Acela II (Alstom Avelia Liberty): Design, Production, Delivery, Acceptance

I guess the 50:50 seating is contentious for some, but is it ever going away? Probably not. There's a lot of it, even in Europe, the land of the mythical amazing high speed train. Even some airlines are using it in first/business where the pods isolate passengers. Even half of sleeper passengers ride backwards.

Did you really mean to say that HSR in Europe is a myth?

Unlikely ... Probably more that it's supposedly a cure all for transit problems over there. The Europeans have their own issues with congestion ...

And yet in Japan, it seems the Shinkansen seats generally face the direction of travel unless someone manually rotates them to be part of a group.

I get dizzy sometimes riding backwards. I always look for a forward facing seat and if unavailable I stand.

bostontrainguy wrote: ↑Wed Apr 01, 2020 8:23 am Looks like Amtrak had to conduct focus groups to realize that people don't want to ride backwards
• Sharing pull down sunshades

I think the question need be raised that "we" around here care about these noted issues, but does the traveling public at large?

I know I do; last August, traveling from Innsbruck to St Anton/Arlberg, there were no forward riding seats open for this very scenic ride. So it was backwards. There was a lady who was of the (never said) "I'm here first and would you wake me when we get there"? Now when my Sister flies somewhere (in Business because it's what she does), all she cares about are the movies they have. She is just not concerned if her seat is facing aft. And what does she care if she's on the asile where she prefers?

All I know is I care plenty, and as I noted around here, I was less than happy being "jumped" by an Attendant for looking out at Greenland and that my shade should be closed. I also know that if I am to go overseas during August (waiting to see if I can get out with no forfeits beyond $200 of trip insurance), I'm less than happy to learn the flights will be on a B-789, where the windows will automatically darken in flight. Also less than happy that the seating, while all facing forward, is paired rather than the individual "cube" now becoming prevalent in Business Class.

So again I close; "us" or "everybody"?

I think this one is actually an "everybody". Paint schemes not so much ... Riding backwards? Yes.

I think it's more of a "you" being most people here other than me. Commuter rail has been 50/50 for 50 years or more. Sure, some, maybe even many, people complain about it. But you know what they complain about more? Uncomfortable seats with no heat or air conditioning and a late train. As has been mentioned even airlines are going to 50/50 in business and soon in coach as well. I spent 14 hours facing backwards in the air last summer. Most pleasant flight of my life. Sleepers are 50/50. perpendicular compartments are 50/50. Get over yourselves. it's not an issue.

andegold wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2020 4:52 pm I think it's more of a "you" being most people here other than me . . . . Get over yourselves. it's not an issue.

Wow. Maybe not for you but maybe for others? How about getting over yourself?

Mr. Gold, on my January AT trip, I was assigned "L", which would have been "hind quarters" backwards. The Attendant said "A" was open - and I "took her up" on that in a heartbeat.

So I have my empathies with Mr. Trainguy on this point.

I have been on fixed seating trains - NY area commuter (few here in Chicago), Phila, Brightline, and overseas. "Over here", it always seems the forward riding seats fill first.

Airplanes, I think it absurd that some airlines, where passengers have chosen to pay four times the Coach fare to fly in Business, must find themselves to seat facing aft. You noted that some in Coach are so configured.

But "to each his own"; for your fourteen hour flight (presumably from Asia), you were facing aft - and were unconcerned. While I'm happy to look out to "keep an eye on Mr. Pratt" working away (or Mr. Whitney on the Right), I'll sooner look where I'm going - and can turn around to "check on the Boys" every so often.

It is generally accepted that riding backwards has a slight higher survival rate in a crash. That of course does not include those non survival crashes.

In regards to sitting back facing - on LIRR that's preferable because the one thing their trains are good at is suddenly and forcibly slowing down. The armrests are useless, the back of the seat ahead of you is a hard plastic, so it's good that the seat cushion absorbs the G forces.

F40CFan wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2020 1:55 pm I get dizzy sometimes riding backwards. I always look for a forward facing seat and if unavailable I stand.

I think this is a problem for lots of people. I am wondering if the constant repetitive side to side tilting will exacerbate the situation. If this highly touted multimillion dollar train causes nausea in lots of people, Amtrak is in for a hell of a lot of criticism and bad press.

I thought the tilting was supposed to prevent the nausea isn't it?

andegold wrote: ↑Sat Apr 04, 2020 1:18 pm I thought the tilting was supposed to prevent the nausea isn't it?

Here's a few quick things I found on the web:

Motion sickness is caused by the mixed signals sent to the brain by the eyes and the inner ear (semicircular canals). If you cannot see the motion your body's feeling, or conversely, if you cannot feel the motion your eyes see, then it is likely that your brain will get mixed signals and you will develop some aspect or symptom of motion sickness.

As an example, if someone is sat on a boat or in a car (not looking out of a window), their inner ears sense movement up and down, left and right, but their eyes see a static view, as if they are not moving at all. It is hypothesized that the conflict among the inputs is responsible for motion sickness.

So I'm guessing it's simply the fact that when you are facing forward your body anticipates the motion of the train since you can see what's coming (e.g., a curve). But if you are facing backwards your body does not know what is about to happen. Seems pretty simple actually.