bostontrainguy wrote:More beds equals more revenue per car. Simple as that.
It's not that simple. You have to look at the prices Amtrak could charge for the different types of seats or bunks....
I haven't the idea what the actual real world price would be, so some speculation follows with some simple math.....
Given the following facts:
Amfleet 1 has 84 seats per car.
Amfleet 2 has 60 seats per car.
Viewliiner sleeper has 30 bunks per car.
Using the Amfleet 1 as the standard unit, lets call it 84 seats/84 seats = 1
What would Amtrak have to charge for the others cars to break even.
Amfleet 2 = 84 / 60 = 140% more per seat per trip
Viewliner 1 = 84 /30 = 280% more per bunk vs seat per trip
Now, if Amtrak charge less than 140% for an Amfleet 2, lets say 120%, they would be loosing revenue per seat than an Amfleet 1. But if Amtrak charge more than 140%, they would be earning more revenue per seat than an Amfleet 1.
Of course, there are variables than can affect individual fares on a train; like time of day, trip length, initiating and terminating stations, day of week, in season or out of season - so for the above example we must consider all the other variables were the same except for car type.
So, having extra seats or bunks on a train doesn't necessarily mean you can make more profits than with the other car with fewer seats or bunks, it all depends upon what the various fares are. Additionally, sleeper cars have additional costs for services render than coach passengers pay, so an additional % increase will be needed per bunk vs per seat to break even.
Take note, I already responded earlier about handicapped restrooms being omitted from the various plans for lay-flat type airliner first class seats/bunks, but I would also like to point out that they have omitted a shower stall as well - that passengers paying a higher fare for overnight travel expect. There's a reason why all Amtrak sleeper cars have showers.
So much effort has gone in to squeeze as many lay-flat seats into a rail car they have forgotten to include other things a rail car must have. Once you put these other things back in to their designs, it's hard to find the additional capacity they suggest, much less overcome the fare differentials Amtrak could charge first class passengers for additional privacy sleepers provide in rooms and roomettes than with an open car setup.
32 lay-flat seats vs 30 traditional bunks..
Per my simple math above, 30 / 32 = 94%. I doubt Amtrak would pass all of the 6% fare savings back to its' passengers. If you expected a larger savings on fares with an open layout, Amtrak would loose money everything else being equal as discussed earlier.
The reason why airlines have installed these seats is because they charge much much more than 6% increase fares for them. Few airlines have bunks on their planes, so they can charge significantly more for them than Amtrak could because Amtrak offers something better, roomettes and rooms.....