A-Day + 51

Today is it!!

Any thoughts regarding the state of Amtrak affairs (something tells me any responses will "not exactly be positive").

Anyone know of any commemoration anywhere throughout the system?

Mr. Norman May I be the one person to say something good. Having recently completed a number of trips - both on corridor and off - really without major complaints I think the best is being made of the situation. There are no doubt issues that are taking time to work out, but as we see in the newspapers they are by no means exclusive to Amtrak. I am optimistic that better days are ahead.

Honestly, I think the best days of Amtrak are ahead.
We will have (eventually) Acela IIs coming on line
We'll have Amtrak I replacements coming on line
An Amtrak II order is likely
and several states are looking to expand routes and many I know in the younger generation are foregoing cars for other forms of transport, including Amtrak.

I think come A-Day+61 we'll have seen an expansion of Amtrak service that will surprise many of today's naysayers and demand for more.

I'm more hopeful for Amtrak now than I have been in the last 10 years.

Mr. Moore, may I present thoughts here first posted to The Board topic that in part I hold are relevant to the discussion here:

Gilbert B Norman wrote: ↑Sun May 01, 2022 7:23 am Now to the Board; by now there must be acceptance the "crown jewel" - the Corridor - is never coming back. It's not Amtrak's fault but simply COVID has become the most transformative event ever for knowledge workers. Amtrak will be hard pressed to fully utilize the new Acela equipment commanding fares in the "dollar a mile" range. The culprit of course is WFH and teleconferencing.

The burden will fall to this Board to formulate policy to deal with these adverse new realities.

This trend, while somewhat accelerated by Covid, is not moving only in a single direction, it also ignores overall growth in business in general. People will continue to flock to cities to live and to work for a variety of reasons. And as an IT person who has only met a single member of my current team in person in the past 10 years with my largest client, and as someone who uses Zoom on a daily basis and has worked remotely in the past and had remote workers (in a sense all my employees were all remote to their actual work when our servers were really at data centers), I still found value in in-person, face to face communications. For example, one of the projects I'm working on with my largest client, I suspect large portions of it would have happened far faster if we had been able to gather all in a single office for a week.

And there are some jobs that are even less amiable to remote work.

I don't think Amtrak has anything to worry about putting butts in seats on the NEC. I think within 5 years we'll see record numbers again, perhaps sooner.

Mr. Moore, I sincerely hope you are correct; for there is no question whatever that the Corridor is a meaningful transportation resource - not only for Amtrak, but also the seven regional rail agencies that operate over it.

There is encouragement that the airline's leisure travel business is now approaching pre-COVID levels. "The jury's still out" regarding their higher fare for flexibility business travel.

I will add on my recent trip to WAS my nine car regional was absolutely filled to the brim. Last time I did Acela though it was a bit on the lighter side ridership wise. I think Acela is where they have the most work to do..

I know Covid's impacts are still being felt so I'll defer judgment but we'll see in 6 months or a year if Amtrak is back to pre-Anderson levels of service, with proper dining car service on all long distance trains, full utilization of the Viewliner fleet, Sightseer lounges back on all Superliner long distance trains, etc. If not, then I'm guessing Amtrak is heading downhill except for the favored corridors.

Having ridden pre-Amtrak trains, I can appreciate the improvements Amtrak has made. The basic problem remains is as long as Amtrak remains just another federal bureaucracy, you will lack a proactive way of operating that you see in, for example, Brightline. If Amtrak can shake off bureaucratic thinking and think more with a pro-growth mindset, it will fare better.

Messrs. Johnson and Moore, as always, I respect your thoughts that you set forth at this site in the mature manner you always do.

No question whatever, all the Acela II equipment ordered will eventually be accepted and placed in revenue service. At that time, Amtrak will have trains equipped on a par with those in service on the H(er)SR lines overseas, such as within Austria, Switzerland and several Eastern European nations.

But 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.

The Locally sponsored services will provide whatever frequencies, fare levels, and on-board amenities the sponsors choose to offer - and pay for.

Now to the LD's; let's not address my differing views from their advocates, which were formulated during my eleven years in the industry, but note that those here and the other sites longing for a return of the amenities withdrawn, especially since non-rail, yet transportation, senior management came on the property, I must question if they will return.

True, it can be said that someone willing to pay $2936 (Bedroom) for an X-Country journey - NYP-49(16AUG)-CHI-3(17)-LAX- taking over 67hours deserve amenities. However, "know so first hand" airlines have stripped them from overseas Business Class and have hardly added to the "already stripped" domestic First (last flew such ORD-DFW-ORD Jul '19). Based on my ORD-MUC-ORD journey last August (not going this year; too much COVID over there for my comfort), I would describe Business Class amenities equal to that found in domestic Coach up to the '80's when Dereg "made it all about fares". Dinner was no longer plated (sound like Flexichow?), and wine was "presented" in a 1.875ml "mini". Still comp, but if you want more, ask the Attendant - no more Attendant circulating through the Cabin with with both a bottle of Red and White.

So Amtrak's position could easily become, hey, nobody else offers such. Why should we?

Twenty four plus years and Ive held positions as an LSA(cafe Car attendant) Asst Conductor Conductor and finally engineer. Have been asked to take a couple of other agreement positions back in the day gave a chuckle and politely said No Thanks. The biggest problem with Amtrak,how they carry through with processes. They start off gung ho and if they truly put forth an honest effort it is generally ends up a half assed attempt. The most famous was right and ready. If it isn't right it isn't ready. I cant repeat what my conductor was told that morning when he questioned the program being this is a G rated program

Ive witnessed it down to something as simple as to how to handle a broken down train. Once the magic wheel as I call it starts spinning place your bets cause you never know where its going to stop. The decision that was just made is only as good as the manager who made it. RFE said do this. OK here we go. Wait, no the MTO says something completely different. Hold on the Asst Super is chiming with another plan. Yet the wheel continues to spin faster and faster and the train gets later and later. As Sir Toppem Hat likes to say causing confusion and delay. If you cant handle simple everyday events how can one handle the running of an entire railroad.

There is no book yet there should be one on how to handle these types of simple issues right up to major storms.

In closing unless Amtrak gets its house in order I don't see any improvement from where it is now vs. 5 or ten years down the road.

Railjunkie wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 9:16 am There is no book yet there should be one on how to handle these types of simple issues right up to major storms.
In closing unless Amtrak gets its house in order I don't see any improvement from where it is now vs. 5 or ten years down the road.

Wait a minute, You're saying that a quasi goverment agency doesn't have in place something I've observed at other agencies I've worked for?
Stringent SOPs and process documentation.
Be it DOL , or DOD, we had in place processes for data center outages that were so exact, I think a kid who could read Stage 2 level books could have followed through, with minimal data loss.
This is why amtrak needs to hire railroaders (maybe even one of the few military railroaders), in management,
so that streamlined processes are in place, every time.
For every common and not so common incidents.

Mr. Scratchy, lest we not forget. Amtrak has HAD its share of railroaders "at the throttle". Reistrup, Claytor, Gunn (of sorts), Moorman, all come to mind.

All "threw up their hands". "What does this Board and the Pols who put them there want?; A railroad (Amtrak is recognized as such - AMTK vice AMTX reporting mark) or some kind of trough for those "Connected" to feed at?"

Gilbert B Norman wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 10:06 am Mr. Scratchy, lest we not forget. Amtrak has HAD its share of railroaders "at the throttle". Reistrup, Claytor, Gunn (of sorts), Moorman, all come to mind.

All "threw up their hands". "What does this Board and the Pols who put them there want?; A railroad (Amtrak is recognized as such - AMTK vice AMTX reporting mark) or some kind of trough for those "Connected" to feed at?"

I meant, the middle level management (and the board). It doesn't matter if the person on top is good at their job, if those who aren't fight to have the competence trickle down, as they fear they will be found out, and fired.
I'm not saying "run government agency like a business", I'm saying (you noted), "if the FRA recognizes you are AMTX, there are some things your should do, like the other operations with reporting marks."
Preferably, more like RBMN (or even BOMX), and less like MNCW or UP.
Of course, WMATA, MBTA, and others would also make out well, following this.

Mr. Scratchy, to clarify your immediate, and apparently mine as well,, that Amtrak has been assigned reporting mark AMTK means that it is recognized as a railroad, just as is BNSF.

Passenger rail agencies are assigned reporting marks such as METX (METRA) just as are railcar lessors such as GATX (GATX Corp; publicly traded).