sleepers in the fall?

[sutton]

Hi All,

It's been awhile since being active in the forums, but I have to decide between taking a few train trips in the summer (HIGH prices and kids) or in the late fall or early winter 07. Is all this talk of cutting sleepers/diners on the CZ or EB or CS real or more of the same old yackety yack that's been going on for years? Is there a real threat that the trains are going? And any ideas as to when?

Thanks!

 

[Amtrak Watcher]

As one who primarily reads this forum rather than post things, I can say that the rumors about diminishing services and disappearing trains are pretty much what they have been for years. It seems that Amtrak is continuing its slow winnowing away into eventual oblivion, but the process is, indeed, a very slow one. It’s all part of a basic process of change in the travel and leisure industries which tries to respond to customers’ demands for lower prices. Air travel, for example, is nothing like it used to be, and there is even talk of charging rent for pillows and blankets on flights which have already ceased hot meal service in favor of $4 snack boxes and $1 soft drinks and coffee. Hotel rooms are dirtier than ever, and fewer hotels have a restaurant and bar these days. The world is becoming a giant Wal-Mart of ever decreasing prices and ever diminishing quality, service and variety. My advice to you: make you Amtrak reservations, and enjoy one of the few last examples of civilized behavior in the US such as it is – while it lasts.

 

[trainboy325]

Amen! That's it my friend.

 

[sutton]

thanks for the info. It is sad, isn't it, what's happening to quality? I suppose eventually Amtrak will go private or bust up, and then when private rail takes over, prices will go through the roof.

 

[saxman]

As one who primarily reads this forum rather than post things, I can say that the rumors about diminishing services and disappearing trains are pretty much what they have been for years. It seems that Amtrak is continuing its slow winnowing away into eventual oblivion, but the process is, indeed, a very slow one. It’s all part of a basic process of change in the travel and leisure industries which tries to respond to customers’ demands for lower prices. Air travel, for example, is nothing like it used to be, and there is even talk of charging rent for pillows and blankets on flights which have already ceased hot meal service in favor of $4 snack boxes and $1 soft drinks and coffee. Hotel rooms are dirtier than ever, and fewer hotels have a restaurant and bar these days. The world is becoming a giant Wal-Mart of ever decreasing prices and ever diminishing quality, service and variety. My advice to you: make you Amtrak reservations, and enjoy one of the few last examples of civilized behavior in the US such as it is – while it lasts.

Yup it true, travel is not luxorious anymore. The problem is people are trying to run Amtrak like the airlines to save money. In my opionion you can't do that to a railroad. Services is what attract the passengers away from scrutched up airline seats, or long trips in a car or bus. Years ago, when Amtrak tried running 3 day/week trains, they found it didn't save anything. They just lost more money due to lack of pax. Someone told them it would work, but it didn't. I feel like the same thing is happening. Revenues will go down with the lack of sleepers and services, yet costs will stay the same.

For some strange reason record numbers of pax have boarded LD trains, and I think its a direct relationship to the no frills concept of airline travel now, not to mention high gas prices. Some people can't actually imagine this, that people actually will ride a train through the middle of North Dakota or Nebraska.

 

[Midland Valley]

For some strange reason record numbers of pax have boarded LD trains, and I think its a direct relationship to the no frills concept of airline travel now, not to mention high gas prices. Some people can't actually imagine this, that people actually will ride a train through the middle of North Dakota or Nebraska.

That man who laughingly calls himself our President, (GWB) and his little axe man Mineta are two of those people who can't imagine people riding trains through North dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma etc. because as far as they are concerned there is no one who actually lives in these states. Remember Mineta's famous remark about "trains that go nowhere". Well Mr. Mineta, I am proud to be from the middle of nowhere!