliable service. So... maintenance crews are not doing the job, plain and simple. They're quasi-government employees and have no incentive to do a better job (just like Congress).
I'm a big believer in privatization rather than government subsidy; if it's time for Amtrak LD trains to be gone, I'd try to privatize them and see what happens. If they fail, then that's how it goes. Companies go in and out of business all the time. And I truly don't want to hear about "it's the only way I have to go see my grandchildren" or any of that rot; the move closer to your grandchildren or have the little buggers move in with you.
If you're incapable (for physical or emotional reasons) of flying or driving, then don't go -- you have absolutely no right to travel, regardless of the means. And if you can't afford to fly or drive... then don't go. Like all of us, I have plenty of things I want but will never have; doesn't bother me one whit.
Don't get me wrong: I'm all for train travel. I've ridden great US trains pre-Amtrak; I've ridden trains all over Europe in both luxury and basic accommodations, depending on the destinations. I prefer to ride trains here in the US, given the relative ease of travel compared to flying (no TSA intrusion, for instance). Even though it's bad, the food on an Amtrak train is better than anything you can get on a plane (if you even get food). And few things are as comfortable and comforting as seeing the American (or European or Asian) countryside go by as you relax in a sleeper. The best.
I'm just talking relevance here. And with so few LD routes to handle, Amtrak simply might no longer be relevant as anything other than a regional/corridor carrier. Perhaps that's for the best, too.