Siemens to manufacture 83 Airo Intercity Trainsets for Amtrak: Design, Delivery, Acceptance

What is the "it" that could be useful? Are you saying that the same sleeper can't be used by multiple people on a single trip? That seems unlikely to me.

lensovet wrote: ↑Thu Feb 08, 2024 6:11 pm lol I cannot imagine any of this working culturally in America.

I mean, I had some nut tell me I couldn't sit next to him because I was wearing a mask on a regional train a few months ago. People can't be bothered to respect Quiet Car rules half the time. You want them paying attention to little lights and displays above a seat? Good luck.

What about the Acelas now? They have reserved seating, and I don't think Amtrak has huge problems with that. And with regards to the quiet cars, I wonder if conductors even bother to try and do anything, which is a whole other issue. :/

The AIro's will be semi-permanently fixed consists, right? Seems perfect for a reserved seating configuration.

lensovet wrote: ↑Thu Feb 08, 2024 6:11 pm I mean, I had some nut tell me I couldn't sit next to him because I was wearing a mask on a regional train a few months ago. People can't be bothered to respect Quiet Car rules half the time. You want them paying attention to little lights and displays above a seat? Good luck.

Mr. Lensovet, what you note is simply the disrespect that all too many hold against "anything of their choosing". Here's another transportation related "what are you gonna do about it; catch me if you can?":

https://lapi.transitchicago.com/chicago ... ng-on-cta/

Jeff Smith wrote: ↑Fri Feb 09, 2024 6:35 am The AIro's will be semi-permanently fixed consists, right? Seems perfect for a reserved seating configuration.

To be honest, I would see that for business class. I can't see how they can do that for coach, especially on the NEC.

Maybe a discussion in a wrong topic.

But why didn't Antrak order a 10 or 12 car Airo ICT. If the capacity is so low with the current equipment an with the new order. Order some longer equipment.

Voor the new Long distance.

If an Amtrak ICT variant can be ordered. With a extra business car, maybe with extra powered trucks, diner and restaurant car, some sleeping cars a baggage car and cab car and ALC-42E with more horsepower than the current one or perhaps 2 diesel engines
for the silver service, the cresent and order trains starting from NY penn

lensovet wrote: ↑Thu Feb 08, 2024 6:11 pm lol I cannot imagine any of this working culturally in America.
... You want them paying attention to little lights and displays above a seat? Good luck.

You segregate by car, just like Shinkansen. Non-reserved cars are clearly marked, board at different spots on the platform, and have 2+3 seating. Reserved cars are 2+2. (at least this is how it worked during my visits several years ago.) It's really not that difficult, even for we Americans.

SRich wrote: ↑Fri Feb 09, 2024 12:50 pm But why didn't Antrak order a 10 or 12 car Airo ICT. If the capacity is so low with the current equipment an with the new order. Order some longer equipment.

Voor the new Long distance.

If an Amtrak ICT variant can be ordered. With a extra business car, maybe with extra powered trucks, diner and restaurant car, some sleeping cars a baggage car and cab car and ALC-42E with more horsepower than the current one or perhaps 2 diesel engines
for the silver service, the cresent and order trains starting from NY penn

Right now they're ordering to replace day-trip and multi-trip trains, like the NEC, various Chicago-based services, whatnot. The sets are semi-perma coupled, and can be extended at a later date.

Watch 'em get the extensions.

That said, the ICT concept doesn't work with overnight train operations, plus it's out of scope for the order. Amtrak is going through the process of replacing the Superliners, but that's in a separate thread you can find on this board.

SRich wrote: ↑Fri Feb 09, 2024 12:50 pm Maybe a discussion in a wrong topic.
But why didn't Antrak order a 10 or 12 car Airo ICT. If the capacity is so low with the current equipment an with the new order. Order some longer equipment.

-
Not necessary. Just take 2 - 6 car trains and attach back to back. There you have the ideal way to increase capacity. Store excess capacity during off peak times.

NGEC update via Discord. NGEC Slides

RandallW wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 6:38 am Given that Amtrak crew attempt to tell you your seat when you board (at least on the Carolinian and Silver Star), they are assigning seats in coach when you board, but doing it in the slowest and most inaccurate way possible.

What you have here is a perfect example of Amtrak management forgetting there is a network other than Acela and Surfliner. THey don't ride the trains, they don't care, they have no incentive to care. They just want Dick Durbin and Amy Klobuchar's vote, so they continue to run awful trains through their states.

As such, each conductor or coach attendant has their own method for assigning seats. Often those methods collide on the same train, leading to really bad customer experiences. I can remember boarding #4 in Kansas City about ten years ago. The assisstant conductor directed us to a coach. We got to that coach, sat down, and an incredibly rude head conductor berated us for sitting in those seats and made us drag our luggage up through a few cars while moving, along with 15 others. I told her we were directed to sit in those seats by the AC and she threatened to kick me off for failure to follow crew directions.

I hate this kind of crap. Sheer rudeness added to mayhem and chaos. And there's no change in sight, because Steve Gardner and Joe Morris dont really care.

Yeah I'm sure absolutely nothing has changed in 10 years.

I'm also sure that the lack of consistency in operations and customer service is absolutely, definitively due to "Amtrak management" supposedly "not caring" except for Acela and Surfliner, which run nowhere near Klobuchar and Durbin's districts.

I'm curious if you've ever worked in any large corporation. Or in customer service, retail, etc. Bonus points if both!

Oh I love posts like this!!!

lensovet wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2024 2:32 pm Yeah I'm sure absolutely nothing has changed in 10 years.

It definitely hasn't, Im a frequent rider. Service still sucks the fat one. I'll never forget the time they tried to put someone else in my cabin with me. Twice!

lensovet wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2024 2:32 pmI'm also sure that the lack of consistency in operations and customer service is absolutely, definitively due to "Amtrak management" supposedly "not caring" except for Acela and Surfliner, which run nowhere near Klobuchar and Durbin's districts.

Who else would be responsible? Martians? Solar flares? You manage a company, you are responsible for what happens in said company. There is a chain of command in place to deal with these issues. Do you know why growing companies like Tesla, Amazon, and Zappos give out the CEO email? Because the CEO wants to know about problems and act on them.

Also is there a reason Amtrak's service is worse than any mainline airline? I mean it's not like transporting passengers is some new mysterious thing.

lensovet wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2024 2:32 pm I'm curious if you've ever worked in any large corporation. Or in customer service, retail, etc. Bonus points if both!

Yep! I count Caterpillar, US Steel, Nucor, Ford, US Army Corps, General Dynamics, and more as my customers. I have the badges to get in. I spend lots of time in these places. You'll notice Nucor and US Steel are on the list - same top line, vastly different bottom line. It has everything to do with top management empowering a highly motivated team to do what it takes.

SO for the bonus point, my job is basically sales and project management. There's a big degree of customer service in that scope.

The crappy customer service (I’ve seen my share too) is first and foremost a consequence of Amtrak being a monopoly. Before Amtrak, ATSF and UP competed to the very end on the Chicago-LA run.

As far as the equipment goes, that photo shows a standard passenger car. IIRC French TGVs are articulated. Buy enough cars to have flexibility in the various routings.

An interesting thought is how we have come full circle over seventy years from the SW-1200 pulling ten Highway Traveler busses minus engines and mounted on rail wheels that GM dubbed the Aerotrain to Amtrak’s reequipping of their East Coast short/medium distance fleet with the Airo (train).