A-Day + 51

rcthompson04 wrote: ↑Mon May 09, 2022 8:33 pm

Railjunkie wrote: ↑Mon May 09, 2022 5:32 pm

charlesriverbranch wrote: ↑Mon May 09, 2022 4:34 pm What happened to the damned crews? Surely they didn't all die of Covid.

No they did not die. Amtrak laid a bunch of them off and they never came back. I am hearing conductor classes sizes down in Wilmington that are in the 70s. So I would wager class sizes that big for on board also. They are behind the proverbial eight ball and now they are trying to get it all back at once.

Where the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ went??? Read the Wreck of the Penn Central.

There have been a lot of retirements and a year to 18 months of no crew classes. Anecdotally the average age of crew members seems to be noticeably lower than before COVID and I am seeing a lot more training (on SEPTA and Amtrak).

Not a lot of retirements some new classes. They were paying people who could retire to stay. I work with a few who may have taken the offer only time will tell. Seniority has a lot to do with the "age" of a train. Bad turns lack of money will make the senior guys leave.
Case in point, We hired out in the same class I bounced from craft to craft landing as an engineer. He stayed an LSA 24 plus years and I think he told me he is in the top five in New York. He was working 48/49 on the diner with the sleepers a job he liked because it payed well and he did not mind the turns in Chicago. Until they cut the train back to five days a week, where he ended up I don't know haven't seen him in months. I suspect I will once 48/49 go back to seven days again in a couple of weeks

IMHO no system timetables for at least 2 years due to too many changes. Now the small route timetables are another matter. Some like NYP -Albany only just on a card. NEC maybe 4 BOS NYP, NYP - WASH, BOS - WASH. NYP - NPN / Norfolk. The other ones previously printed.

That is once the timetable office staff has been restored. Probably not high on Amtrak's hiring schedule.

Gilbert B Norman wrote: ↑Mon May 02, 2022 8:06 am I really must question if the "dollar a mile" fares commanded by the existing Acelas through January '20, can again be realized. Sure, Amtrak can "fill 'em up" and maybe at a fare slightly premium to that on the Regionals, but I cannot foresee a return to their "making book" enjoyed pre-COVID.

Following up on this point I made last year, even the airlines are wondering and giving recognition to Peter, Paul, and Mary:

"Where have all the high rollers gone?"

Wall Street Journal

Fair Use:

Airlines are finding ways to live without business travelers.

Appetite for travel has roared back in the last two years as pandemic-era restrictions began to fall away, and airline executives have reported soaring demand. But carriers are still navigating what they say might be long-term shifts in who is traveling, when and why. The big companies whose employees once filled weekday flights, often paying top dollar for last-minute tickets and premium seats, aren’t back in full force. Leisure travel, and an emerging type of trip combining pleasure and work, have taken on more importance.

Doubt if such will be the case. but could there be a revival of interest in the LD's?