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Downeaster Inaugurates Fifth Round-Trip
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Last Friday, Amtrak’s Downeaster inaugurated its fifth round-trip between Boston, MA and Portland, ME. Another five minutes was shaved off the one-way schedule; the current 2 hour 30-minute trip is fifteen minutes faster than when the service started in 2001. In FY2006, the Downeaster had the highest ridership increase (32%) and the highest revenue increase (34%) of any route in the Amtrak system.
A video of the press conference at the Portland Transportation Center has been posted to the DowneastRiders Blog:
Speakers and Guests:
Patricia Quinn, Executive Director, Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority
David Cole, Commissioner, Maine DOT
John Baldacci, Maine Governor (D)
David Fink, President, Pan Am Railways
Patricia Eltman, Director, Maine Office of Tourism
Mary Beth Mello, Deputy Regional Administrator, Federal Transit Administration
Rhoda Salemme, wife of former Amtrak Superintendant Victor Salemme
Wayne Davis, Chairman, TrainRiders/Northeast
At the end of the video, Davis (who is also a NARP Vice President) reminded the crowd that the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality grant that has financed the Downeaster’s operations expires next year, and the effort to extend service northward to Brunswick has seen fits and starts.
Clearly, the political work to continue and to build upon the Downeaster’s successes have only just begun.
--Matthew Melzer
Posted by NARP
Tags: amtrak, downeaster,Reporter Liveblogs a Pere Marquette Trip
Friday, December 07, 2007
On Monday, Grand Rapids Press (MI) reporter Ken Kolker liveblogged a round-trip to Chicago on the Amtrak Pere Marquette, three days after the train was involved in a serious read-end collision with a Norfolk Southern freight train outside of Chicago that caused 60 injuries. Kolker shows his lay credentials, referring to a couple boarding the train as, “climbing aboard the locomotive.” More notably, he also collected anecdotes from two passengers who were on the ill-fated train the previous Friday. 78 year-old Louisa Vargo, who still had a black eye to show for her troubles, nonetheless returned home by Amtrak as a vote of confidence in the safety of rail travel:
Despite the crash, she did not hesitate to ride Amtrak home. She takes this trip several times a month.
“I don’t even think about it,” she says. “It’s just another trip, I’m not apprehensive at all.”
Members of the traditional news media are beginning to embrace technology as a means to expose the public to the rail travel experience. At the vanguard of this phenomenon is Rafi Guroian, Director of Technology & Online Content Manager for Cox Newspapers Washington Bureau, whose Rafi on the Rails feature includes regular insights from his experiences on Amtrak. Guroian even went so far as to have a live webcam and GPS tracking during a recent two-week cross-country trip!
Hopefully, this is a trend that will expand. Not only do these “new media” ventures by traditional outlets provide greater exposure for the rail travel alternative, they can lead to greater accountability for the bad apples at Amtrak who the correspondents encounter, as Guroian did on a recent trip.
--Matthew Melzer
Posted by NARP
Tags: amtrak, news media, pere marquette, safety,New Amtrak Dining Car Menus: Yum!
Monday, December 17, 2007
As we reported in last week’s Hotline, Amtrak has improved the experience for long-distance train passengers with new, expanded, and varied dining car menus. Last Thursday, the day after they were launched, I had the opportunity to taste the improvements for myself while I rode Silver Star train 91 from Washington, DC to Miami. Other observers online have posted information about the menu offerings and their own experiences. Now, enjoy the photos I took of some of the new selections (dinner, breakfast, and lunch, respectively):
Though Cornish Game Hen has replaced Roast Chicken at dinner, on day two of the new menu chicken was still being served (presumably to use up commissary supplies). The chicken was perfectly seasoned. The short-grain saffron rice was a welcome departure from the usual rice pilaf. The beans, while fresh, were bland and could have used seasoning.
The Tilapia was served with a tomato sauce that my companion said made all the difference with the already-tender fish. The garlic mashed potatoes were also rich and creamy. Notably, she was not charged for a second can of soda.
The vegetable omelette with olives and red peppers was satisfactory (especially as pre-prepared egg dishes go), and the new chicken apple sausage was extremely tender and juicy. While grits are now available again, I still enjoy the shredded potatoes.
Belgian waffle with powdered sugar was the breakfast special on this trip. Alas, table syrup remains the only available topping, with no fruit toppings as one might expect.
The Greek salad with warm grilled chicken was fresh and flavorful. Amtrak has really improved its salad offerings; even the side salads are now based in spinach and dark lettuces, not wilted pieces of iceberg lettuce.
The Key Lime Pie with graham cracker crust has not changed much, but is still a fine product.
The new Red Velvet Cake by Sweet Street is of very high quality, especially with the richness of the cream cheese frosting, the moistness of the cake, and the apparent lack of chemical additives. This is probably one of the best desserts Amtrak has offered, and I understand it is one of many in rotation right now.
Clearly, Amtrak has listened to its passengers’ demands for better dining options (even while reduced staffing means plastic plates and cups continue to prevail on most routes). If Amtrak’s critics are so concerned about the company operating in a business-like manner, they should praise Amtrak for being market-responsive and instituting new service offerings that can drive revenue increases and win favor with the traveling public.
--Matthew Melzer
Posted by NARP
Tags: amtrak, food service, silver star,More Yummy Dining Car Food News
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
As a brief follow-up to my last post, it turns out that omelettes (or omelets, in the variant that Amtrak spells it) are no longer pre-prepared. They are now freshly made aboard the train, which should represent a major improvement in most cases. Scrambled eggs, which are newly offered on most routes after a long absence of regular egg dishes, are in fact pre-prepared in bulk.
We had also erroneously reported last week that dining car menu cycles will change every three months. In fact, the actual cycles of the menus between trains will change every six months. The good news is that the various specials offered at each meal may change more frequently. In any case, Amtrak has still scored a winner with its new formal dining offerings. Now they just need to update their web site to show off the commendable menus!
Meanwhile, north of the border, VIA Rail Canada is continuing a Canadian railroading holiday tradition in the dining car, and the Toronto Star is there with good coverage:
When the federal government’s carving knife first scraped VIA’s carcass a quarter-century ago, the plum pudding fell by the trackside for budgetary reasons. Now, with trains back “in” with the public and politicians alike, the tradition is being revived for Christmas week on the stainless steel dining cars of VIA’s transcontinental streamliner, The Canadian.
VIA’s Vancouver director of customer experience, James Kleiner, says the inspiration for the holiday-only dessert came from one of the railway’s Winnipeg chefs, who sent him a Canadian National (CN) cookbook from the 1950s containing the original recipe. “I did my apprenticeship with Canadian Pacific Hotels,” says Kleiner.
...
“I’ll bet there hasn’t been a railway that’s ever made money on its dining cars. But you have to do it and do it well because it’s the one thing, above all, that people expect and remember. You’re helping to create an experience that will last them a lifetime. That’s a challenge and a pleasure. Bringing back the old CN plum pudding is one of those pleasures,” Kleiner says.
This year he received a call from a Winnipeg woman whose father is terminally ill. One last thing he wants is to taste the CN plum pudding again. It has been arranged.
Amtrak officials are known to follow VIA’s customer service practices, and should especially take note of the lore of the plum pudding. Imagine if any item in Amtrak’s dining cars could become such a cherished national tradition that Americans request it on their deathbeds.
--Matthew Melzer
Posted by NARP
Tags: amtrak, food service, via rail canada,Holland Sentinel Readers Confident in Amtrak
Thursday, December 20, 2007
In an unscientific readers’ poll, the Holland Sentinel (MI) asked, “How has the Amtrak [Pere Marquette] train crash in Chicago November 30 impacted the likelihood of you riding the train in the future?”
Check out these astonishing results:
Not only are the majority of readers confident that the train is safe, there are more folks who would ride Amtrak after the crash than those who would avoid it! As they say, all publicity is good publicity. And for the safe mode of train travel, good publicity is well-deserved, even if the rare incident is regrettable.
While commercial aviation is also, for the most part, a safe mode of travel, I submit that a scary, non-fatal situation in the air is much more likely to draw strongly negative reactions. On Sunday, my return trip from Miami was on American Airlines. As we descended towards Reagan National Airport, strong winds in the area contributed to severe turbulence, the kind that makes the wings visibly flap and causes even iron stomachs to drop. Perhaps a hundred yards from touchdown, the captain engaged full throttle and we aborted the landing. At this point, several people were crying, a few were vomiting, and a woman behind me was in the grips of an uncontrolled panic attack. We circled around for another landing attempt; the captain threw in the towel at about 1,000 feet and announced that dangerous 40-knot crosswinds were not worth the risk for our Boeing 737-800.
We were diverted to Dulles International Airport, where we landed nearly an hour late. However, we parked on the tarmac and awaited paramedics to board to treat the sufferer of the panic attack. Passengers were eventually allowed to exit onto the unique IAD people movers ("moon buggies"), which incidentally will soon be replaced in normal service by an intra-airport automated train system. American chartered coaches to get everyone back to DCA, and by that point we were two-and-a-half hours late.
The incident with our flight apparently made the local news, along with an earlier MIA-DCA flight that day which was also diverted to IAD, due to mechanical reasons.
Even if air travel is safe, the perceived perils are rightfully greater than that of train travel. Let’s also not forget that over 45,000 people die each year on the road; 15.5 deaths per 100,000 population is greater than the murder rate in many major cities.
It bears repeating: However you may be traveling this holiday season, stay safe out there!
--Matthew Melzer
Posted by NARP
Tags: air travel, airlines, amtrak, news media, pere marquette, safety,France’s iDTGV Innovates the Train Travel Experience
Friday, December 28, 2007
The Age (Melbourne, Australia) covers the fascinating development of cutting-edge, passenger-friendly amenities being tested on SNCF‘s TGV high-speed trains in France:
Joined to a regular TGV train, this iDTGV, playing on the French word “idee” or “idea”, is operated privately, but owned by the national SNCF rail company and designed as a laboratory for future rail travel.
The iDTGV was launched in December 2004 and offers cheaper tickets, Internet reservations, and services aimed at pleasing passengers, including a soon-to-be launched party train, to help the SNCF better compete with low cost airlines.
...
Downstairs is peaceful with no noisy chat or mobile phones. The top deck is designed for entertainment and interaction between passengers, including a service that helps them meet each other en route.
As the bar fills up, some passengers, many of them young professionals, browse a catalogue of DVDs and video games available for rental, while others peruse magazines.
Nearby, a couple of young workers from an AIDS charity set up a stall.
“What’s the difference between this bar and those on other trains?” says Patrice, one of the conductors. “Well, people are more open. We sometimes have concerts on board too.”
Since the start, iDTGVs, which now travel to around 20 French towns and cities, have hosted a string of events, from food and wine tastings to massages and cabarets.
A few months ago, Reuters reported on a dating service that Germany’s DB is offering on Munich-Nuremberg RegionalExpress trains:
While these amenities being tested in France and Germany could be dismissed as gimmicky, they might also go a long way to making train travel a way of life for a younger clientèle in America. But Amtrak is starved for a healthy funding stream that would allow it to test relatively radical on-board services, while the rail networks in Europe have reached a point of maturity from which they arguably have the luxury of testing these products. If Amtrak is unable to further innovate on-board services with the resources that it has, the private sector could play a role. We’re already seeing this on a limited basis. A game company used to sponsor the Kiddie Cars on the Coast Starlight, and redevelopment of these cars is supposedly in the works. Free samples of food and toiletries are currently supplied by the manufacturers for Empire Builder sleeping car passengers. Amtrak also granted a concession for T-Mobile HotSpot to offer paid wi-fi access in certain Northeast Corridor stations, with an on-board wi-fi program currently being studied.
Amtrak should continue to observe how operators abroad experiment with new products and technologies, and do the best that it can to deliver quality service on its constrained budget. The possibilities for market segmentation go far beyond certain age groups or income levels. Train travel is for everyone, and there are many ways to improve the experience.
--Matthew Melzer
Posted by NARP
Tags: amtrak, customer service, deutsche bahn, sncf, tgv,New Hampshire Advocates Urged to Question Presidental Candidates
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Yesterday, NARP sent the following message to its members in New Hampshire (by snail mail letter and e-mail):
To NARP Members in New Hampshire--
With the New Hampshire primary coming on Tuesday, January 8, you still have time to ask a presidential candidate (or candidates) about passenger trains. Your message could go something like this, substituting your own words where you can.
“The highly successful Downeaster train linking Boston, New Hampshire and Maine is expected to lose its federal funding next year, even though ridership is growing and the nation is increasingly concerned about climate change, a problem that passenger trains help address. As president, what would you do about passenger trains in general and the Downeaster in particular?”
Remember, it is good for ANY of the candidates to hear such a question. If that candidate drops out of the race, he or she nonetheless is likely to remain active, to support one of the surviving candidates, and possibly to help influence the eventual party nominee’s views of the issues.
The specific problem with the Downeaster involves expiration on September 30, 2009, of federal “CMAQ” funding which has been supporting the route. (CMAQ stands for Congestion Mitigation Air Quality Improvement Program.) The Downeaster is enjoying record ridership and revenue, and has stimulated increased station-area real estate values and development. Passenger rail advocates in Maine are working hard to save the service, but the fact that only one of three states served provides operating funds does present a challenge.
Thank you for your efforts to preserve and expand passenger rail service!
--Ross B. Capon
NARP Executive Director
Posted by NARP
Tags: amtrak, downeaster, presidential election,Presidential Emergency Board Recommendations
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Presidential Emergency Board 242, appointed by President Bush, seems at first blush to have delivered almost everything the unions wanted. This is not something that everyone would have predicted that a group of Bush appointees would do. The recommendations may reduce the likelihood of a strike at the end of January, since the unions—having the PEB recommendations on their side—are likely to be focused on getting them implemented, and thus on avoiding actions—like a strike—that would antagonize the nation in general and the lawmakers on whom the unions would be counting to fund these recommendations. But don’t take that prediction to the bank! Stay tuned for further developments, and see also the report at the bottom of our January 4 Hotline.
--Ross B. Capon
Posted by NARP
Tags: amtrak, organized labor, presidential emergency board,Dining with Amtrak’s Diner Lite
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Last month, I highlighted offerings from Amtrak’s improved Simplified Dining Service menu, which applies to most long-distance routes. The Lake Shore Limited is not one of them. In September, facing a crunch in Heritage Dining Car availability, Amtrak pressed into service the first of its converted former Amfleet II Lounge cars, now Diner Lite cars. The serving counter area is now flanked by steam tables and a large reefer; the disused smoking lounge was removed in favor of more seating, and a Steward’s office was installed.
I just arrived into Chicago on train 49 from New York, and had the opportunity to sample the Diner Lite offerings for the first time.
As you can see, half of the tables in this car have the view impeded due to misalignment with the windows, while half are properly aligned. The misaligned side is the one with the Steward’s office. As well, the table numbers were hand-written above each table, a very tacky touch.
This is the “good” side; note the far table being used for storage.
Modified serving counter, now diner galley.
Beverages Menu
All-Day Menu
Appetizers Menu
Dinner Entrees Menu, with slightly lower prices and less selection than in regular dining cars.
Dinner service was passable given the limitations of the setup. The spring rolls were prepared surprisingly crunchy, and the Salmon Filet with rice, corn, and beans was served piping hot. However, the salmon was somewhat rubbery and very salty, and could’ve used more diverse seasoning. It was served on a cheaper-looking plastic plate than usual that did not have the Amtrak logo.
Breakfast Menu
Breakfast was of sub-par quality: The Southwestern Omelet was not an omelet at all, but a spongy crescent of egg with a hard layer of cheese congealed on top, with “Southwestern” toppings served on the side in a cup. Everything, from the eggs, to the bland potatoes, to the turkey sausage and even the croissant, were all rubbery and tasted microwaved. If this meal was supposed to be prepared in a convection oven, it certainly was not done properly. I also noted that beverages do not appear on the menu to be included with breakfast as they customarily are (though I was not charged for my coffee and juice).
Amtrak claims that the Diner Lite setup on the Lake Shore is temporary and that Heritage diners will return once the maintenance situation has stabilized. I certainly hope that’s the case. As the only daily train between New York and Chicago, this is supposed to be one of Amtrak’s key routes, but the current level of service does not live up to that expectation. I give Diner Lite service a D for ambiance and a C for food quality.
--Matthew Melzer
Posted by NARP
Tags: amtrak, food service, lake shore limited,Amtrak, Unions Come to tentative agreement, No Strike Jan. 30
Friday, January 18, 2008
Amtrak and nine unions have come to a tentative agreement on a new contract that averts a threatened January 30 nationwide strike. You can read Amtrak’s news release on the agreement (click on the link at the top center of the page). We’ll have more details on today’s NARP hotline, which will be posted by 6:00pm (Eastern) today.
--David Johnson
Posted by NARP
Tags: amtrak, organized labor,Dining with Amtrak’s Diner-Lounge (Cross-Country Café)
Yesterday we showed you an objective downgrade in food service on the Lake Shore Limited. Today I arrived into New Orleans on City of New Orleans train 59, featuring the new Cross-Country Café (CCC), which Amtrak is touting as a model improvement in long-distance food service. Amtrak has converted eight Superliner dining cars into Diner-Lounges, the latter seven representing an improvement over the original prototype. These cars are now being evaluated as the sole food service car on the City, which used to have both full diner and sightseer lounge cars.
Amtrak claims that one car is sufficient for lower-volume trains; the City now has a consist of just two coaches and one sleeper, plus additional rooms sold in the crew dormitory car. I found that the load on my train probably represents the upper limit that the CCC can comfortably service, especially with only three employees in the entire car: The Lead Service Attendant (at the service counter), the Dining Room Attendant, and the Chef downstairs (who is empowered with an improved kitchen that far exceeds the pitiful facilities of the Amfleet II Diner-Lite).
Amtrak advertises early boarding in Chicago for dinner service before departure. However, boarding last night did not start until 7:30 PM (30 minutes ahead of departure), and the Diner-Lounge was not open for dinner service until ten minutes after departure.
When I finally did get to eat dinner in the CCC, it exceeded my expectations. While the Attendant had sole responsibility for the entire “dining room” half of the car, she was friendly and attentive. The Vegetable Lasagna was by far the best pasta dish I ever had on Amtrak. The large portion was clearly was prepared in a proper manner, with just the right amount of time in the oven, a generous topping of parmesan cheese and cilantro, and a bountiful bed of fresh mixed greens underneath. The latter aspect nearly made up for the fact that there were no complimentary salads or rolls included with dinner. The Riesling by the glass was a welcome feature, and the Red Velvet Cake was a wonderful dessert.
Breakfast was also excellent. The Scrambled Eggs were fluffy, the potatoes were richly seasoned, and the croissant was warm but not gummy. The casing of the chicken apple sausage was a bit hard, but the inside was still juicy.
Lunch was a major disappointment. I had the Memphis BBQ Pizza, which looked good at another table. But mine came out with the outer crust as hard as a rock, literally inedible (I felt like I was going to injure my teeth as I tried to bite into it). Yet, despite the apparent overzealous preparation, the pizza was not even hot. With a butter knife, I worked hard to cut around the crust to eat the rest. The ingredients were tasty, but the preparation was lousy.
I did greatly enjoy the Bread Pudding, which was served at a warmer temperature than the pizza and had a soft filling of spiced apple, bread, and raisins, and a brandy sauce topping.
Also, the Attendant is to be lauded for serving me Canada Dry club soda when virtually no Amtrak LSAs or attendants have been willing to serve me my favorite beverage without requiring me to purchase liquor as well.
Despite my relative approval of the food served in the CCC, it is clear that the Superliner Diner-Lounge does not provide sufficient capacity during peak meal periods, in that the dining room section consumes far more than half of the seating capacity. This leaves just four few booths near the service counter for coach and non-meal passengers to mingle and enjoy lounge facilities (see above photo). I observed such a “crunch” even on this off-peak, midweek train, it seems clear that a second lounge car is needed during heavy travel days. For lunch I was seated with two brothers who were traveling for one of their birthdays and were disappointed that the Sightseer Lounge experience is no more.
There also remain design flaws in both types of seating in the Diner-Lounges; the more traditional booths seem to have too much room between the seats and the tables. While this solves the problem for customers of size who don’t enjoy the tight squeeze in regular dining cars, I think that this design represents overcompensation. I literally had to strain my back or be rude and put my elbows on the table in order to reach my food. The half-moon tables can also be awkward for parties of more than two and detract from sightseeing. Indeed, I observed pax in those seats turning sideways to look out the windows.
Display case in front of the café counter.
I noticed other bugs that need to be corrected. While traveling at track speed north of Hazelhurst, MS, the train hit a rough spot that caused several beverages and at least one plate to fly off the tables in the Diner-Lounge and onto the floor, with many more saved by pax with quick reflexes. I noted that the table surfaces have no traction and that tablecloths are not used in the Diner-Lounges. Tablecloths might very well have prevented this incident.
I also observed a crew member knock over the vase of fake flowers in the middle centerpiece of the half-moon tables; the “flowers” protrude into the aisle from most of these tables. The employee said, “This happens all the time. They should remove these!”
Amtrak is probably making a good-faith effort to improve service along this route without harming the short-term bottom line, but there are major glitches that must be addressed before the concept of a combined food service car can be expanded to other routes. Click here for more photos of the interior of a Diner-Lounge.
--Matthew Melzer
Posted by NARP
Tags: amtrak, city of new orleans, cross-country cafe, food service,CBS Evening News: “Train Travel On The Rise”
Monday, February 11, 2008
In this piece from last night’s CBS Evening News Sunday, correspondent Michelle Miller highlights the inherent advantages of train travel, and Amtrak’s ongoing funding challenges. Amtrak President and CEO Alex Kummant says he feels Amtrak could grow ridership “between 50 and 100 percent in the next 15 years.” This story mainly focuses on the Northeast Corridor (and cites NARP-provided on-time performance statistics for inside and outside of the Corridor). But Amtrak services must continue to grow across the country to sustain the continuing renaissance that has made trains more widely accepted and popular than they have been in decades. Amtrak is a national system and needs to grow more relevant and useful on a systemwide basis.
--Matthew Melzer
Posted by NARP
Tags: amtrak, news media,Railroads and our National Parks
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Amy Jewel at Triplepundit has penned a fantastic, brief history illustrating the role that railroads had in securing the establishment of the National Park Service. While she rightly pointed out that Amtrak remains a key (and environmentally friendly) link to many National Parks, Amtrak and the NPS continue to promote awareness of the importance of National Parks and their connection to railroads through the Trails & Rails narrative guide program.
--Matthew Melzer
Posted by NARP
Tags: amtrak, environmentalism, national park service, trails & rails,Malaise in the Airline Industry: Safety, Fuel, and the Economy
Thursday, April 10, 2008
This lead in today’s Financial Times says it all:
Chaos gripped US airports for a third straight day on Thursday as the government’s top transportation watchdog called for changes to airline safety oversight, citing an “overly collaborative” relationship between airlines and their regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration.
Calvin Scovel III, the US transportation department’s inspector general, made his comments before Congress as American Airlines cancelled 900 flights to perform safety checks, stranding thousands of air passengers.
American has canceled over 2,400 flights and counting this week due to potentially faulty wiring in its MD-80s, which comprise one-third of its fleet and form the backbone of its medium-haul domestic fleet. At least 250,000 passengers have been affected, far more than when Southwest Airlines grounded dozens of 737s last week. Disruptions are afflicting other airlines as well, and further groundings are likely as the FAA responds to the harsh light being shone on its inspection standards.
On Tuesday, Jon Stewart of The Daily Show responded aptly:
Stewart’s money quote:
It’s all sort of ironic, when you think about it. When you fly, you are inspected quite thoroughly, whereas the plane itself is, perhaps, occasionally vacuumed. See, with this administration, if a passenger blows up a plane, it’s a failure in the War on Terror. But if the plane just blows up on its own, eh, that’s the market self-regulating!
Yes, that’s hyperbole (Jon Stewart is a comedian). But if the aviation system is generally safe, why on earth would federal regulators start down the dangerous slippery slope of cutting corners, glossing over potential problems, and creating the appearance of impropriety in dealing with the airlines they’re supposed to regulate?
Meanwhile, external economic factors have eviscerated the viability of several airlines, while many survivors are trimming their capacity (for more coverage, see last week’s Hotline). Yesterday oil prices (Nymex West Texas Intermediate) surged to a record $112.15 a barrel before settling at $110.87, even though US demand over the past four weeks was 0.4% below the same period a year ago. Oil was $52 a barrel in January 2007. Here is a quick list of airlines that are now history, a list that is bound to grow:
December 26, 2007 – Maxjet Airways (offering London-USA business class service) files for bankruptcy protection
March 31, 2008 – Aloha Airlines ends passenger services after more than 60 years
March 31, 2008 – Champion Air (Minneapolis-based charter operator) announces flights will end from May 31
April 3, 2008 – ATA Airlines ends service, files for bankruptcy protection
April 5, 2008 – Skybus, start-up low-cost carrier which had 65 new Airbus A319 jets on order, ends service
April 9, 2008 – Oasis Hong Kong, budget carrier, ends service after 17 months
So far, Amtrak revenues do not appear to have been hurt by the economic downturn (or recession), and fuel prices probably are driving some business to Amtrak. This will likely hasten as airlines are forced to raise fares and further reduce capacity to stay in the black.
Intrepid blogger Aaron Donovan has noted that passengers trapped in the current nightmare at American’s hub at O’Hare have the option of Amtrak’s hub at Chicago Union Station, an easy ride away on the CTA Blue Line. Even taking a leisurely-paced long-distance train would be a faster option for many people than waiting for the next available flight, whenever that might be. And some passengers are indeed taking advantage of the train option.
[Amtrak spokeswoman Tracy] Connell says ridership has gone through the roof out of the Chicago area because of all the cancellations at O’Hare Airport. Some of its trains have seen up to a 60 percent boost in riders.
Amtrak has seen a spike in passengers since the flight cancellations began earlier in the week, especially in the Northeast, spokesman Cliff Cole said.
“Our ridership was heavy yesterday, is heavy today and is likely to be heavy tomorrow, based on our reservations,” Cole said Thursday.
Once again, Amtrak is proving its value and relevance by providing redundancy in a fragile transportation system.
--Matthew Melzer
Posted by NARP
Tags: air travel, airlines, amtrak, multimodalism, news media, oil, safety, the daily show,NARP on NBC Nightly News
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
NARP Executive Director Ross Capon made an appearance last night on a segment of NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams regarding Amtrak’s increasing popularity, prospects for expansion, and funding and operational challenges. The soundbite from Capon notes, “To get trains, it takes time, it takes money, and it takes political commitment.” While correspondent Tom Costello misses some technical details (such as saying that Amtrak’s diesel “trains” are 33 years old on average, without specifying which components), he highlights an issue of great national importance as the Nightly News continues its series on America’s infrastructure problems.
--Matthew Melzer
Posted by NARP
Tags: amtrak, brian williams, capon, narp on the air, nbc nightly news, news media, tom costello,©2006 National Association of Railroad Passengers | » NARP website
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