New Viewliner order progress at CAF.

[printman2000]

They are going to lose... say $150? per car per run, on average.

I got the rest of it. But you lost me with this statement. Whose they? Under what conditions? why?

He is basing it on the lost revenue space that a shared restroom would occupy.

 

[MattW]

Which makes no sense considering the bag-dorms will come online at the same time as these one-less-roomette-for-toilet cars moving the crew out of their revenue-taking-rooms.

But I think Trogdor hit the nail on the head for the toilet issue. Not too long ago, there was a topic on here griping about the lack of standardized services between business class on the NEC, business class on the midwest trains etc. Since the Superliners roomettes don't have the toilets, wouldn't removing them from the Viewliners make Amtrak's services that much more standardized? First-timers who didn't research completely, won't ride an eastern train with toilet, then get smacked in the face when they transfer to a Superliner in Chicago or Washington and swear off Amtrak for good for not "being told." Ok, admittedly, this is a bit of an exaggeration, but for before I found this forum, for the longest time, I thought all sleepers had in-room toilets, I wonder what my reaction would have been upon transferring to the Capitol Limited in WAS after a nice private toilet on the Crescent...

 

[jis]

So far no one has addressed the topic of this post. If we wish to talk about roomette toilets they have been in roomettes for years and years and most find them a convenience. They are not "open" but have a sealed lead above. They were deleted to save MONEY!

My opinions on this subject being known, your comment is utter idiocy. If their cost people deleted the toilets for purely financial reasons, they deserve to be summarily executed. They are going to lose... say $150? per car per run, on average. Which means that if the Silver Meteor completes 365 round trips a year with three cars, they will lose $328k on that train alone. So they are losing $1.1 million a year on this move, or about $35 million over a 30 year depreciation cycle. Money saving indeed.

I agree with GML as far as the straight impact on revenue goes ignoring any effect of higher bucket kicking in earlier etc., though I don't know what the net net of revenue loss and maintenance saving together works out. I still suspect there will be slight net loss. Some people will believe whatever they want to believe even if the belief has nothing to do with reality. There still exists a "Flat Earth Society " afterall!