To Lorton In "WGC"

Auto Train Voyage #20 was Northbound from Sanford to Lorton aboard #52 (29 JAN).

This was part of a six day trip that I must acknowledge was four nights “on the road” and the remaining two were in Florida. That Sunday, January 29, had me leaving The Villages for a Lunch time meet up in Bellview. After our Lunch, it was time for a leisurely drive over to Sanford (65 miles) arriving there at 230P for the 3PM closing.

This journey was not going to be a moneymaker for Amtrak, the 109 auto and 219 passengers were still aboard the sixteen car “fixed” AT consist. My auto was aboard within five minutes of surrendering it, and there was no line whatever when I checked in. While checking in, I learned the term “fare Bucket’ is official Amtrakese; previously I thought it was only “fanese”. I was surprised to find that no longer tickets are printed for the AT - or at least at Sanford. The necessary info such as accommodation and vehicle load number is recorded by hand on to the Auto Train folder. Personally, I would like to have a ticket, but then the majority of people nowadays apparently simply do not care, as I have learned that only a fraction of people using a credit card for a purchase will even retain their Customer Copy, if in fact the merchant even tenders one..

Well to the train; this journey was to be in Bedroom C of 10BR car “W Graham Claytor”. Conveniently the car was A End forward which meant a forward ride - a “plus” with me as I would guess anyone else here at the Forum.

The wine tasting started promptly at 3PM, and can be a “wine chugging” if one is into that. To my surprise, there still remains one Sightseer car, 33043, assigned to the AT. The car has been reconfigured with all tables upper level with the Smoking Lounge ‘down below’. The latter “did its job”, or maybe no one was smoking any time I was in the car. According to Mr. Ainsworth’s site, all of the 3310X damaged at Crescent City have been returned to service; there should be one available as a spare. Therefore with the “if you’ve seen one Pine Tree, you’ve seen ‘em all” scenery along the route, it appears a waste to have a Sightseer permanently assigned to AT.

Departed Sanford at about 350P.

First serving of Dinner started promptly at 5PM; the Beef Tournedos were prepared exactly as ordered, all service other than dessert were with metal, glass, and ceramic ware - and the “comp” wine “flowed”. Somehow, I don’t think there are too many Food & Beverage sales in the Lounge car - maybe in the Coach Lounge, but not in Sleeper.

Movies are still shown after Dinner, and evidently since all Lounges have been upgraded with flat screen monitors, they are not about to go away.. But then, that is why I had a Bedroom - and for that matter, an unread Sunday New York Times.

About the only minor incident that took away from the pleasure of the trip occurred when I started to do a walk through the train. So far as I knew, Sleeper passengers have the “run of the train..’ Well, I got kicked out of the Coach diner (courteously but still assertively… “your Lounge is back in the Sleepers, sir‘). Then if that wasn‘t enough the two Conductors were sitting in an empty Coach and said to me “you must be some kind of company spy“. “Well I was with a railroad thirty years ago, but I‘m a paying passenger; here‘s my ticket“. “Well, you sure know how to walk aboard a train, and not too many around here do‘. So what am I going to do, forget how to walk on a train? “Have a good evening , sir“.

Oh well, time for The Times, then bedtime.

Aside from a minor issue requiring a stop to “reboot’ one of the locomotives, all went well.

“Continental Breakfast’ was served for me passing through Richmond; if there is any scenery on the route, it is on the RF&P. Arrival in Lorton was about 950A or 20min off. My auto was about first off; in fact I was talking with some travelers I had met in the Lounge earlier that morning. Nice people, so my auto sat out there for some fifteen minutes.

My autos are used to being last off - and I have two “consolation prizes“ in my collection for being such.

Otherwise, the drive home with an overnight in Akron was essentially without incident.

I still hold that along with Acela First, Auto Train is Amtrak’s “best foot forward’, Voyage 20 affirms my “more positives than negatives” overall rating of my Amtrak travel experiences.

So far as I'm concerned, I got value for the $610 total fare paid.

Amtrak's "Finest Hour"??

Today could well be Amtrak's "Finest Hour' in that never has public acceptance of Amtrak's services been stronger.

I'm inclined to hold this may be it; the closest could well be early '80's when W. Graham Claytor was at the throttle.

During that era, everything was new - Amfleets, Superliners, F-40's, and AEM-7's. While needless long distance routes had been eliminated by the Carter Cuts, other routes such as The Desert Wind and Pioneer were inaugurated (those were taken care of by the Mercer-Clinton Cuts). WGC, with his vast railroad and governmental experience appeared to be a "fit" that Amtrak had never previously enjoyed.

Even though patronage rose under WGC, it was still below the 1974 "gas crisis" levels. Today, Amtrak has left that mark in the rear view mirror.

So despite aging equipment, a fair amount of "horror story' travel experiences, and sky high fares, Amtrak today enjoys public acceptance not seen at any other time in its history. The momentum is there and should there be a Romney administration (if you care to believe as Karl Rove recently wrote in The Wall Street Journal, there will be), they will choose not to disturb what is there (blow some wind, of course) - and by many a measurement, works.

Amtrak Joins "The Revolution"

Amtrak proclams at their Facebook page, that they soon will be offering Wi-Fi service on more of their trains than not:

Brief passage:

Responding to strong passenger interest, Amtrak is launching today a major expansion of its free AmtrakConnectSM Wi-Fi service to 12 East Coast routes. As a result, trains that carry nearly 60 percent of all Amtrak passengers now have Wi-Fi connections.

Even if I am somewhat astounded, I can't help but note how important 24/7 access to the internet appears to be to some, as with so many infrequent and first time Amtrak travelers the inquiry "is wi-fi available?" made. I have seen consternation on-board; I can't forget how aboard Auto Train this past February, I was sitting at a table in the Lounge for the pre-departure wine tasting and this Mother and teen age daughter sit down on the opposite side. The girl was "at the wailing wall' when she learned that the wi-fi was only good at Lorton and not en-route; she hustles off to their room. The Mother tells me "thank goodness you said something; she has school assignments to prepare and she must have on-line in order to get them done".

To me it sounds as if they were "expecting' that wi-fi would be available.

Personally, I could care less; to be "a day or two" without being on-line is "no biggie'. Most any hotel at which I have occasion to stay during the 21 or so nights a year I'm out of town has a Business Center or Lobby computer; sometimes you have to pay, sometimes not. But I should be prepared to accept that those younger than my age 70+ demographic, it "is a biggie' and is just as expected on-board as is working HVAC and toilet facilities.

Needless to say, the only computer I own is this Dell desktop from which I now write; so I have to ask in all sincerity, is this "need" for wi-fi as prevalent through any societal demographic or is it mostly within a young, computer savvy demographic that frequent blog sites such as here?

I of course note that Amtrak is spending "heap big wampum" to add wi-fi to its fleet. It almost seems to me that Amtrak was slow to "wake up and smell the other guy's coffee brewing' and that if they don't get their own kettle on the fire, they will lose many a potential rider.

A Cash-Free Amtrak Dining Car?

As likely many of my readers here know, Amtrak is mandated under PRIIA '08 to prepare Performance Improvement Plans for each of its Long Distance routes. They have made, in my opinion, a sincere effort to comply with this provision. The Improvement Plan for all-single level trains other than The Cardinal, which was addressed in another report, has now been released.

I think this Plan, mandated under PRIIA 08, shows that reasonableness and practicality rule. There are no proposals to increase frequencies or to reroute away from existing routes. Advocates who seek an expansion of the Long Distance system will be disappointed.

The point I find most interesting is first introduced within the Report's Executive Summary:

Converting the Lake Shore Limited dining car to a “club-diner” is expectedto improve financial performance and customer service. In this pilot initiative, the dining car will operate as a cashless club-diner in which payments will be made by credit/debit cards; the diner will have extended hours for beverage service; and the lounge car menu will be upgraded to provide coach passengers wanting freshly prepared foods with an alternative to purchasing full meals in the diner. These changes will increase food service options and allow diner staff to serve customers during time now spent accounting for cash transactions. Separately, an analysis of meals served in the dining car was conducted and it was determined that one less food service employee would be required during off-peak periods.

I would think that anything, repeat anything, Amtrak could do to minimize, if not totally eliminate, the amount of cash (currency) 'sloshing" about on-board would benefit all, save the few dishonest employees "subjected to undue temptation' (I've seen that phrase within transcripts of hearings I reviewed while in Labor Relations with a Class I railroad).

The largest problem is that while the report notes that airlines have largely gone to a cash-free environment for in-flight purchases, it is a fairly safe assumption that any adult airline passenger has some kind of electronic transaction card (credit or debit); In fact, I think you need have one in order to purchase an airline ticket. The same can hardly be said of an Amtrak (or Greyhound) passenger - and these passengers have just as much "right' to purchase Food & Beverage on-board as do the others. What I fail to see addressed in the report is how to accommodate these passengers.

I would think some kind of prepaid meal arrangement could be offered definitely for the Diner and could even be implemented, even though the Report does not address such, for Snack Bar purchases. Passengers could purchase a 'gift card' prior to boarding, but I believe Amtrak would be obliged to make a ready refund without penalty of any amounts unused. The downside of this proposal is that impulse buying would be curtailed - and this would be of particular "hurt' for high margin alcoholic beverages.

While it can be easy to envision a cash free environment in a Snack Bar as well, let's address the Diner first, as unit accountability is in place for the Snack Bar inventory. The Diner is where Amtrak property can "grow legs' (much of same with railroad operated Diners as well).

All told, interesting idea that I think is long overdue.

The Report is worth a read - at least the Executive Summary.

The Michigan Debacle

September TRAINS has a report regarding the deterioration of the Wolverine service. . A recent review of Amtrak's Train Status shows Wolverines arriving Detroit not less than 1'30" late - and this is on top of a 5'30" schedule from CHI over a route that can be driven adhering to posted speeds in about 5 hours. Presumably bus operators, with limited stop service, could "beat the pants off" Amtrak.

The report notes that negotiations are moving forth with the Norfolk Southern to sell what to them is a secondary line (their traffic moves South from Detroit to Toledo thence handled on the ex-NYC East or West as need be) to a public agency. If Michigan is sincere about the promotion of rail passenger service, then there is simply no alternative as the "Feddytrough" is already doing its part by providing three a day without any Local assistance. Of interest, TRAINS further reports that the "same degree of utility' provisions of RPSA '70 and the May 1, 1971 Agreement 'sunset-ted' during 1996 and were not part of the ARAA '97 legislation. Had such provisions been in place and enforceable, NS would be in violation allowing the line to deteriorate to the extent it evidently has.

Judging from the passenger loadings on the trains I rode during an Easter weekend trip to Detroit (for a Detroit Symphony performance), there is business. However, that business seems comprised of young people who could well lack having a roadworthy auto. It seemed that when East of Kalamazoo, the trip could only be described as "tortuous", and NS's actions will only make it more so. In short, once these young people have an auto available or the means to afford an airline ticket (Southwest, folks, is no longer cheap), THEY will hang up the Adios drumhead TO Amtrak. Again I note, the business is there, but somehow I think it is business by default and if those passengers had ready other means, they would be using them. In the Midwest, I believe Amtrak enjoys business by choice, i.e. the passengers have other means such as a roadworthy auto, Chi-Milwaukee and Chi-Springfield. Hopefully 'six a day" and a 4.5hr Chi-Det schedule will give the Wolverines "business by choice".

If NS can serve their major on line shippers such as Kellogg's at Battle Creek by means of an existing North South routing from the NYC Water Level route, then imposing the slow orders is no different than when BNSF imposed same Newton-La Junta - a line redundant to their freight operations beyond accessing on line industries. If Amtrak wants to be competitive in the market, then maintaining the track to efficiently operate passenger trains is their responsibility and not that of NS.

By contrast, the Amtrak owned ROW on that route Porter-Kalamazoo is a railroad worthy of efficiently operating passenger trains. Since the Wolverines are solely Federally funded, I'm not certain how interested Michigan would be in having their additional grant from the ARRA '09 rescissions applied to a Federal service.

Now what likely is paradoxical is that Amtrak is of the "just send us the bill" mindset with regards to maintenance of Newton-Albuquerque that hosts "one a day' and with a road ready to accept a reroute of that train, 3-4 Chief, and possibly, with Wichita and Amarillo being on line, generate more traffic than at present. Even though Michigan is not supporting the Wolverines, Amtrak may hold that some, if not most, of the ARRA grant can be applied to this route.

However, even though I want to go and support the Detroit Symphony next season; be it assured I'll be getting there by auto or air. The ride last April was simply "torturous' - and that was before many of the existing speed restrictions were imposed. Somehow the thought of poking along at 25 (there was enough of that as was for the Easter trip) when my buggy could be rolling along at a lawful 70) and now that I know the "lay of the land" I'm not concerned about M&M, the rap artist and Chrysler pitchman, sidling up to me and say "hey dude, we don't drive that Asian junk around here'.

All told, until the matter of track deterioriation can be addressed, either by Amtrak committing funds for proper maintenance, I hold that the best option for Amtrak is to annul all Wolverine trains East of Battle Creek and provide connecting bus transportation onward, as the existing on-time performance is quite simply "unacceptable'

disclaimer; author holds long position NSC

Corridor to Private Enterprise - Mica

Rep John Mica (R-FL7), who again holds the chairmanship of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has dusted off the Bush administration proposal to separate the NECorridor from the rest of Amtrak - and of course stimulate private investment for both competitive services and infrastructure upgrades;

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/house-gop-proposal-would-privatize-high-speed-rail-along-amtraks-northeast-corridor/2011/05/26/AGBEZKCH_story.html

Brief passage:

House Republicans want to dismantle Amtrak, giving private investors the task of building and operating high-speed rail service between Washington and Boston.

They believe that an infusion of private capital would enable the system to be built in 10 years, a third of the time that Amtrak projects for completion of the $117 billion project, and that service would improve if operations were put in the hands of a for-profit company.

At a hearing Thursday, House Transportation Committee Chairman John L. Mica (R-Fla.) condemned Amtrak as having “one of the most dismal records on earth for any rail service, particularly in the Northeast Corridor.”

His plan to privatize the operations in the densely populated region from Washington to Boston was pounced on by Democrats and unions who represent Amtrak employees.

“The railroads didn’t want to run a railroad,” said Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), pointing to the demise of private passenger rail service more than 40 years ago. “They went bankrupt on passenger service. They begged the government to take it.”

This material appears at the Committee's site:

http://transportation.house.gov/News/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=1280

This proposal would clearly represent a divide and conquer strategy. If a lawmaker wants to vote on the one proven absolutely essential service Amtrak operates, he can answer to his constituents for that.

If however, the lawmaker choses to vote for maintenance of the Long Distance system, he can also do that and answer to his constituents accordingly and independent of his vote regarding the Northeast Corridor. Any such proposal if enacted (and it won't be during the Obama administration) would neutralize the contention that the LD's represent the catalyst to have Federal level funding for the regional Corridor.

It could also mean the Long Distance trains would be "in jeopardy".

As previously noted, this is simply a "dust off' of a proposal made during the Bush administration - and during Rep. Mica's earlier chairmanship of the Committee. It is probably nothing more than a 'this Committee is now under new management; and we now again believe in strong Republican values of free enterprise, freedom of choice........(blahblah).

I would think this is a no start until there is again a Republican in the White House; and now that their possible '12 contenders are looking for the Exit signs and "Sarah the Sacrificial Lamb' is moving towards center stage, that likely will not be anytime sooner than '17.

Finally, if there is any interest in private sector investment, assuming risk to reap a potential reward, for rail passenger service, how about "baby steps first' - 40 additional Acela Coaches with two of such being aded to the existing 20 train sets.

Happy Fortieth - Amtrak!!!

Even though much of your Long Distance operations are presently disrupted through no fault of yours or your Politico "overseers", make the best of the day. Lest we forget, you have clearly outlived your life expectancy anyone within the industry (including management lesserlings like myself) gave you by now more than thirty years.

Of interest here is a related topic from an enthusiast site Railroad Net:

http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=155&t=1203

From The New York Times:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F10913FF345913748DDDAB0894DD405B818BF1D3