Thank you. So a bag dorm nets 3 saleable rooms (SCA stays in sleeper). If the train went full diner with a chef and an added LSA for a separate lounge car it could be 5.
I'm not sure if your post is sarcastic or not... (Acela BC is a total joke... it's coach to me.)Passengers need to be taken care of beyond the basics provided by the Conductors? The entire lucrative Acela BC service runs with no one special to take care of passengers!
I would hope its based on actual ticket sales. Otherwise it makes no sense.Now, of course, my question is: are there standard dates for switching from summmer to winter operation, and back, which is the same on all trains? Or is it different on each train and in each year, depending on the weather reports or something?
Hopefully this isn't classified information.
The baggage-dorm car will provide 9 roomettes. So if Amtrak sets aside 3 to 5 roomettes for the crew (figuring they would have 1 spare for extra crew or Amtrak personnel taking the Cardinal for training, etc), the bag-dorm should provide roughly 4 roomettes for revenue sale. That is, assuming a full service diner car is not added, but under the current pressure to slash food service losses, odds are that against even after all 25 diner cars are delivered.Thank you. So a bag dorm nets 3 saleable rooms (SCA stays in sleeper). If the train went full diner with a chef and an added LSA for a separate lounge car it could be 5.
CHICAGO — The Cardinal (Trains 50 & 51) has long been known as one of the most scenic routes on the national Amtrak network. Now, with an available upgrade to Business class, it is an even more comfortable way to travel from New York to Chicago, via Washington; White Sulphur Springs, Va.; Cincinnati and Indianapolis, effective Jan. 19 and 20.
For a surcharge of $51 per person or less, passengers can enjoy bonus Amtrak Guest Rewards® points and the following amenities:
• Spacious leather seats in a car reserved for Business class
• Complimentary non-alcoholic beverages
• Complimentary AmtrakConnect® Wi-Fi as cellular data service permits along the route
• Complimentary access to the Metropolitan Lounge at Chicago Union Station
• Access to Philadelphia’s Club Acela at 30th Street Station for $20 a person
Operating three days weekly, the Cardinal offers unforgettable views of the Southeast's stunning natural beauty. Passengers will see gently rolling horse country, the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains, the Shenandoah Valley, and the wild white-water rivers of West Virginia as they can only be seen by train. Heading westward, the train rolls along the banks of the mighty Ohio River — from the quaint towns of Ashland and Maysville to the river city of Cincinnati. From there, the journey continues to the skylines of Indianapolis and Chicago.
Trying too hard to make a pun on "used to be only two classes of service, now we offer three". Good puns can make you groan, puns that fall flat really hurt.Amtrak has posted a news release... AN EVEN CLASSIER AMTRAK CARDINAL SERVICE ... Who would consider the Cardinal level of service "classy"?).
CHICAGO — The Cardinal (Trains 50 & 51) has long been known as one of the most scenic routes on the national Amtrak network. Now, with an available upgrade to Business class, it is an even more comfortable way to travel from New York to Chicago, via Washington; White Sulphur Springs, Va.; Cincinnati and Indianapolis, effective Jan. 19 and 20.
...
Operating three days weekly, the Cardinal offers unforgettable views of the Southeast's stunning natural beauty. Passengers will see gently rolling horse country, the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains, the Shenandoah Valley, and the wild white-water rivers of West Virginia as they can only be seen by train. Heading westward, the train rolls along the banks of the mighty Ohio River — from the quaint towns of Ashland and Maysville to the river city of Cincinnati. From there, the journey continues to the skylines of Indianapolis and Chicago.
The way that the sleeper was hooked up roomette 1 was on the wrong side of the train to see the New river gorge. I was disappointed and I mentioned it to the SCA and she said to just go up to the Business car and sit at a table wherever I wanted. So, based on being told to do that, I have to assume that the tables in the Business car could also be used as a "lounge" for the sleeper car passengers.
Now, we have first hand information to back up what I posted before. Perhaps you can PM Crescent-Zephyr a copy of your trip report since it is unlikely he or she has traveled yet. That would help since it is clear that their is a skeptic in out midst:Use your imagination. Now, if you don't believe what I wrote (and I am not perfect), that is your option. Feel free to board the train and report back.Says who?That is exactly what the tables are being used for and the car will not have a designated attendant.What would be nice is if the tables were made available as lounge space for Business Class and Sleeping Class passengers.
Is there going to be a designated BC attendant? They really should make that person an LSA and have them sell drinks and a few snacks. Sort of the Pacific Parlor Car type service... in an Amfleet I (I know who am I kidding ha.)
Is this good enough for you or do you still not believe it?Glad you're enjoying it! Song and dance is next!At this point, the best you can post is "My bad, I didn't realize that the poster I questioned was actually a well-respected, clueful member of the community. I'll keep that in mind when reading his posts and posting in the future."
Or you can keep digging, it's somewhat entertaining.
Seriously though... ThirdRail could be president Boardman himself but that still doesn't convince me that the business class diner section will actually operate in that fashion. My gut tells me this will quickly become the new Amtrak Crew lounge! That's why I'm interested in hearing first hand reports.
Now back to the topic... If, as third rail says, there is no bc car attendant on the Cardinal, is that normal? The last time I took BC on a Regional train there was no attendant but I know some of the trains have a dedicated BC attendant right?
Stats for how may BC customers the Cardinal gets for trips between Greenbrier and the Northern Virginia, WAS, and NEC stops would be interesting. But I don't expect Amtrak to break those stats out unless NARP asks for the data and publishes it. Clearly a market that a daily Cardinal could tap into far more effectively than a 3 day a week train.They picked up quite a few people in Business class at the Greenbrier stop and the Business Class was full until they got off in Manassas.
If the Silver Star is not going to get its diner back. it would be the next logical train to add a similar BC / sleeper customer table-lounge car arrangement. I gather the constraint is the number of available club (BC) - dinette cars in use on corridor services. According to On-Track, On-Line, there are 44 active Amfleet I club-dinette cars and 9 Horizon club-dinette cars. If and when the new bi-levels arrive, the Horizon cars could be repurposed for the LD trains. Although that would create an even more mixed consist of Viewliners, Amfleet IIs, and 1 Horizons. Well unless a bunch of Horizons are reconfigured to LD use to create some all Viewliners-Horizons consist, but where the money comes from for that, who knows.You know, if they're moving the longer-haul BC cars (e.g. the 2-1 ones) onto LD trains? I seriously applaud that move. First, it gets some semi-dedicated lounge space for sleeper pax (one of the big pluses of the Starlight for me has always been that space). Second, it adds revenue. Finally...I'd like to see Amtrak seriously experiment with getting BC pax into the diners on some of the diner-equipped LD trains. An extra 18-21 pax eating in the dining car would doubtless help diner cost recovery (not to mention that I wouldn't be stuck using a room to guarantee getting dinner).
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