This North East Amtrak rider (I live in Harrisburg, PA) just got a chance to ride the Cascade Trains N & S from Portland to Seattle. Talgo equipment. Visually stunning, both the older train sets and the newer. My biggest disappointment was how small the Bistro Car and what is called the Dining Car is. Bistro car has 3 Diner-Style seats at the counter and two tiny, tiny, tiny "booth-ettes" that could seat 5 at most.
"Dining Car" also tiny, with little seating. I have no idea how Amtrak expects people to buy food and drink items and then have no where to sit and eat except back at your seat??
Also surprising was the regular coach cars. Each coach car seats 19 people with single seating on one side and double seats on the other. Beautiful, comfortable seating but I can't help wonder about the economics of such a small passenger capacity per car.
Also, the noise level inside the train sets is almost deafening, especially in the earlier model year equipment. The track noise is very loud and when I mentioned it to the conductor while waiting for the train to come to full stop the conductor acknowledged that the noise factor is the biggest complaint Amtrak gets, comfort-wise.
Attendants were dressed in nice, contemporary uniforms sporting the Talgo logo.
It was nice to experience the new equipment and gives me hope that positive changes are on the horizon for new equipment everywhere.
"Dining Car" also tiny, with little seating. I have no idea how Amtrak expects people to buy food and drink items and then have no where to sit and eat except back at your seat??
Also surprising was the regular coach cars. Each coach car seats 19 people with single seating on one side and double seats on the other. Beautiful, comfortable seating but I can't help wonder about the economics of such a small passenger capacity per car.
Also, the noise level inside the train sets is almost deafening, especially in the earlier model year equipment. The track noise is very loud and when I mentioned it to the conductor while waiting for the train to come to full stop the conductor acknowledged that the noise factor is the biggest complaint Amtrak gets, comfort-wise.
Attendants were dressed in nice, contemporary uniforms sporting the Talgo logo.
It was nice to experience the new equipment and gives me hope that positive changes are on the horizon for new equipment everywhere.