I personally think the jury is still out on whether or not this Company will be successful but do wish them Luck!
I think they have as fair a chance as any of being succesful. The folks at Iowa Pacific are far from stupid.
I would love to ride it one day, but will probably have to wait until 2014 at the earliest as I've comitted all my vacation days for this year, and also need to save up a bit.
Yes, they have as fair a chance as American Orient Express, Grande Luxe Rail Journeys, Golden Eagle Rail Journeys (that one didn't even run the first trip), etc. etc. I'm only halfway serious though because it's true that Ed Ellis certainly knows how Amtrak works (lots of inside knowledge) and has made lots of deals with railroads.
The problem is.. this service costs more than Amtrak sleepers... and most people complain that Amtrak sleepers are too expensive for normal travel. I'm sure they wine you and dine you and give you your moneys worth, but how many people want to spend that type of money when they travel.
In all honesty, most wealthy people do not want to sleep on a train no matter how comfortable the mattress. It's loud, it rocks, and it's the size of a bunk bed. So who is this service for? Seems like rich people who like the idea of taking a novel old pullman train for fun, or for a railfan who is willing to spend money for a unique train experience. Is that enough to keep the idea in business? So far it wouldn't appear that way based on what I've heard.
In all fairness it's too soon to judge because I beleive the City is just a test... if they put these cars on the Zephyr or the Empire Builder and advertised the scenery.. maybe tied it into a national park vacation or something... then it becomes more marketable, but then again it starts to sound more like the American Orient Express...
No judgement from me... If I had that kinda money and resources (as Iowa Pacific) I would want to give it a try.. it's certainly a fun idea. But it will be interesting to watch how it evolves.