GG-1 said:
Aloha
But Alan do you think this may be a good thing, Amtrak management are demonstrating there flexibility, and maybe even strength, to deal with a crises.
GG1,
Yes, in that respect, Amtrak is overall handling this crisis quite well and they are showing an ability to deal with a crisis. I do wish that they hadn't downgraded the food service in First Class on the Metroliners, although I suspect that there are a few reasons for this that I can only guess at.
However, it does point out one very important thing too. If we currently had a system that was composed of several competing companies that provided the rail service in this country, the NEC would be up the creek without a paddle.
It's only thanks to Amtrak's nationwide service, coupled with the fact that they are the only provider of intercity rail service, that they are able to recall those ex-Metroliner cars and reshuffle the fleet in an attempt to maintain some semblance of normal service on the NEC.
The real question is, will Amtrak's critics realize this or not. My guess is that they'll just keep blaming Amtrak for the crisis in the first place. Many already are, even though no one yet knows the true cause of the problem. It's like the lawyer who shows up at the accident scene and is already holding press conferences about how the train crash must be the fault of the RR, when no facts are yet in evidence and the victims are still being taken away by ambulance.
My apologies to any lawyers who might be reading and don't do that, but just like any profession, there are always a few that make the rest look bad.