Planning a short rail fan trip from chicago to Detroit next saturday. Just wondering why there is no business class on the morning departure from chicago and the evening return from Detroit. The other trains do have business class.
Michigan service trains
- Thread starter Steve4031
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That's one thing I haven't been able to figure out. The train has a cafe car, and in the Midwest, all cafe cars have seating in half the car, and that seating is what is used for the business class service.
Since I live in Milwaukee, I can't take 350/355 because there is no connection with the Hiawathas, so I haven't been able to personally inspect that train to see whether or not the cafe car has seats that go unused.
Since I live in Milwaukee, I can't take 350/355 because there is no connection with the Hiawathas, so I haven't been able to personally inspect that train to see whether or not the cafe car has seats that go unused.
Steve,
I'm not real sure just why it's like that, but I can tell you that it has always been this way, even back when Amtrak was still using individual train names on this route.
The early morning departure of the original Wolverine from Chicago never had BC, while the returning Twilight Limited never had BC. That's a practice that seems to have continued, even though all trains to Detroit are now classified as Wolverines.
I'm not real sure just why it's like that, but I can tell you that it has always been this way, even back when Amtrak was still using individual train names on this route.
The early morning departure of the original Wolverine from Chicago never had BC, while the returning Twilight Limited never had BC. That's a practice that seems to have continued, even though all trains to Detroit are now classified as Wolverines.
When I rode 350/355 to Pontiac back in February of this year, the train was running with a full cafe car. There were no seats in this car, the whole car was table seating only.rmadisonwi said:
I'm not sure why that is, whether there is a shortage of the half cafe/half BC cars or what.
amtrakmichigan
Lead Service Attendant
I might be able to add some insight on this. If it's correct or not I can't say but I will just tell you what an Agent told me at the Ann Arbor station about a year ago when I asked this same exact question.
Amtrak sells passes that's good for something like 20 r/t for a 3 month or 6 month period (sorry, I'm not sure of the details) between Chicago and cities within Michigan. This pass does not require you to have a ticket, so basically you can jump on and ride anytime you want. The way it was explained to me was that the business class seats in the Cafe'/lounge are never sold to anyone on the Twilight limited the latest train to Chicago and the Wolverine the earliest train to Detroit. This acts as an overflow for the people who ride with these passes, basically to ensure there is a seat for them, eventhough the train might show "sold out". So it sounds to me that the majority of people that hold these passes must travel those 2 trains.
Again don't hold me to this comment. This was told to me over a year ago, so I am relying only on memory, and if the agent even knew what he was talking about. But it does make sense to me.
Amtrak sells passes that's good for something like 20 r/t for a 3 month or 6 month period (sorry, I'm not sure of the details) between Chicago and cities within Michigan. This pass does not require you to have a ticket, so basically you can jump on and ride anytime you want. The way it was explained to me was that the business class seats in the Cafe'/lounge are never sold to anyone on the Twilight limited the latest train to Chicago and the Wolverine the earliest train to Detroit. This acts as an overflow for the people who ride with these passes, basically to ensure there is a seat for them, eventhough the train might show "sold out". So it sounds to me that the majority of people that hold these passes must travel those 2 trains.
Again don't hold me to this comment. This was told to me over a year ago, so I am relying only on memory, and if the agent even knew what he was talking about. But it does make sense to me.
Well again, I'll repeat what I posted above, the one time that I rode those two trains there were no standard seats, much less BC seats in the cafe car.
In fact my train was oversold on the return and people were forced to sit in booths in the cafe car.
In fact my train was oversold on the return and people were forced to sit in booths in the cafe car.
amtrakmichigan
Lead Service Attendant
The day I asked this question to the Agent Alan was when I was droping my wife off to catch the westbound Twilight limited to Chicago. From the platform I could clearly see the b/c seats were completly empty, at least nobody was sitting at the window seats on my side of the train. While the rest of the train looked like people cramed in to the point where people had their faces smashed against the glass, something that you would see on a cartoon. After the train left I asked the agent why they don't sell the b/c seats on the 2 trains when the train has them, and that was the answer I got. If the train you rode had a full dinette it may have been a replacement for a bad order car. Or I could have seen a car that's normally not in that consist too. But I do know the train on that day did indeed have b/c seats, and that's what prompted me to ask that question.
amtrakmichigan
Lead Service Attendant
I have seen this happen a couple times on Michigan service trains. For some reason I get upset when they start seating people in b/c because the train is overbooked. I guess I feel that I had to pay the extra fare for that seat, and some guy comes along and gets a free upgrade because of Amtrak's screw up.AlanB said:
Thanks for the input guys. I will give a report when I return.
amtrakmichigan
Lead Service Attendant
Are you traveling to Michigan Steve ? If so where are you going?Steve4031 said:
Save Our Trains Michigan
Conductor
I will find out the answer to this Q.
Well, a friend I rode it on Saturday. We left Chicago on 350 and returned on 355. The food service car was an amfleet with tables on both sides. The next car was a horizon coach, then a rebuilt metroliner car (we rode in this one) and then a horizon car.
Quick observatons. The seats in the rebuilt metroliner car just seem to not match up with a human's body. It is impossible to place elbow on armrest or windowsill so that chin can rest on hand, and railfan can comfortably look out window. Though the bathrooms were better designed with handles for the sink. The ventilation was poor too. The car was too warm for the entire trip to Detroit. Time keeping was good.
On 355, we sat in the horizon coach next to the food service car. Ventilation was much better on this car. It was more comefortable than the rebuilt metroliner. Time keeping was ok on this trip too.
My friend, a teacher, enjoyed the trip very much. This was her first ride on Amtrak. She really had no complaints about anything, though she agreed that the air quality was bad in the metroliner car. She enjoyed the scenery, and enjoyed catching up on needed rest on the return trip. Though after visting the bathroom in the horizon car, she commented, "What genius designed that sink?" When I walked by moments later, the floor was covered with water.
I overheard several other passengers commenting on the ease of using the train, and the good pricing on the tickets. I did not overhear any complaints.
Quick observatons. The seats in the rebuilt metroliner car just seem to not match up with a human's body. It is impossible to place elbow on armrest or windowsill so that chin can rest on hand, and railfan can comfortably look out window. Though the bathrooms were better designed with handles for the sink. The ventilation was poor too. The car was too warm for the entire trip to Detroit. Time keeping was good.
On 355, we sat in the horizon coach next to the food service car. Ventilation was much better on this car. It was more comefortable than the rebuilt metroliner. Time keeping was ok on this trip too.
My friend, a teacher, enjoyed the trip very much. This was her first ride on Amtrak. She really had no complaints about anything, though she agreed that the air quality was bad in the metroliner car. She enjoyed the scenery, and enjoyed catching up on needed rest on the return trip. Though after visting the bathroom in the horizon car, she commented, "What genius designed that sink?" When I walked by moments later, the floor was covered with water.
I overheard several other passengers commenting on the ease of using the train, and the good pricing on the tickets. I did not overhear any complaints.
AmtrakFan
Conductor
When I saw 350 in 04 in Dearborn it had a Club/Cafe.
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