by SouthernRailway
I take Amtrak only a few times a year, but I notice how inconsistent Amtrak service is, compared to airlines (as I fly once every three weeks, usually):
1. Business class on Amtrak varies widely: not just the name of the "business class" product, but the accommodations.
2. Onboard service varies widely. Sometimes I am completely ignored when I'm in a sleeping car; sometimes I am greeted by name. Sometimes I can get room service; sometimes I can't.
3. Lounges vary widely: not just the name varies but the quality varies.
The only consistency with Amtrak seems to be in the equipment: all Eastern long-distance trains have the same sleeping cars, coaches and lounges, from what I can tell.
To the contrary, at least American Airlines offers very consistent service. There are differences between domestic and international, longer flights have meals and on short flights the planes are smaller, but that's about it (subject to variations in staff helpfulness).
Were pre-Amtrak railroads more or less consistent than Amtrak? Of course, a railroad's commuter trains wouldn't be the same as its long distance ones. But, for example, if I took any Eastern long-distance train offered by a particular railroad in the 1960s, other than some being coach-only and others having sleeping cars, was service pretty consistent? Or were there big variations in train quality (such as in timekeeping, cleanliness and overall comfort) among a particular railroad's long-distance trains?
1. Business class on Amtrak varies widely: not just the name of the "business class" product, but the accommodations.
2. Onboard service varies widely. Sometimes I am completely ignored when I'm in a sleeping car; sometimes I am greeted by name. Sometimes I can get room service; sometimes I can't.
3. Lounges vary widely: not just the name varies but the quality varies.
The only consistency with Amtrak seems to be in the equipment: all Eastern long-distance trains have the same sleeping cars, coaches and lounges, from what I can tell.
To the contrary, at least American Airlines offers very consistent service. There are differences between domestic and international, longer flights have meals and on short flights the planes are smaller, but that's about it (subject to variations in staff helpfulness).
Were pre-Amtrak railroads more or less consistent than Amtrak? Of course, a railroad's commuter trains wouldn't be the same as its long distance ones. But, for example, if I took any Eastern long-distance train offered by a particular railroad in the 1960s, other than some being coach-only and others having sleeping cars, was service pretty consistent? Or were there big variations in train quality (such as in timekeeping, cleanliness and overall comfort) among a particular railroad's long-distance trains?