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Service to El Segundo was discontinued a few years back. If your desire is just to go anywhere on the westside, the new stop in Santa Monica is your best bet. Best option from Bakersfield to LAX Airport is to take the Amtrak bus to LA Union Station and transfer to the LAX FlyAway bus.

FYI: I've noticed that a second Venture trainset is now in service on 702 southbound. I presume it's also being used on 703, but I haven't verified that.

Strange that there’s no divider/bulkhead/wall between coach and business.

The Viaggio Twin is very similar to the Alstom Avelia Horizon used on the TGV M. It wouldn’t be workable as a Superliner replacement. I know many love the Superliner, and in many ways I do too, but it’s a relic from an era before we considered equitable access for all passengers. I think...

This has no chance of happening. It’s rare for any government agency to “spin up” a rail operations group. There’s just so much cost involved. Plus, the prevailing theory is that with several private operators active in the market, they drive prices lower. As for the tie up between BART...

If you've never been on a double-decker TGV, they're short, especially compared to a Superliner. I believe the interior height is 6'4" -- It's tall enough to move around, but it doesn't feel very spacious. I think the closest comparison is the New Jersey Transit multilevel. For the TGV, the...

I think Amtrak has tacitly acknowledged this issue. These contracts with Siemens come with a TSSSA (Technical Support & Spares Supply Agreement) at added cost to Amtrak. The idea is that with someone from Siemens (technical support) hovering over the shoulder of the Amtrak crews, they'll be...

My understanding is that SJJPA (the manager of the San Joaquins) is actively looking to move away from Amtrak. My understanding is that they want contract with Herzog Rail to do the maintenance on the Venture cars in Stockton and Oakland instead of contracting with Amtrak. I’m not surprised...

In the same period they took on the R179 cars for the New York City Subway, the Fleet of the Future for Bay Area Rapid Transit, the Flexity streetcars for Toronto, the Aventra EMUs for the London Overground and the Twindexx EMUs for Switzerland.

Honestly, with the concerns about equitable access for people with disabilities, I think double-decker cars are gonna be a non starter. The only way it would work is if a manufacturer can add an elevator that would be reliable to work while traveling at full speed over rough tracks. Plus Amtrak...

Looking at the freight railcar builders it looks like the current maximum length is 90ft. Not sure if that would be compatible with all of Amtrak’s infrastructure, but it’s the theoretical maximum.

It wouldn't be surprising. We find ourselves in a rare moment where so many agencies seem to be in the market for new equipment. The larger the order -- the larger the base to spread fixed costs across.

Most of the major manufacturers (Siemens, Alstom, Stadler) are now big on standardization with a little customization. Bombardier attempted to build a bunch of highly specialized, one-of-kind equipment in the early 2010s. It was a disaster that contributed to the downfall of the company.

You’ve come to the right place. Scroll back for 10 pages of discussion about the Airo. The trains will be dual powered, so yes, much shorter layovers will be possible in Philly, as will a switch to electric power in Harrisburg.

Amtrak Cascades says their cafe cars will have table seating.

Let's just put some of this into perspective... As to concerns about these being semi-permanently coupled trainsets... The Cascades has been using (functionally) permanently coupled trainsets for over 20 years with very few issues you bring up and the operation is much the same. The cars are...

Not involving the food service teams in the design of the Cafe leading to a 5 1/2 month delay and a $42.5 million charge... that's typical Amtrak mismanagement. But the fact that Amtrak has taken concrete steps to prevent future mistakes like that -- that's won the praise of the OIG -- is huge...

Your best bet is to ask an agent at the ticket window when you arrive.

Just the kind of top notch maintenance we’ve come to expect from Amtrak! (Especially from the Chicago yard.)

And for futher reference -- on a typical 737 -- economy seats are 17" wide with 30-32" of pitch, while first class seats are 21" wide with 41" of pitch. So in other words, if the seats are similar to Brightline, Business Class will be an equal experience to domestic first class, which is a...