joelkfla
Engineer
Why is a roomette on the Cardinal $350 more than one on the CL?
OK then, why is demand so much higher on the Cardinal?Supply and demand.
Unlike the Capitol, it's tiny, single-level, thrice-weekly, and only has one sleeper. The Cardinal's overall capacity really is a small fraction of that of the Capitol, and so the price reflects that.OK then, why is demand so much higher on the Cardinal?
It operates less frequently and has a smaller number of sleeper cars which themselves have a lower capacity.OK then, why is demand so much higher on the Cardinal?
OK, that makes sense. So it's more the supply side than the demand side. I was wondering whether there was something about it that made it so much more desirable. Thanks.Unlike the Capitol, it's tiny, single-level, thrice-weekly, and only has one sleeper. The Cardinal's overall capacity really is a small fraction of that of the Capitol, and so the price reflects that.
I might for $100, but $350 is a lot of bucks. And that appears to be at the same bucket level.Personally if i had the time i would go the Cardinal and pay the extra- you get a longer more scenic trip- which suits train fans like me perfectly.
Appearances can be deceiving - very deceiving when it comes to Amtrak faresAnd that appears to be at the same bucket level.
Plus it's "what the market will bear".Supply and demand.
Eastbound has some nice scenery in the morning after Pittsburg. Westbound it's dark when you get there.Does the scenery on the Capitol route have anything to recommend it or is there just no scenery there?
The point I made (or was at least trying to make) in my original post was that supply and demand is the reason why on whatever date the OP was looking at, the price is $350 more on the Card. The actual respective buckets for each train are actually pretty close to each other, so it's due to the availability and how many people have booked, that the price difference will be that great.While all this Economics 101 bazanga may have something to do with which of five buckets is offered for a certain accommodation on a certain train on a certain date, I don't think it has much (if anything) to do with the OPs original question "Why is a roomette on the Cardinal $350 more than one on the CL?". Closer scrutiny showed the question should have been "Why is a low bucket Roomette on the Cardinal $50 more than one on the CL?"
That has been my experience as well. Clearly there is more at work here. I disagree that the question, for your purposes, should be, “Why is a low bucket Roomette on the Cardinal $50 more than one on the CL?". You’ve demonstrated why that would be a mere academic exercise with no practical application. Your original question made a lot of sense. I agree with others that it’s largely the result of limited supply in relation to demand.Yeah, every day in the time range I looked at, the Cardinal Roomette is $357 more than the CL, even though the CL fare varies. So I rashly assumed that both trains were at the same bucket level. But I expanded my search, and now I find one single solitary day when there's only a $129 difference, so clearly my assumption was invalid.
No, the OP is interested in why there is a price difference between the two trains.Closer scrutiny showed the question should have been "Why is a low bucket Roomette on the Cardinal $50 more than one on the CL?"
He can send the $300 to me if he doesn't want to send it to you.No, the OP is interested in why there is a price difference between the two trains.
The academia behind what the different fare buckets are helps to answer that question, but at the end of the day when you pay for a train ticket, it's the price offered that matters. Other buckets are irrelevant.
In this particular case, the supply and demand drive not only the bucket for bucket fare differences, but the fact that lower bucket rooms are available on the Cap, whilst only higher level buckets are available on the Card. If that $300 difference is unimportant to you, feel free to send me that unimportant $300 anytime you wish.
It’s been a while since I was on the CL but I seem to recall that a large portion of the trip through the Maryland panhandle is along the Potomac River. Also before you get to Cumberland, you will pass through the scenic and historic town of Harpers Ferry.Yeah, every day in the time range I looked at, the Cardinal Roomette is $357 more than the CL, even though the CL fare varies. So I rashly assumed that both trains were at the same bucket level. But I expanded my search, and now I find one single solitary day when there's only a $129 difference, so clearly my assumption was invalid.
Actually I'm looking at traveling from ORL to SF via the Zephyr, probably in May. The 3rd option to Chi is staying on the Meteor to NYP and taking the LSL to Chi, which is $122 more on most days. Opinions? LSL would be running up the Hudson in daylight; CL would be going thru Cumberland about an hour before sunset. Is the scenery good around Cumberland?
(I should add that I was comparing fares for the whole trip, not just WAS to CHI, so it's possible the CL was always at low bucket and the variation was on the other legs.)
How about the three of us split it 100-100-100.He can send the $300 to me if he doesn't want to send it to you.
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