Dinerlite Failure

[hickorytrainlover]

This will definetely hurt the survival of the Long Distance trains. On the Cardinal which I just took this week to Chicago and back the food was terrible. They don't serve it to coach passengers and the cook was so negative that it doesn't have a chance. Who is going to pay $18.00 for a pre-cooked meal. I ate the french Toast and I could have gotten better with Pillsbury frozen sticks. The First Class passengers and I were very upset with this,. The cook(Chef) has been with Amtrak over 10 years and down he has to heat and serve this to the passengers. Why pay someone so much to heat your food, just hire someone at mininmum wage to do that. Why silverware for something served on a plastic plate? The Cardinal was pretty full to my surprise in both directions and ran on-time tik the Sleeper got taken off in Indiana, it was going to bounce off the tracks but we travels a hundred miles out of Chicago knowing something was wrong with it. Heard it was a battle between Chicago and New York not wanting to fix it. What a shame. The attitude of the employees is not what can we do to make it better. They just gripe and count thier days left. Seems like they have some major internal issues with thier employees. Anyways, I still enjoyed the trip despite all of this but I'm a train lover and will ride again. The other passengers, I doubt it for many of them.

 

[Midland Valley]

Are we confusing Diner-lite with tray meals served on the Cardinal? When they took the diner off the Cardinal several years ago, didn't they replace it with tray meals which are several notches down on the palitability scale from what they are serving on the diner-lite menues?

 

[hickorytrainlover]

Thats possible that you may be right. But why would you a cook who used to work the Crescent for so many years. These meals were served on plastic plates but were nasty and doesn't help Amtrak when guests are subjected to that kind of service. The sleeper rates are pretty much the same as other long distance trains.