Amfleet Refresh

Not sure about the best ROI ever (Tad makes a good point re: the NPCU), but it'll help the bottom line.

F-line to Dudley via Park wrote: Note that this livery refresh doesn't cover the Amfleet II's, which are scheduled--because of higher mileage than the I's--to be first displaced by the East Coast coach order. So if you figure ~600 total coaches in the order, Am1's second, and the state-sponsored route coaches + Metroliners coming last after the LD + NE Regional national order...then these new Am1 liveries have a minimum of 7 years left to roll. Simply because a monster order of 600 coaches don't get produced and accepted overnight.

And that of course assumes an order is forthcoming in the next year or two. I'm not holding my breath.

I think there are enough revenues to leverage the necessary financing through available USDOT loan programs.

The 492-car Amfleet order was delivered in under two years (summer 1975-June 1977, with sufficient cars on hand for all eastern corridor and daytime medium distance routes by 1/1/77) and the initial contracts were in 1973/1974. Being built on the existing Metroliner MU shell (with the same tooling) didn't hurt.

R36 Combine Coach wrote:Being built on the existing Metroliner MU shell (with the same tooling) didn't hurt.

Siemens becomes an interesting analog in this case.

I'm looking forward to seeing how this "refresh" is received by the public both in terms of direct reaction and ridership and revenue outcomes. I think its also notable that Amtrak is innovating somewhat this time around by conducting the work at multiple locations throughout the system, thus avoiding the requirement to circulate the equipment through Bear, DE.

gokeefe wrote:The changes to the cafe galleys have been completely understated and in my opinion represent something potentially more significant if Amtrak can find a way to address issues with capacity for onboard stock levels etc.

I've yet to see details reported as to what these changes are. The single-level food service cars strike me as the single most obvious area for improvement in Amtrak's fleet.

Same. When I see pictures of streamliner lounge cars of the 1950s, vs. Amfleet cafe cars (with "FOOD SERVICE CAR" stamped on the outside), I get totally depressed with the state of US passenger rail. Surely at the least those cafe cars could get some style, to make them inviting; plastic (or seemingly) plastic walls, floors, benches, tables, etc., and high-priced junk food, are just not appealing.

With few exceptions Amtrak runs conventional speed services that are easily comparable to peers in Europe. The interiors of those cars and their food service variants are just as plain and utilitarian. The windows are bigger but overall its "about the same". Timeliness, schedule frequency and service levels are a completely different matter. There are obvious "premium" high speed services that far exceed Amtrak, but in terms of everyday offerings for conventional speed trains Amtrak is as good as any of them and better in some ways than most.

You wouldn't find beautiful streamliner cars on conventional speed service in Europe anymore either. Probably one of the last trains that did do this would have been the TEE or Trans Europ Express. I think a more reasonable comparison would be how things look compared to Acela First Class when it was new and/or its planned replacement the new Avelia Liberty. That's one premium trainset's highest class of service (streamliner lounge) against another and I'm sure it would be favorable.

The Amfleet Refresh is a welcome initiative that will help support Amtrak's core regional services for another decade. Should be just enough time to order, build and deliver new cars.

I'd say that Thalys, Eurostar, TGV, X2000 and slews of other European trains have much "sleeker" and much more modern-looking café cars. The Acela Express café car is also much sleeker and attractive. The Superliner lounge car that I sat in on the Coast Starlight was wonderful, with seats facing huge windows; I don't expect that on Amfleets but it sure was nice.

The Amfleet café/lounge cars, both on NEC and on long-distance trains, are just bleak: zero style, zero sleekness and minimal appeal. At least they could be more colorful, and the seating could be more stylish than the beige/brown benches at beige tables.

SouthernRailway wrote:Same. When I see pictures of streamliner lounge cars of the 1950s, vs. Amfleet cafe cars (with "FOOD SERVICE CAR" stamped on the outside), I get totally depressed with the state of US passenger rail. Surely at the least those cafe cars could get some style, to make them inviting; plastic (or seemingly) plastic walls, floors, benches, tables, etc., and high-priced junk food, are just not appealing.

I'm sure VIA would even be more depressing by comparison, with its corridor cars and even more limited food service.

Mackensen wrote:The single-level food service cars strike me as the single most obvious area for improvement in Amtrak's fleet.

The Amfleet IIs got a overhaul in the diner lite program starting in 2007, but they are often forced to serve as full diners (on the Lake Shore for example).

SouthernRailway wrote: The Amfleet café/lounge cars, both on NEC and on long-distance trains, are just bleak: zero style, zero sleekness and minimal appeal. At least they could be more colorful, and the seating could be more stylish than the beige/brown benches at beige tables.

Amtrak tried an Acela style cafe layout on the Amfleets and it didn't last very long.

I'm really curious to see what they have in mind for the galleys. I'm guessing that implementing the use of a cart system similar to what's already done on Acela and the new Viewliner diners might be a possibility.

IT'S PAYWALLED!

SouthernRailway wrote:The Amfleet café/lounge cars, both on NEC and on long-distance trains, are just bleak: zero style, zero sleekness and minimal appeal. At least they could be more colorful, and the seating could be more stylish than the beige/brown benches at beige tables.

And Horizons are worse, unless you like eating in elementary school cafeterias.

Maybe Amtrak will try to style the A-I dinettes like the V-II diners with their wood-panel trim and LED lights.