General Amtrak Discussion

Transportation topics in KC
User avatar
DaveKCMO
Ambassador
Posts: 20042
Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2005 6:22 pm
Location: Crossroads
Contact:

Re: General Amtrak Discussion

Post by DaveKCMO »

Image

Just spent the last 11 days on and off Amtrak for the first time since the pandemic. All of their pandemic measures were still in place, including reduced schedules (the Southwest Chief is back to daily service starting this week). The biggest pain was dining on the long distance segment (Chief in both directions from here to LA): Basically you get microwave dinners ("Flexible Dining") since all of the onboard chefs were furloughed. Since we were on and off quite a bit -- four Chief segments spread across multiple days -- we were able to basically sample the entire menu since lunch and dinner are now the same. All that said, if you haven't done a long distance train in your life it really is a must to travel west from here. The scenery is nonstop amazing and the slower pace is refreshing.

Notable (for us, anyway) that Amtrak is still serving alcohol onboard despite many airlines halting it due to the increase in disruptive passengers.

We also took a few short segments on the Pacific Surfliner in Business Class. Nothing much to report there except that the "corridor" services like this are where Amtrak is betting its future:

https://media.amtrak.com/2021/05/amtrak ... mmunities/

Image
User avatar
Chris Stritzel
Penntower
Penntower
Posts: 2294
Joined: Sun Feb 19, 2017 9:27 pm

Re: General Amtrak Discussion

Post by Chris Stritzel »

I've always wanted to take a long distance Amtrak trip and have heard differing views and opinions of it. Yours sounds positive. Others say it was the worst thing they've ever experienced. I guess it depends on what you expect in the end.

Anyone hear anything new recently on the rollout of the new railcars on Midwest routes?
benjaminkelley
Parking Garage
Parking Garage
Posts: 30
Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2016 2:57 pm

Re: General Amtrak Discussion

Post by benjaminkelley »

Just to give an additional positive review. I've have had great experiences on the long distance routes I've taken.
Additionally, I did LAX-CHI-STL-KCY last fall and similar to Dave, was disappointed in the "flexible dining" but otherwise had a great experience riding during covid.

I'm doing SEA-CHI-KC next month. Happy to have daily service on the Chief back so I don't have to connect thru STL.
User avatar
DaveKCMO
Ambassador
Posts: 20042
Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2005 6:22 pm
Location: Crossroads
Contact:

Re: General Amtrak Discussion

Post by DaveKCMO »

Chris Stritzel wrote: Mon May 31, 2021 9:05 pm I've always wanted to take a long distance Amtrak trip and have heard differing views and opinions of it. Yours sounds positive. Others say it was the worst thing they've ever experienced. I guess it depends on what you expect in the end.

Anyone hear anything new recently on the rollout of the new railcars on Midwest routes?
A friend who often rides the River Runner said MoDOT told him that we can expect the new cars in August.
herrfrank
Western Auto Lofts
Western Auto Lofts
Posts: 639
Joined: Wed Aug 21, 2013 2:12 pm

Re: General Amtrak Discussion

Post by herrfrank »

^ Regarding the dining car -- I did not know that Amtrak had furloughed its cooks (sad), but on the Autotrain as of last week, someone was downstairs cooking steaks with baked potato to order. All of the other options were microwaved.

BTW, only one seating (of the four usual Autotrain seatings) took place in the pullman dining car. The train was absolutely full, with twelve sleepers plus another half dozen economy traincars (coach gets a separate lounge car plus diner on the Autotrain), so the whole consist was 22 or so inhabited cars plus 25 automobile carrier cars at the rear. At around one thousand bucks per booking, this route must be making serious coin for Amtrak.

All dinners were brought to the room by the sleeper attendants (more work for them than usual), at 5pm, 6:30pm, 7:30pm and then the dining car had an 8pm seating. Breakfast was grab-and-go (no eggs and ham, so presumably no cook). I have to say that the amount of plastic waste generated by this modified meal service is horrifying.

The amount of congressional ink spilled on Amtrak dining is astonishing, and I cannot understand why a workable solution is so difficult. The airlines do a reasonably good job on their international business class flights, and even Amtrak does a decent job in Acela First. Hope that a workable fix is adopted as the Covid exigencies fade, and regular dining service resumes.
T_Wero
Parking Garage
Parking Garage
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue May 09, 2017 7:21 pm

Re: General Amtrak Discussion

Post by T_Wero »

The second River Runner round trip will resume July 19th.
langosta
Valencia Place
Valencia Place
Posts: 1511
Joined: Mon May 27, 2019 4:02 am

Re: General Amtrak Discussion

Post by langosta »

https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/loc ... 42461002/

Topeka City Council unanimously approved a resolution urging Federal Funds be made available for the northern extension of the Heartland Flyer with service from KC to Fort Worth.
langosta
Valencia Place
Valencia Place
Posts: 1511
Joined: Mon May 27, 2019 4:02 am

Re: General Amtrak Discussion

Post by langosta »

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/20 ... 619229002/

Oklahoma on board for a potential expansion. State also working on regional rail
shinatoo
Ambassador
Posts: 7393
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 3:20 pm

Re: General Amtrak Discussion

Post by shinatoo »

If they are going to call it the Heartland Flyer it should go all the way to Omaha.
User avatar
DaveKCMO
Ambassador
Posts: 20042
Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2005 6:22 pm
Location: Crossroads
Contact:

Re: General Amtrak Discussion

Post by DaveKCMO »

Superliner upgrades! https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/6/15/ ... s-sleepers

This means that every train running through KC will be recently upgraded by 2022!
herrfrank
Western Auto Lofts
Western Auto Lofts
Posts: 639
Joined: Wed Aug 21, 2013 2:12 pm

Re: General Amtrak Discussion

Post by herrfrank »

^Glad to hear some of the plastic waste issue will be addressed:

"The menu isn’t the only thing to getting an upgrade, [Amtrak VP Robert] Jordan said; that food will be served on china again, with real flowers in vases on the tables."

My sleeping compartment alone (two people) generated at least three cubic feet of plastic waste in one overnight journey. Just shocking. Everything was single-use disposable plastic (except the sleeping and bathroom linens).
User avatar
normalthings
Mark Twain Tower
Mark Twain Tower
Posts: 8018
Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2015 9:52 pm

Re: General Amtrak Discussion

Post by normalthings »

DaveKCMO wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 7:57 am Superliner upgrades! https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/6/15/ ... s-sleepers

This means that every train running through KC will be recently upgraded by 2022!
Is this a temporary fix before the cars are replaced? Like what happened to the Amfleet cars
User avatar
DaveKCMO
Ambassador
Posts: 20042
Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2005 6:22 pm
Location: Crossroads
Contact:

Re: General Amtrak Discussion

Post by DaveKCMO »

normalthings wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 5:00 pm
DaveKCMO wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 7:57 am Superliner upgrades! https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/6/15/ ... s-sleepers

This means that every train running through KC will be recently upgraded by 2022!
Is this a temporary fix before the cars are replaced? Like what happened to the Amfleet cars
Probably. The tracks they run on don't allow high speeds anyway, so new equipment isn't a big priority (but it should absolutely be refreshed, as it has several times since debuting in the early 80s). Superliners are theoretically capable of 100mph with the current design but you will never hit that on any route. The Chief goes 90 in some shared freight segments on its route, but then you're subjected to 25mph snaking through the mountains (which is very pretty, of course).

The East Coast sleepers (Viewliners originating out of New York) are actually being replaced with brand new equipment built by CAF USA, natch.
User avatar
Chris Stritzel
Penntower
Penntower
Posts: 2294
Joined: Sun Feb 19, 2017 9:27 pm

Re: General Amtrak Discussion

Post by Chris Stritzel »

From June 3rd: Problems with lead in water supply sidelines new Siemens cars for Amtrak
https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews ... or-amtrak/

I imagine this issue has been resolved since I was told to expect the new Venture rail cars in mid August.
herrfrank
Western Auto Lofts
Western Auto Lofts
Posts: 639
Joined: Wed Aug 21, 2013 2:12 pm

Re: General Amtrak Discussion

Post by herrfrank »

LD dining car meal service has resumed.

https://media.amtrak.com/2021/06/amtrak ... ce-routes/

This also expands the previously reduced service on the Orlando-DC Autotrain (which apparently was the only train doing any dining car service, and then only one seating per trip, but let's set aside Amtrak logic to celebrate this return to normalcy)

Also, on the Amtrak Good News front, the Federals (trains 66 and 67) have resumed after a LONG hiatus. (I don't think they have run since the early 1990s). These are the overnight sleepers from Boston to DC and vv. In the old days, some of the cars were decoupled in NY so O&D pax could sleep until 6am. You could also board in NY, have a cocktail or two, then go to sleep in your Pullman, all while in Penn Station. Sometime along the way, your car would be hitched to the en-route train and you would awaken in DC or Boston.

A review from Flyertalk:

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amtrak- ... nal-4.html

These trains are useful for those who travel to Cape Cod/ the Islands/ Maine for summer holidays. Strandings at DC and NY airports during summer storms are common, but these night trains ensure you can get to your resort by morning regardless the weather. The predecessor southbound "Congressional" (on the NYNH&H) was famously featured in the original 1970 version of the Out-Of-Towners (starring Sandy Dennis and Jack Lemmon), see excerpt below. I assume the snack offerings will be more plentiful nowadays.

https://youtu.be/zanrcDgsafA
Last edited by herrfrank on Sat Jul 10, 2021 9:26 pm, edited 2 times in total.
herrfrank
Western Auto Lofts
Western Auto Lofts
Posts: 639
Joined: Wed Aug 21, 2013 2:12 pm

Re: General Amtrak Discussion

Post by herrfrank »

One more thing...

Dining car service does NOT mean an improvement to Amtrak wine. I strongly advise my fellow travellers to bring your own wines. Remember to partially uncork in your sleeper (saves time and avoids pearl-clutchers). A pre-emptive tip to the dining car steward, and he will look the other way as you pour good Bordeaux in the dining car (keep the bottles in sleeves or a bag below the tablecloth is all they usually ask).
User avatar
DaveKCMO
Ambassador
Posts: 20042
Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2005 6:22 pm
Location: Crossroads
Contact:

Re: General Amtrak Discussion

Post by DaveKCMO »

Just returned from a long Amtrak trip from KC to Albany and back. We last took a trip of this length in May (other direction). Service was friendly (not always typical) and overly chatty (typical). The biggest change was the food quality on CHI-KCY segment home. Granted, we were in a sleeper and coach is not yet able to use the dining car but the meal was clearly cooked to order and is a standard three-course offering. Salad option used field greens and not iceberg. Real stemless wine glasses. If you ate in the dining car, real silverware.

We also got a "new" (August 2020) sleeper on our outbound CHI-ALB segment ("Viewliner II", built by CAF). If you haven't tried eastern sleeping car accommodations, the old train cars have the toilet and sink in the roomette. The new cars have it shared down the hall like the Superliners used west of Chicago. It was nice to experience a brand new train car, even though it was built to Amtrak's 90s-era spec. The dining car was also new on both segments, also built by CAF.

Image
User avatar
FlippantCitizen
Western Auto Lofts
Western Auto Lofts
Posts: 573
Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2021 5:29 pm
Location: Chicago

Re: General Amtrak Discussion

Post by FlippantCitizen »

Took the Southwest Chief to Chicago and back for Christmas. First Amtrak trip I've taken not on the Acela. Used to take the Acela all the time to visit Philly, DC and Boston when I lived in NYC. This was quite a different experience. Some take aways...

The boarding process was bizarre and overly complicated. Particularly the queuing up single file and then having to walk quite a distance to the platform. Both in KC and Chicago. In Chicago despite having waiting rooms very close to the gates leading directly to platforms where I imagined we would have waited and boarded from. We were forced to line up single file in the great hall and proceed from there. Very very sub-optimal when your wife is 8 months pregnant and she is slow, I'm carrying all our collective baggage so I am slow, and people of varying levels of ability in front of us are even slower. Why not just run boarding process directly from the gates leading to the platforms?

Lack of good signage for wayfinding within the station and boards displaying time tables and train numbers leading to a confused mood amongst many passengers some of whom seemed to be traveling by train for the first time. Particularly a problem in Chicago from which many trains were departing.

Once onboard the train I would rate the experience pretty well. I think some of the bathroom stalls could use a new coat of paint/lacquer. Some of them were chipping and peeling giving them a dirtier appearance then was probably the case. The hand washing sinks in there also left something to be desired. The train to Chicago suffered from a lack of paper towels in the bathrooms and notably the cafe car also had some cleanliness problems. The train from Chicago on the other hand was very clean and ready to go. So, I would say a focus on some en-route cleaning and restocking would go a long way on these longer haul routes. They clearly they start in the right place but can't keep it up on a 40+ hour route.

We were in coach. They are still not offering dining car service to coach passengers. The conductor claimed that a mid January restart for that service was under consideration but the way he said it was dripping with skepticism. Maybe timelines for this have been promised in the past and not upheld? Anyways, our leg of the trip was just over seven hours and I packed us a picnic meal for both legs and it wasn't a problem. That being said I couldn't imagine a 40+ hour trip with only access to the cafe car food. Also, I will note, the fresh water taps in the cafe car were not working. It was extremely annoying to not be able to refill our water bottles and be forced to pay a couple bucks for 12 ounces of water at a time.

The train ran ahead of schedule both to and from Chicago. I know that's not always the case. In our case it was time competitive with driving the point of actually being a little faster. I usually drive to Chicago because I often take my medium sized dog with me (we go to visit my in-laws and our dog and their dog get along well and boarding is quite expensive). This time she was boarded and I would 100% take the Chief again if we were to go without the dog in the future. They live in Evanston and we walked a few blocks to Ogilvie and transferred to the Metra, taking us very close to their house. It will be very cool in a few years when the streetcar's extension to Midtown will mean I could take my kid to his grandparent's for a visit by rail door to door.

My last note is that two trains a day would be amazing. The early morning time out of KC was great since we arrived around 2:30 into Chicago Union Station. Likewise the Chicago afternoon departure wasn't too bad as I was back to my house just after 10pm. But a morning and afternoon departure as an option would be a really nice upgrade. Particularly even if KC to Chicago was the only segment to get two trains per day. The chief route shaves 3-4 hours off the River Runner routing and KC and Chicago seemed to be far and away the strongest city pair based on what I observed in the boarding of the train in both directions.

End of my long Amtrak review; Happy New Year, everybody.
User avatar
normalthings
Mark Twain Tower
Mark Twain Tower
Posts: 8018
Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2015 9:52 pm

Re: General Amtrak Discussion

Post by normalthings »

FlippantCitizen wrote: Tue Dec 27, 2022 7:17 pm
Great review. Staff last told me dinning car will reopen once they can hire enough staff.

Chicago boarding used to happen in those gate adjacent lounges. Even just a few months ago. Maybe the train was just crazy packed?

KCY and ABQ are great opportunities to clean as crew change and restock occur. I also think refueling at KCY instead of Argentine would be an easy way to shave some time off of the trip.

ABQ is also where you pre-order food delivery and hop out during the extended layover (or at least back in the day)
User avatar
FlippantCitizen
Western Auto Lofts
Western Auto Lofts
Posts: 573
Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2021 5:29 pm
Location: Chicago

Re: General Amtrak Discussion

Post by FlippantCitizen »

normalthings wrote: Tue Dec 27, 2022 7:32 pm Chicago boarding used to happen in those gate adjacent lounges. Even just a few months ago. Maybe the train was just crazy packed?
Maybe it was a special circumstance due to the busy holidays. The CHI to KC train was 100% full in coach on the 26th. Going there from KC was >85% full on the 20th.

... Also didn't realize there was a refuel stop just after Union Station. That's absurd. Since we got into KC early the conductors announced the fresh air stop in KC would be a full 45 minutes. Many through-passengers got off with us just to come into Union Station for a bit. I even overheard one guy who was bound for Flagstaff saying to his kids to get off and come in with him because Union Station in KC "is beautiful and a must-see." I talked to that guy for a minute when we got on in Chicago... a victim of all those flight cancellations. It would make a lot of sense from an efficiency and passenger comfort perspective if that refueling could be done at Union Station and combined with a somewhat longer fresh air stop.
Post Reply