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Inspired by the great thread on Union Station vicinity dining... I am scheduled to arrive at New York Penn on the Silver Meteor at about 11:00 AM. I have a car service taking me to the airport at 3:55 PM. Assuming that the Meteor is reasonably on time, that will leave me with some time to...

I am fairly minimalist, but that's because I like to travel as light as possible. I do like to get some decent healthy snacks, especially as insurance if there are any issues with the meal service. In Chicago, I really like the selection of food at the Amazon Go store in the Ogilvie...

I wholeheartedly agree with you. The biggest struggle I have with Contemporary Dining is the loss of employees. I know that Congress' mandate can't be ignored, but I can't help but feel for them on a personal level. It is not going to be easy for these employees to find comparable jobs in the...

A very fair point. Perhaps it would have been more accurate to say that if someone stops riding a train solely because of Contemporary Dining, they are obviously a "fan" of the past rather than the present.

I definitely appreciate the concern over Anderson. As I have said earlier, only time will tell if his ideas are good or bad. I’m definitely concerned for long distance trains, as I mentioned in the WSJ video thread. Seriously, people. I’m open to genuine discussion. It’s the personal attacks...

I didn’t realize that was requirement for the first few hours of forum membership. My apologies.

I see. Because I haven’t posted “several trip reports, stories and photos” within 24 hours of joining I should be mocked. I must say, the hostility here was very unexpected. I didn’t realize that merely wanting to give Anderson a chance would subject one to repeated personal attacks. At...

I’ve been riding Amtrak since the 1970s. I generally ride four long distance trains each year (west and east) and six or so shorter trips. Sometimes more, sometimes less. I’ve dined using just about every dining option Amtrak offers.

Wow. All this because I’ve: 1) Provided publicly available statistics; 2) Pointed out that Anderson has a very good track record leading a large transportation company; and 3) Said that I’m willing to give him a chance. I didn’t realize just how determined a small minority of people are to...

The video definitely didn’t give me a warm and fuzzy feeling for the future of long distance trains. Hopefully development of corridors does not come at the expense of long distance trains. There is room for both.

TiBike, I’ve never been to Train Orders. I haven’t even heard of it until now. I also have absolutely no connection to Amtrak. If I did I would have no problem disclosing it. Any information I have is straight from Google. The only statistics I've given were the revenue numbers for the LSL...

So you are saying that Anderson has years of experience running a large transportation company that had to navigate the complicated federal subsidy system. And while at the helm he more than quintupled his company’s stock value and significantly improved its profitability despite heavy...

Has Amtrak ever thought of an express train that stops in New York, Philly, Baltimore and DC with no other stops until Orlando and perhaps Miami? I’m assuming there is a reason why they don’t have one. But one can always dream.

I agree with you. The cumulative nature of the changes matter. That is why I was careful to say that my comments were limited to Contemporary Dining. I was trying not to take the thread on a tangent. That said, Congress has issued a very clear directive in regard to food and beverage...

My comments were solely about Contemporary Dining. Nothing more. When it comes to Contemporary Dining, I find it very hard to believe that anyone who cares deeply about trains would stop riding because, for just one night, they no longer have access to frozen green beans, pre-cooked rice...

Is the only special dietary meal that can be ordered in advance a kosher meal? I can't recall seeing any other options other than the vegetarian meal that is already on the menu. It would definitely be nice if they could accommodate more dietary restrictions.

To be clear, I am not suggesting that Contemporary Dining led to lower losses. As I mentioned earlier, other eastern long distance trains with full dining also saw lower losses. All I was suggesting is that Contemporary Dining has not had the apocalyptic impact that many people predicted.

All fair points, Tricia. My comments were limited solely to the introduction of Contemporary Dining. That said, I think that people may disagree with the definition of "improving Amtrak." Anderson may focus more on sustainability whereas others may focus more on the onboard experience. Both...

Wow. Thanks for the welcome, Devil's Advocate. It was, ahem, interesting. One point of clarification. You missed the part where I said that airline passengers are much more of a captive audience than train passengers. I will quote what I said in post number 153 with emphasis added this...

No doubt Anderson used every tool available - including bankruptcy. If bankruptcy alone was the reason for a company's survival, Sears and countless other companies would be thriving. The point is that Anderson steered the airline through arguably the most difficult time in aviation history...