Amtrak's LD vision: more marketing, fewer amenities?

[henryj]

Why do they want to spend more on Marketing for a product that is often sold out?

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

So they can charge more for the service.

 

[tonys96]

Venture Forth - I just looked up the Acela fares and gasped. Around 5 years ago I paid about $200 for a one way Acela First class from NYP to WAS. i thought that was steep! And they eliminated the comp meals? You won't find me there if I'm on the east coast. Not that high a roller.

greatcats - I can see how my little sarcastic note could have been misinterpreted. No, they haven't cut that service - yet. I'm just curious why Acela "free" meals and booze aren't discussed while they're removing flowers and reducing services across the rest of the LD fleet, particularly the "profitable?" Autotrain.

Sorry for any confusion!

Because Acela makes money while all the LD trains lose money hand over fist?

Palmetto?

 

[afigg]

Short answer is the Long Distance Fleet was told to cut expense. No notice of required cuts to NEC or to overhead.

Not a direct quote just what I can recall "budget short fall, Long Distance Fleet to make cuts to cover the shortage." Yes it that simple tell the Long Distance train the amount of overhead they must pay out, but don't allow them to see the numbers of why and where. So no control of the cost from overhead, will equal cuts to the flower on tables. On manger already quit on this issues (IMHO), new manger trying anything.

There have been cuts to overhead. Amtrak started the process of reorganization with layoffs about a year and a half ago. Because the people who got let go were support and office staff, not nearly as visible to the internet posters as dropping wine and cheese tasting on LD trains.
Checking the monthly reports Workforce Statistics section, Amtrak had fewer total employees in January 2014 than it did in January 2012, although it is not a large difference. Jan 2014 has 20,092 total employees; jan 2012 20,210, a decline of 118 employees. Checking the departments, Amtrak Technologies and Government Affairs have been shrunk.

Also, in Jan 2014, the 20,092 employees is 510 less than in the budget. Marketing & Sales at 1,226 people is 143 less than the budget while Engineering is 142 people over budget. What that says is perhaps the budget needs to be adjusted - or not.

 

[VentureForth]

Venture Forth - I just looked up the Acela fares and gasped. Around 5 years ago I paid about $200 for a one way Acela First class from NYP to WAS. i thought that was steep! And they eliminated the comp meals? You won't find me there if I'm on the east coast. Not that high a roller.

greatcats - I can see how my little sarcastic note could have been misinterpreted. No, they haven't cut that service - yet. I'm just curious why Acela "free" meals and booze aren't discussed while they're removing flowers and reducing services across the rest of the LD fleet, particularly the "profitable?" Autotrain.

Sorry for any confusion!

Because Acela makes money while all the LD trains lose money hand over fist?

Palmetto?

Though the services on the Palmetto are already cut to the bone, how about Auto Train? Cutting services on the one LD train that covers its own op costs and then some (well, arguably, anyway).