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{ 2005 12 19 }

This Week at Amtrak 2005-12-19

  1. Last week’s TWA stirred up some mail, including this note from Amtrak’s best chef, west of Chicago, a 30 year veteran of Amtrak:

    “Bruce, what everyone seems to forget is that Amtrak has already tried the airline food in the 80’s…and it failed miserably. When I say miserably I mean total failure. No one would eat in the Diner. The food was horrible and the portions were way too small. The passengers hated it. The Chefs had difficulty preparing the food correctly because it was sealed in foil and testing for proper temps was difficult (unless you want a thermometer hole in your food). For the Coaches the prices were way too high, especially for the portions they were getting. It was for me the most embarrassing time in my career. I didn’t even want people to see me on the way to the Dorm for the shame I felt, feeding those people that garbage for the DAYS of train travel not the HOURS of plane travel.

    “s there no way to stop this foolishness, this downward spiral we seem to be committed to? AAGGGGHHHH!!! I’M DROWNING IN THE STUPIDITY!

    “Signed,

    “Glad To Have 30 Years”

    It’s true, those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. The same is true for corporations; those that don’t rely on institutional memory are doomed to repeat mistakes and failures.

  2. There is a tiny ray of sunshine in all of this diner fiasco in the making. For reservation agents and travel agents, Amtrak put in its computer information system last week some details on the new pre-plated meals it’s starting now (not February 2006), just on the City of New Orleans and Texas Eagle. At least the use of real dishes, glasses and stainless steel flatware will continue, along with tablecloths and cloth napkins. Here are the details, provided directly from the online listing:
    TEXAS EAGLE AND CITY OF NEW ORLEANS MENUS

TRAINS 21/22, THE TEXAS EAGLE, TRAINS 58/59, THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, AND
THE PORTION OF TRAINS 421/422 BETWEEN CHICAGO AND SAN ANTONIO, NOW HAVE A
DIFFERENT MENU THAN THE REST OF THE LONG DISTANCE TRAINS.

MEALS, PREPARED OFF THE TRAIN, ARE SERVED ON CHINA WITH CHINA CUPS,
GLASSWARE, AND STAINLESS STEEL FLATWARE.

TRAINS 21, 22, 58, 59, 421, 422

THESE TRAINS SERVE PREPLATED MEALS IN THE DINING CAR, AND USE THE MENU
[below] ... , NOT THE REGULAR DINING CAR MENUS.

THERE ARE TWO CYCLES, ONE FOR EACH TRAIN SET NOTED.

... ALTHOUGH THE MEALS ARE PREPARED OFF THE TRAIN, THEY ARE SERVED ON
CHINA. BEVERAGES ARE IN CHINA CUPS OR IN GLASSES, AND REGULAR STAINLESS
STEEL FLATWARE IS USED. CLOTH NAPKINS ARE PROVIDED, AND THERE ARE
TABLECLOTHS.

BREAKFAST - TRAINS 21, 59, 421 CHI-SAS

WESTERN OMELET, PORK SAUSAGE, BREAKFAST POTATOES .... 10.00
SOUTHWESTERN QUICHE WITH CORNED BEEF HASH ........... 10.00
FRENCH TOAST, SYRUP, HAM STEAK ...................... 10.00
RICE KRISPIES, RAISIN BRAN CRUNCH OR CORN FLAKES; CUT FRUIT, CROISSANT,
YOGURT (STRWBRY OR BLUBRY) .. 6.75

BREAKFAST - TRAINS 22, 58, 422 SAS-CHI

SOUTHWESTERN OMELET, SAUSAGE, BREAKFAST POTATOES .... 10.00
THREE CHEESE QUICHE WITH CORNED BEEF HASH ........... 10.00
FRENCH TOAST, SYRUP, HAM STEAK ...................... 10.00
RICE KRISPIES, RAISIN BRAN CRUNCH OR CORN FLAKES;
CUT FRUIT, CROISSANT, YOGURT (STRWBRY OR BLUBRY) .... 6.75
INCLUDED: COFFEE, TEA OR MILK, AND JUICE (ORANGE, APPLE OR CRANBERRY).

LUNCH - TRAINS 21, 59, 421 CHI-SAS

ANGUS CHEESEBURGER, CHIPS, PICKLE SPEAR ............. 7.00
SANDWICH (SERVER WILL DESCRIBE), CHIPS, PICKLE ...... 7.25
BARBECUE CHICKEN, POTATO WEDGES, CORN, SALAD ........ 12.00
ADD HOT SOUP (MINESTRONE OR CHICKEN NOODLE) ......... 4.00

LUNCH - TRAINS 22, 58, 422 SAS-CHI

ANGUS CHEESEBURGER, CHIPS, PICKLE SPEAR ............. 7.00
SANDWICH (SERVER WILL DESCRIBE), CHIPS, PICKLE ...... 7.25
POT ROAST, REDSKIN POTATOES, CORN, SALAD ............ 12.00
ADD HOT SOUP (MINESTRONE OR CHICKEN NOODLE) ......... 4.00
INCLUDED: COFFEE, TEA OR MILK.
BEVERAGES AND DESSERTS - SEE BELOW

DINNER - TRAINS 21, 59, 421 CHI-SAS

BRAISED BEEF, MASHED REDSKIN POTATOES, CARROTS ...... 18.00
CHICKEN PARMESAN, ROAST POTATOES, GREEN BEANS ....... 17.50
BASIL/THYME COD FILLETS, RICE PILAF, BEAN MEDLEY .... 16.50
CHEESE TORTELLINI, ALFREDO SAUCE, BROCCOLI .......... 11.00
EVENING SPECIAL - SERVER WILL DESCRIBE .............. 12.50

DINNER - TRAINS 22, 58, 422 SAS-CHI

BEEF TENDERLOINS, ROASTED POTATOES, BROCCOLI ........ 18.00
LAMB SHANK, RICE PILAF, BEAN MEDLEY ................. 17.50
SALMON FILLET, MASHED REDSKIN POTATOES, GREEN BEANS . 16.50
GNOCCHI - PASTA ROUNDS, MARINARA SAUCE, CARROTS...... 11.00
EVENING SPECIAL - SERVER WILL DESCRIBE .............. 12.50
INCLUDED: COFFEE, TEA OR MILK; GREEN SALAD; ROLL, BUTTER.
BEVERAGES AND DESSERTS - SEE BELOW

LUNCH AND DINNER BEVERAGES

SOFT DRINKS ......................................... 1.75
BOTTLED WATER ....................................... 2.00
BEER: BUDWEISER, BUD LITE, MILLER GENUINE DRAFT .... 4.25
BEER: HEINEKEN, CORONA, SAMUEL ADAMS ............... 5.25
RED WINE: MERLOT OR CABERNET SAUVIGNON, 375 ML ..... 12.00
WHITE WINE: CHARDONNAY OR PINOT GRIGIO, 375 ML ..... 12.00

LUNCH AND DINNER DESSERTS

MISSISSIPPI MUD CAKE (21, 59, 421) .................. 5.00
CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE (22, 58, 422) .................. 5.00
NEW YORK STYLE CHEESECAKE (ALL) ..................... 3.75
FRUIT (CANTALOUPE, ORANGE, HONEYDEW, PINEAPPLE,
SEEDLESS RED GRAPES) (ALL) .......................... 3.50

    It appears that while Amtrak is offering an allegedly less expensive to prepare meal, the prices for passengers have not dropped appreciably. Dinner for a family of four in the dining car can still easily run in the $75 to $100 range, plus tip. Prices are more than steep for breakfast and lunch, when you consider the average price of an Amtrak ticket is just $50.15.

  3. Here is what one anonymous Caltrans official had to say about long distance menus mimicking those found on corridor trains, such as the San Joaquins in California:

    “… I think the pre-plated meals we have on the San Joaquins work on a corridor service like the San Joaquins. But the customers on a long distance train expect a higher level of service and will not ride the trains if they’re given something less than what is provided now. To me, the tragedy of this is that Amtrak is taking these steps not in response to market demand, but to what they see as political survival. The arguments that say food service is a failure are as specious as the ones that say Amtrak is a failure. Our measures of success are just all out of whack.”

  4. We know from Amtrak’s own figures that for FY 2004, the last year audited figures are available for, the company took in $80,394,000 for gross food and beverage sales. That means, according to US DOT Inspector General Kenneth Mead, that it cost Amtrak over $160,000,000 to run its food service. Something is not right, here. The vast majority of Amtrak’s food and beverage revenue comes from lounge and cafe cars, not diners, simply because there are so few dining cars left on Amtrak.Most cafe and lounge cars are staffed by one employee per trip. We know that looking at Amtrak’s individual item food costs (such as what Amtrak pays for a candy bar or prepackaged sandwich for resale) its costs are well in line with restaurant industry standards, plus, in some cases, below restaurant wholesale costs due to national bulk purchasing. So, why the problem? Amtrak food and beverage service doesn’t have standard restaurant overhead like rent, electricity, telephone, garbage service, and other normal expenses. It does have cost of food, employee costs (many of which are high, but not so high they can’t be dealt with), cost of use of a lounge or diner, and dormitory space on trains for food service crews, central commissary costs, plus normal corporate overhead.

    But, still, why does IG Mead believe that Amtrak spends $2.00 for every $1.00 it receives in food and beverage revenues? The only figures Mr. Mead has to work from are Amtrak’s internal figures. The question begs, what other costs are Amtrak piling onto the food and beverage costs? Are there disproportionate headquarters overhead costs? The Amtrak dining car department administrative staff has been drastically reduced to a mere skeleton of what it once was. There are no excess employees working on trains. Commissary costs are allegedly now under control. Food and beverages sold by Amtrak are sold at premium prices, certainly not at Wal-Mart discounts. Also, some lounge and cafe cars are paid for through reimbursement of state monies, so those operations must be at least break even or at a slight profit. Where is the problem?

    It’s likely we will never know under Amtrak’s current accounting system. What we do know is that if Amtrak treated its dining and lounge car operations as a separate cost and profit center (there’s that “profit” word again), most likely everyone would know the true costs and profits of Amtrak food service. Until we do know these answers, there will be three victims. The most obvious victim will be the passengers, who will be attempting to survive on Amtrak long distance trains on limited pre-plated menus with few choices. Another set of victims will be Amtrak food and beverage employees who are losing their jobs because people they work for can’t figure out simple business economics. And, the third victim will be Amtrak, because it will ultimately be yet, again, running off passengers who produce lifeblood revenues. And, don’t forget the American taxpayers, who will also be footing the bill for more Amtrak annual free federal monies because someone at Amtrak forgot to check the institutional memory and figure out that all of this had been tried before, unsuccessfully.

  5. Oops. In a rash moment last week in TWA, we incorrectly identified train no. 347, the Illinois Zephyr as the Illini. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.
  6. If you’re a Christmas holiday traveler on Amtrak this year, make sure you’re properly prepared for the occasion. Savvy Amtrak travelers never leave home without the following items: Since you can never completely depend on the locomotive’s head end power for heat and lights and hotel services, make sure you dress warmly in layers, and take a flashlight. Power and lights may be out for a few minutes or hours at a time throughout the train, including the dining car where the power is necessary to cook and/or reheat meals. Take along a roll of sturdy duct tape; the handyman’s and Amtrak mechanical forces’ best friend. There are a million uses for it, from stopping annoying rattles to replacing window drape sashes. The most useful tool is one of those all-in-one screwdrivers and pliers combination. There can be lots of loose screws and bolts. Consider taking something along to file down oddly placed rough services that may catch clothing.A well-prepared traveler is a happy traveler.
  7. There always seems to be an ongoing whine from Amtrak apologists and cultists regarding modal envy. They gnash their teeth over the fact that airlines, cars, trucks, and waterways receive billions in alleged federal aid, while Amtrak is the poor cousin that receives scraps. This discussion became tedious years ago.Modal envy is just that - silly envy. If Amtrak is operated properly as the current board of directors seems intent on doing, then huge amounts of free federal monies are not necessary. Why whine for more money, when you can be mostly self-supporting? Yes, the socialists, even more tedious than the Amtrak apologists and cultists, up the ante whine by saying, “ALL passenger railroads in the world are government funded! Why not Amtrak, too?” Perhaps the best answer is the one your mother used to tell you, that if everyone else is jumping off of a cliff, should you do that, too?

    Why is there no faith in the free enterprise and free market system? Why is there this bizarre belief that just because there was once a problem with profitable passenger rail over three decades ago in a time of great transportation turmoil, there is a problem today? Why, in the days before the Eisenhower administration, when railroad union costs were proportionally higher than today, work rules were much less flexible, and there were few if any labor saving and cost saving devices like facsimile machines, computers, cell phones, and a host of other modern money saving inventions, is there the belief that passenger railroads, if operating competently, can’t be successful?

    Keep in mind that in a time when the passenger trains were profitable, there were many money-losing branch line, commuter, and local service passenger operations that drained profits away from the main line streamliners. Yet, passenger operations still made money, and not just in isolated parts of the country.

    So, with a better and better educated business leadership cadre today, streamlined operations, modern conveniences, and so much more, what rule is there that passenger trains are required to lose money and be run by often the most inefficient group of people on the earth - government employees?

    Back to the modal envy argument; smart people, instead of envying what free federal monies other modes of transportation receive, should, perhaps, put their energy into trying to figure out how to end the subsidies to other modes instead of whining about how Amtrak is allegedly left out in the cold.

  8. One clear thinking TWA correspondent who uses New York state’s Amtrak Empire service as his means of commuting to and from work in New York City wrote to ask why, if so many Amtrak trains were packed to the gills with passengers that were often hanging from the rooftops, were these trains not profitable? And, he went on to ask, wouldn’t Amtrak be in much better shape if it owned more track, so it could control the timeliness of its train service?Two good questions. First, most trains which the gentleman is referring to are set up as commuter trains, which have a higher value to each revenue passenger mile, sometimes twice as high as RPM values on long distance trains. The simple answer is that the way passenger train operations work, even with double value RPMs, and a high number of passengers, these two factors still do not generate enough revenue to cover the cost of running the trains on a frequent or non-frequent basis. Short distance trains have always been money losers, such as the New Haven Railroad passenger operations of yore, and the Pennsylvania Railroad NEC operations between New York City and Washington. The same reasons the NEC is in trouble today, from Boston to Washington, are the same reasons the New Haven and Pennsylvania both eventually ended up in bankruptcy and eventually folded into a profitable Conrail, sans the passenger operations (the reasons for the bankruptcy of the two lines are myriad and complex, but the short distance passenger operations were major contributors to the problems).

    As far as ownership of track is concerned, take a page from the airlines, truckers, and steamship companies. They are more than glad they don’t own the airways, roads, or waterways, but pay user frees, either through airport landing fees, vehicle license tags, or docking and lock use fees. Owning infrastructure is expensive to acquire, even more expensive to maintain, and brings a host of related problems. Amtrak is ALWAYS better off as a tenant than an owner, even for station and terminal properties.

  9. From a reader in New York to a reader in Northern California, the comments keep coming. One hobbyist that is still trying to understand the big picture of Amtrak nationally and in California, commented that it shouldn’t matter what California financially supported trains do about their fare levels, since it is California’s money, it’s California’s choice.This narrow, parochial view causes a number of problems. Last week, we talked about fare elasticity, the value of revenue passenger miles (the only legitimate measure of common carrier success or failure), and the average Amtrak ticket price.

    As long as any train is part of the Amtrak system, and its financial results are reported as part of the national system, such as all of the California corridor services, then the fare structure is important to the entire national system. Low, giveaway discount fares, designed just to attract warm bodies to trains to increase the passenger count, hurt the entire system financial results, which in turn, makes Amtrak weaker financially in the eyes of those who measure its success from a financial standpoint (everyone but socialists use this measure). If Amtrak is ever going to become more self-reliant, then it must be financially responsible in all areas. Amtrak, contrary to the thoughts of many ill-informed people, is not a social program, and the only problem the company is tasked to solve is that of providing reliable passenger transportation; it is not a federal jobs program, it is not a commuter service, and it is not designed to be a discount service for grandmothers and scout troops. It was designed to be a business, and it must act like a business. Transit agencies are designed to do all of the other things so many people wrongly want Amtrak to do today.

  10. Much to the relief of Amtrak apologists and cultists, this is the last TWA of the year. We will return in early January.On Christmas Day, the day we celebrate the birth of Christ, Amtrak in most parts of the country will have a clear railroad, as most freight operations will be suspended for the holiday. However, all Amtrak trains, stations, commissaries, reservation centers, and many other areas will be fully staffed that day so anyone who wishes to travel may do so. We thank each and every Amtrak employee who will give up their holiday to provide a service to others. And, we thank those freight railroad dispatchers and others who will also be working, just to accommodate Amtrak trains.

    URPA’s Christmas wish list is short, and simple: more long distance trains to more places; the understanding that corridors are an adjunct to the national system, and not more important than the national system; a healthy and robust Amtrak system; an Amtrak Board of Directors with a full complement of members; a dynamic new Amtrak President and CEO who will have the vision to lead the company to greatness; and a coming year in which not every news story about Amtrak will begin with “the perpetually troubled passenger railroad …”.

    Thank you Amtrak Chairman of the Board David Laney for your good work this year, and thank you Acting President David Hughes for taking the company reins during this time of transition. Amtrak, and the American taxpayers, are fortunate to have the services of both of these gentlemen.

    To all a Merry Christmas, and to all a Good Night.

  1. Last week’s TWA stirred up some mail, including this note from Amtrak’s best chef, west of Chicago, a 30 year veteran of Amtrak:

    “Bruce, what everyone seems to forget is that Amtrak has already tried the airline food in the 80’s…and it failed miserably. When I say miserably I mean total failure. No one would eat in the Diner. The food was horrible and the portions were way too small. The passengers hated it. The Chefs had difficulty preparing the food correctly because it was sealed in foil and testing for proper temps was difficult (unless you want a thermometer hole in your food). For the Coaches the prices were way too high, especially for the portions they were getting. It was for me the most embarrassing time in my career. I didn’t even want people to see me on the way to the Dorm for the shame I felt, feeding those people that garbage for the DAYS of train travel not the HOURS of plane travel.

    “s there no way to stop this foolishness, this downward spiral we seem to be committed to? AAGGGGHHHH!!! I’M DROWNING IN THE STUPIDITY!

    “Signed,

    “Glad To Have 30 Years”

    It’s true, those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. The same is true for corporations; those that don’t rely on institutional memory are doomed to repeat mistakes and failures.

  2. There is a tiny ray of sunshine in all of this diner fiasco in the making. For reservation agents and travel agents, Amtrak put in its computer information system last week some details on the new pre-plated meals it’s starting now (not February 2006), just on the City of New Orleans and Texas Eagle. At least the use of real dishes, glasses and stainless steel flatware will continue, along with tablecloths and cloth napkins. Here are the details, provided directly from the online listing:
    TEXAS EAGLE AND CITY OF NEW ORLEANS MENUS

TRAINS 21/22, THE TEXAS EAGLE, TRAINS 58/59, THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, AND
THE PORTION OF TRAINS 421/422 BETWEEN CHICAGO AND SAN ANTONIO, NOW HAVE A
DIFFERENT MENU THAN THE REST OF THE LONG DISTANCE TRAINS.

MEALS, PREPARED OFF THE TRAIN, ARE SERVED ON CHINA WITH CHINA CUPS,
GLASSWARE, AND STAINLESS STEEL FLATWARE.

TRAINS 21, 22, 58, 59, 421, 422

THESE TRAINS SERVE PREPLATED MEALS IN THE DINING CAR, AND USE THE MENU
[below] ... , NOT THE REGULAR DINING CAR MENUS.

THERE ARE TWO CYCLES, ONE FOR EACH TRAIN SET NOTED.

... ALTHOUGH THE MEALS ARE PREPARED OFF THE TRAIN, THEY ARE SERVED ON
CHINA. BEVERAGES ARE IN CHINA CUPS OR IN GLASSES, AND REGULAR STAINLESS
STEEL FLATWARE IS USED. CLOTH NAPKINS ARE PROVIDED, AND THERE ARE
TABLECLOTHS.

BREAKFAST - TRAINS 21, 59, 421 CHI-SAS

WESTERN OMELET, PORK SAUSAGE, BREAKFAST POTATOES .... 10.00
SOUTHWESTERN QUICHE WITH CORNED BEEF HASH ........... 10.00
FRENCH TOAST, SYRUP, HAM STEAK ...................... 10.00
RICE KRISPIES, RAISIN BRAN CRUNCH OR CORN FLAKES; CUT FRUIT, CROISSANT,
YOGURT (STRWBRY OR BLUBRY) .. 6.75

BREAKFAST - TRAINS 22, 58, 422 SAS-CHI

SOUTHWESTERN OMELET, SAUSAGE, BREAKFAST POTATOES .... 10.00
THREE CHEESE QUICHE WITH CORNED BEEF HASH ........... 10.00
FRENCH TOAST, SYRUP, HAM STEAK ...................... 10.00
RICE KRISPIES, RAISIN BRAN CRUNCH OR CORN FLAKES;
CUT FRUIT, CROISSANT, YOGURT (STRWBRY OR BLUBRY) .... 6.75
INCLUDED: COFFEE, TEA OR MILK, AND JUICE (ORANGE, APPLE OR CRANBERRY).

LUNCH - TRAINS 21, 59, 421 CHI-SAS

ANGUS CHEESEBURGER, CHIPS, PICKLE SPEAR ............. 7.00
SANDWICH (SERVER WILL DESCRIBE), CHIPS, PICKLE ...... 7.25
BARBECUE CHICKEN, POTATO WEDGES, CORN, SALAD ........ 12.00
ADD HOT SOUP (MINESTRONE OR CHICKEN NOODLE) ......... 4.00

LUNCH - TRAINS 22, 58, 422 SAS-CHI

ANGUS CHEESEBURGER, CHIPS, PICKLE SPEAR ............. 7.00
SANDWICH (SERVER WILL DESCRIBE), CHIPS, PICKLE ...... 7.25
POT ROAST, REDSKIN POTATOES, CORN, SALAD ............ 12.00
ADD HOT SOUP (MINESTRONE OR CHICKEN NOODLE) ......... 4.00
INCLUDED: COFFEE, TEA OR MILK.
BEVERAGES AND DESSERTS - SEE BELOW

DINNER - TRAINS 21, 59, 421 CHI-SAS

BRAISED BEEF, MASHED REDSKIN POTATOES, CARROTS ...... 18.00
CHICKEN PARMESAN, ROAST POTATOES, GREEN BEANS ....... 17.50
BASIL/THYME COD FILLETS, RICE PILAF, BEAN MEDLEY .... 16.50
CHEESE TORTELLINI, ALFREDO SAUCE, BROCCOLI .......... 11.00
EVENING SPECIAL - SERVER WILL DESCRIBE .............. 12.50

DINNER - TRAINS 22, 58, 422 SAS-CHI

BEEF TENDERLOINS, ROASTED POTATOES, BROCCOLI ........ 18.00
LAMB SHANK, RICE PILAF, BEAN MEDLEY ................. 17.50
SALMON FILLET, MASHED REDSKIN POTATOES, GREEN BEANS . 16.50
GNOCCHI - PASTA ROUNDS, MARINARA SAUCE, CARROTS...... 11.00
EVENING SPECIAL - SERVER WILL DESCRIBE .............. 12.50
INCLUDED: COFFEE, TEA OR MILK; GREEN SALAD; ROLL, BUTTER.
BEVERAGES AND DESSERTS - SEE BELOW

LUNCH AND DINNER BEVERAGES

SOFT DRINKS ......................................... 1.75
BOTTLED WATER ....................................... 2.00
BEER: BUDWEISER, BUD LITE, MILLER GENUINE DRAFT .... 4.25
BEER: HEINEKEN, CORONA, SAMUEL ADAMS ............... 5.25
RED WINE: MERLOT OR CABERNET SAUVIGNON, 375 ML ..... 12.00
WHITE WINE: CHARDONNAY OR PINOT GRIGIO, 375 ML ..... 12.00

LUNCH AND DINNER DESSERTS

MISSISSIPPI MUD CAKE (21, 59, 421) .................. 5.00
CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE (22, 58, 422) .................. 5.00
NEW YORK STYLE CHEESECAKE (ALL) ..................... 3.75
FRUIT (CANTALOUPE, ORANGE, HONEYDEW, PINEAPPLE,
SEEDLESS RED GRAPES) (ALL) .......................... 3.50

    It appears that while Amtrak is offering an allegedly less expensive to prepare meal, the prices for passengers have not dropped appreciably. Dinner for a family of four in the dining car can still easily run in the $75 to $100 range, plus tip. Prices are more than steep for breakfast and lunch, when you consider the average price of an Amtrak ticket is just $50.15.

  3. Here is what one anonymous Caltrans official had to say about long distance menus mimicking those found on corridor trains, such as the San Joaquins in California:

    “… I think the pre-plated meals we have on the San Joaquins work on a corridor service like the San Joaquins. But the customers on a long distance train expect a higher level of service and will not ride the trains if they’re given something less than what is provided now. To me, the tragedy of this is that Amtrak is taking these steps not in response to market demand, but to what they see as political survival. The arguments that say food service is a failure are as specious as the ones that say Amtrak is a failure. Our measures of success are just all out of whack.”

  4. We know from Amtrak’s own figures that for FY 2004, the last year audited figures are available for, the company took in $80,394,000 for gross food and beverage sales. That means, according to US DOT Inspector General Kenneth Mead, that it cost Amtrak over $160,000,000 to run its food service. Something is not right, here. The vast majority of Amtrak’s food and beverage revenue comes from lounge and cafe cars, not diners, simply because there are so few dining cars left on Amtrak.Most cafe and lounge cars are staffed by one employee per trip. We know that looking at Amtrak’s individual item food costs (such as what Amtrak pays for a candy bar or prepackaged sandwich for resale) its costs are well in line with restaurant industry standards, plus, in some cases, below restaurant wholesale costs due to national bulk purchasing. So, why the problem? Amtrak food and beverage service doesn’t have standard restaurant overhead like rent, electricity, telephone, garbage service, and other normal expenses. It does have cost of food, employee costs (many of which are high, but not so high they can’t be dealt with), cost of use of a lounge or diner, and dormitory space on trains for food service crews, central commissary costs, plus normal corporate overhead.

    But, still, why does IG Mead believe that Amtrak spends $2.00 for every $1.00 it receives in food and beverage revenues? The only figures Mr. Mead has to work from are Amtrak’s internal figures. The question begs, what other costs are Amtrak piling onto the food and beverage costs? Are there disproportionate headquarters overhead costs? The Amtrak dining car department administrative staff has been drastically reduced to a mere skeleton of what it once was. There are no excess employees working on trains. Commissary costs are allegedly now under control. Food and beverages sold by Amtrak are sold at premium prices, certainly not at Wal-Mart discounts. Also, some lounge and cafe cars are paid for through reimbursement of state monies, so those operations must be at least break even or at a slight profit. Where is the problem?

    It’s likely we will never know under Amtrak’s current accounting system. What we do know is that if Amtrak treated its dining and lounge car operations as a separate cost and profit center (there’s that “profit” word again), most likely everyone would know the true costs and profits of Amtrak food service. Until we do know these answers, there will be three victims. The most obvious victim will be the passengers, who will be attempting to survive on Amtrak long distance trains on limited pre-plated menus with few choices. Another set of victims will be Amtrak food and beverage employees who are losing their jobs because people they work for can’t figure out simple business economics. And, the third victim will be Amtrak, because it will ultimately be yet, again, running off passengers who produce lifeblood revenues. And, don’t forget the American taxpayers, who will also be footing the bill for more Amtrak annual free federal monies because someone at Amtrak forgot to check the institutional memory and figure out that all of this had been tried before, unsuccessfully.

  5. Oops. In a rash moment last week in TWA, we incorrectly identified train no. 347, the Illinois Zephyr as the Illini. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.
  6. If you’re a Christmas holiday traveler on Amtrak this year, make sure you’re properly prepared for the occasion. Savvy Amtrak travelers never leave home without the following items: Since you can never completely depend on the locomotive’s head end power for heat and lights and hotel services, make sure you dress warmly in layers, and take a flashlight. Power and lights may be out for a few minutes or hours at a time throughout the train, including the dining car where the power is necessary to cook and/or reheat meals. Take along a roll of sturdy duct tape; the handyman’s and Amtrak mechanical forces’ best friend. There are a million uses for it, from stopping annoying rattles to replacing window drape sashes. The most useful tool is one of those all-in-one screwdrivers and pliers combination. There can be lots of loose screws and bolts. Consider taking something along to file down oddly placed rough services that may catch clothing.A well-prepared traveler is a happy traveler.
  7. There always seems to be an ongoing whine from Amtrak apologists and cultists regarding modal envy. They gnash their teeth over the fact that airlines, cars, trucks, and waterways receive billions in alleged federal aid, while Amtrak is the poor cousin that receives scraps. This discussion became tedious years ago.Modal envy is just that - silly envy. If Amtrak is operated properly as the current board of directors seems intent on doing, then huge amounts of free federal monies are not necessary. Why whine for more money, when you can be mostly self-supporting? Yes, the socialists, even more tedious than the Amtrak apologists and cultists, up the ante whine by saying, “ALL passenger railroads in the world are government funded! Why not Amtrak, too?” Perhaps the best answer is the one your mother used to tell you, that if everyone else is jumping off of a cliff, should you do that, too?

    Why is there no faith in the free enterprise and free market system? Why is there this bizarre belief that just because there was once a problem with profitable passenger rail over three decades ago in a time of great transportation turmoil, there is a problem today? Why, in the days before the Eisenhower administration, when railroad union costs were proportionally higher than today, work rules were much less flexible, and there were few if any labor saving and cost saving devices like facsimile machines, computers, cell phones, and a host of other modern money saving inventions, is there the belief that passenger railroads, if operating competently, can’t be successful?

    Keep in mind that in a time when the passenger trains were profitable, there were many money-losing branch line, commuter, and local service passenger operations that drained profits away from the main line streamliners. Yet, passenger operations still made money, and not just in isolated parts of the country.

    So, with a better and better educated business leadership cadre today, streamlined operations, modern conveniences, and so much more, what rule is there that passenger trains are required to lose money and be run by often the most inefficient group of people on the earth - government employees?

    Back to the modal envy argument; smart people, instead of envying what free federal monies other modes of transportation receive, should, perhaps, put their energy into trying to figure out how to end the subsidies to other modes instead of whining about how Amtrak is allegedly left out in the cold.

  8. One clear thinking TWA correspondent who uses New York state’s Amtrak Empire service as his means of commuting to and from work in New York City wrote to ask why, if so many Amtrak trains were packed to the gills with passengers that were often hanging from the rooftops, were these trains not profitable? And, he went on to ask, wouldn’t Amtrak be in much better shape if it owned more track, so it could control the timeliness of its train service?Two good questions. First, most trains which the gentleman is referring to are set up as commuter trains, which have a higher value to each revenue passenger mile, sometimes twice as high as RPM values on long distance trains. The simple answer is that the way passenger train operations work, even with double value RPMs, and a high number of passengers, these two factors still do not generate enough revenue to cover the cost of running the trains on a frequent or non-frequent basis. Short distance trains have always been money losers, such as the New Haven Railroad passenger operations of yore, and the Pennsylvania Railroad NEC operations between New York City and Washington. The same reasons the NEC is in trouble today, from Boston to Washington, are the same reasons the New Haven and Pennsylvania both eventually ended up in bankruptcy and eventually folded into a profitable Conrail, sans the passenger operations (the reasons for the bankruptcy of the two lines are myriad and complex, but the short distance passenger operations were major contributors to the problems).

    As far as ownership of track is concerned, take a page from the airlines, truckers, and steamship companies. They are more than glad they don’t own the airways, roads, or waterways, but pay user frees, either through airport landing fees, vehicle license tags, or docking and lock use fees. Owning infrastructure is expensive to acquire, even more expensive to maintain, and brings a host of related problems. Amtrak is ALWAYS better off as a tenant than an owner, even for station and terminal properties.

  9. From a reader in New York to a reader in Northern California, the comments keep coming. One hobbyist that is still trying to understand the big picture of Amtrak nationally and in California, commented that it shouldn’t matter what California financially supported trains do about their fare levels, since it is California’s money, it’s California’s choice.This narrow, parochial view causes a number of problems. Last week, we talked about fare elasticity, the value of revenue passenger miles (the only legitimate measure of common carrier success or failure), and the average Amtrak ticket price.

    As long as any train is part of the Amtrak system, and its financial results are reported as part of the national system, such as all of the California corridor services, then the fare structure is important to the entire national system. Low, giveaway discount fares, designed just to attract warm bodies to trains to increase the passenger count, hurt the entire system financial results, which in turn, makes Amtrak weaker financially in the eyes of those who measure its success from a financial standpoint (everyone but socialists use this measure). If Amtrak is ever going to become more self-reliant, then it must be financially responsible in all areas. Amtrak, contrary to the thoughts of many ill-informed people, is not a social program, and the only problem the company is tasked to solve is that of providing reliable passenger transportation; it is not a federal jobs program, it is not a commuter service, and it is not designed to be a discount service for grandmothers and scout troops. It was designed to be a business, and it must act like a business. Transit agencies are designed to do all of the other things so many people wrongly want Amtrak to do today.

  10. Much to the relief of Amtrak apologists and cultists, this is the last TWA of the year. We will return in early January.On Christmas Day, the day we celebrate the birth of Christ, Amtrak in most parts of the country will have a clear railroad, as most freight operations will be suspended for the holiday. However, all Amtrak trains, stations, commissaries, reservation centers, and many other areas will be fully staffed that day so anyone who wishes to travel may do so. We thank each and every Amtrak employee who will give up their holiday to provide a service to others. And, we thank those freight railroad dispatchers and others who will also be working, just to accommodate Amtrak trains.

    URPA’s Christmas wish list is short, and simple: more long distance trains to more places; the understanding that corridors are an adjunct to the national system, and not more important than the national system; a healthy and robust Amtrak system; an Amtrak Board of Directors with a full complement of members; a dynamic new Amtrak President and CEO who will have the vision to lead the company to greatness; and a coming year in which not every news story about Amtrak will begin with “the perpetually troubled passenger railroad …”.

    Thank you Amtrak Chairman of the Board David Laney for your good work this year, and thank you Acting President David Hughes for taking the company reins during this time of transition. Amtrak, and the American taxpayers, are fortunate to have the services of both of these gentlemen.

    To all a Merry Christmas, and to all a Good Night.

  1. Last week’s TWA stirred up some mail, including this note from Amtrak’s best chef, west of Chicago, a 30 year veteran of Amtrak:

    “Bruce, what everyone seems to forget is that Amtrak has already tried the airline food in the 80’s…and it failed miserably. When I say miserably I mean total failure. No one would eat in the Diner. The food was horrible and the portions were way too small. The passengers hated it. The Chefs had difficulty preparing the food correctly because it was sealed in foil and testing for proper temps was difficult (unless you want a thermometer hole in your food). For the Coaches the prices were way too high, especially for the portions they were getting. It was for me the most embarrassing time in my career. I didn’t even want people to see me on the way to the Dorm for the shame I felt, feeding those people that garbage for the DAYS of train travel not the HOURS of plane travel.

    “s there no way to stop this foolishness, this downward spiral we seem to be committed to? AAGGGGHHHH!!! I’M DROWNING IN THE STUPIDITY!

    “Signed,

    “Glad To Have 30 Years”

    It’s true, those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. The same is true for corporations; those that don’t rely on institutional memory are doomed to repeat mistakes and failures.

  2. There is a tiny ray of sunshine in all of this diner fiasco in the making. For reservation agents and travel agents, Amtrak put in its computer information system last week some details on the new pre-plated meals it’s starting now (not February 2006), just on the City of New Orleans and Texas Eagle. At least the use of real dishes, glasses and stainless steel flatware will continue, along with tablecloths and cloth napkins. Here are the details, provided directly from the online listing:
    TEXAS EAGLE AND CITY OF NEW ORLEANS MENUS

TRAINS 21/22, THE TEXAS EAGLE, TRAINS 58/59, THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, AND
THE PORTION OF TRAINS 421/422 BETWEEN CHICAGO AND SAN ANTONIO, NOW HAVE A
DIFFERENT MENU THAN THE REST OF THE LONG DISTANCE TRAINS.

MEALS, PREPARED OFF THE TRAIN, ARE SERVED ON CHINA WITH CHINA CUPS,
GLASSWARE, AND STAINLESS STEEL FLATWARE.

TRAINS 21, 22, 58, 59, 421, 422

THESE TRAINS SERVE PREPLATED MEALS IN THE DINING CAR, AND USE THE MENU
[below] ... , NOT THE REGULAR DINING CAR MENUS.

THERE ARE TWO CYCLES, ONE FOR EACH TRAIN SET NOTED.

... ALTHOUGH THE MEALS ARE PREPARED OFF THE TRAIN, THEY ARE SERVED ON
CHINA. BEVERAGES ARE IN CHINA CUPS OR IN GLASSES, AND REGULAR STAINLESS
STEEL FLATWARE IS USED. CLOTH NAPKINS ARE PROVIDED, AND THERE ARE
TABLECLOTHS.

BREAKFAST - TRAINS 21, 59, 421 CHI-SAS

WESTERN OMELET, PORK SAUSAGE, BREAKFAST POTATOES .... 10.00
SOUTHWESTERN QUICHE WITH CORNED BEEF HASH ........... 10.00
FRENCH TOAST, SYRUP, HAM STEAK ...................... 10.00
RICE KRISPIES, RAISIN BRAN CRUNCH OR CORN FLAKES; CUT FRUIT, CROISSANT,
YOGURT (STRWBRY OR BLUBRY) .. 6.75

BREAKFAST - TRAINS 22, 58, 422 SAS-CHI

SOUTHWESTERN OMELET, SAUSAGE, BREAKFAST POTATOES .... 10.00
THREE CHEESE QUICHE WITH CORNED BEEF HASH ........... 10.00
FRENCH TOAST, SYRUP, HAM STEAK ...................... 10.00
RICE KRISPIES, RAISIN BRAN CRUNCH OR CORN FLAKES;
CUT FRUIT, CROISSANT, YOGURT (STRWBRY OR BLUBRY) .... 6.75
INCLUDED: COFFEE, TEA OR MILK, AND JUICE (ORANGE, APPLE OR CRANBERRY).

LUNCH - TRAINS 21, 59, 421 CHI-SAS

ANGUS CHEESEBURGER, CHIPS, PICKLE SPEAR ............. 7.00
SANDWICH (SERVER WILL DESCRIBE), CHIPS, PICKLE ...... 7.25
BARBECUE CHICKEN, POTATO WEDGES, CORN, SALAD ........ 12.00
ADD HOT SOUP (MINESTRONE OR CHICKEN NOODLE) ......... 4.00

LUNCH - TRAINS 22, 58, 422 SAS-CHI

ANGUS CHEESEBURGER, CHIPS, PICKLE SPEAR ............. 7.00
SANDWICH (SERVER WILL DESCRIBE), CHIPS, PICKLE ...... 7.25
POT ROAST, REDSKIN POTATOES, CORN, SALAD ............ 12.00
ADD HOT SOUP (MINESTRONE OR CHICKEN NOODLE) ......... 4.00
INCLUDED: COFFEE, TEA OR MILK.
BEVERAGES AND DESSERTS - SEE BELOW

DINNER - TRAINS 21, 59, 421 CHI-SAS

BRAISED BEEF, MASHED REDSKIN POTATOES, CARROTS ...... 18.00
CHICKEN PARMESAN, ROAST POTATOES, GREEN BEANS ....... 17.50
BASIL/THYME COD FILLETS, RICE PILAF, BEAN MEDLEY .... 16.50
CHEESE TORTELLINI, ALFREDO SAUCE, BROCCOLI .......... 11.00
EVENING SPECIAL - SERVER WILL DESCRIBE .............. 12.50

DINNER - TRAINS 22, 58, 422 SAS-CHI

BEEF TENDERLOINS, ROASTED POTATOES, BROCCOLI ........ 18.00
LAMB SHANK, RICE PILAF, BEAN MEDLEY ................. 17.50
SALMON FILLET, MASHED REDSKIN POTATOES, GREEN BEANS . 16.50
GNOCCHI - PASTA ROUNDS, MARINARA SAUCE, CARROTS...... 11.00
EVENING SPECIAL - SERVER WILL DESCRIBE .............. 12.50
INCLUDED: COFFEE, TEA OR MILK; GREEN SALAD; ROLL, BUTTER.
BEVERAGES AND DESSERTS - SEE BELOW

LUNCH AND DINNER BEVERAGES

SOFT DRINKS ......................................... 1.75
BOTTLED WATER ....................................... 2.00
BEER: BUDWEISER, BUD LITE, MILLER GENUINE DRAFT .... 4.25
BEER: HEINEKEN, CORONA, SAMUEL ADAMS ............... 5.25
RED WINE: MERLOT OR CABERNET SAUVIGNON, 375 ML ..... 12.00
WHITE WINE: CHARDONNAY OR PINOT GRIGIO, 375 ML ..... 12.00

LUNCH AND DINNER DESSERTS

MISSISSIPPI MUD CAKE (21, 59, 421) .................. 5.00
CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE (22, 58, 422) .................. 5.00
NEW YORK STYLE CHEESECAKE (ALL) ..................... 3.75
FRUIT (CANTALOUPE, ORANGE, HONEYDEW, PINEAPPLE,
SEEDLESS RED GRAPES) (ALL) .......................... 3.50

    It appears that while Amtrak is offering an allegedly less expensive to prepare meal, the prices for passengers have not dropped appreciably. Dinner for a family of four in the dining car can still easily run in the $75 to $100 range, plus tip. Prices are more than steep for breakfast and lunch, when you consider the average price of an Amtrak ticket is just $50.15.

  3. Here is what one anonymous Caltrans official had to say about long distance menus mimicking those found on corridor trains, such as the San Joaquins in California:

    “… I think the pre-plated meals we have on the San Joaquins work on a corridor service like the San Joaquins. But the customers on a long distance train expect a higher level of service and will not ride the trains if they’re given something less than what is provided now. To me, the tragedy of this is that Amtrak is taking these steps not in response to market demand, but to what they see as political survival. The arguments that say food service is a failure are as specious as the ones that say Amtrak is a failure. Our measures of success are just all out of whack.”

  4. We know from Amtrak’s own figures that for FY 2004, the last year audited figures are available for, the company took in $80,394,000 for gross food and beverage sales. That means, according to US DOT Inspector General Kenneth Mead, that it cost Amtrak over $160,000,000 to run its food service. Something is not right, here. The vast majority of Amtrak’s food and beverage revenue comes from lounge and cafe cars, not diners, simply because there are so few dining cars left on Amtrak.Most cafe and lounge cars are staffed by one employee per trip. We know that looking at Amtrak’s individual item food costs (such as what Amtrak pays for a candy bar or prepackaged sandwich for resale) its costs are well in line with restaurant industry standards, plus, in some cases, below restaurant wholesale costs due to national bulk purchasing. So, why the problem? Amtrak food and beverage service doesn’t have standard restaurant overhead like rent, electricity, telephone, garbage service, and other normal expenses. It does have cost of food, employee costs (many of which are high, but not so high they can’t be dealt with), cost of use of a lounge or diner, and dormitory space on trains for food service crews, central commissary costs, plus normal corporate overhead.

    But, still, why does IG Mead believe that Amtrak spends $2.00 for every $1.00 it receives in food and beverage revenues? The only figures Mr. Mead has to work from are Amtrak’s internal figures. The question begs, what other costs are Amtrak piling onto the food and beverage costs? Are there disproportionate headquarters overhead costs? The Amtrak dining car department administrative staff has been drastically reduced to a mere skeleton of what it once was. There are no excess employees working on trains. Commissary costs are allegedly now under control. Food and beverages sold by Amtrak are sold at premium prices, certainly not at Wal-Mart discounts. Also, some lounge and cafe cars are paid for through reimbursement of state monies, so those operations must be at least break even or at a slight profit. Where is the problem?

    It’s likely we will never know under Amtrak’s current accounting system. What we do know is that if Amtrak treated its dining and lounge car operations as a separate cost and profit center (there’s that “profit” word again), most likely everyone would know the true costs and profits of Amtrak food service. Until we do know these answers, there will be three victims. The most obvious victim will be the passengers, who will be attempting to survive on Amtrak long distance trains on limited pre-plated menus with few choices. Another set of victims will be Amtrak food and beverage employees who are losing their jobs because people they work for can’t figure out simple business economics. And, the third victim will be Amtrak, because it will ultimately be yet, again, running off passengers who produce lifeblood revenues. And, don’t forget the American taxpayers, who will also be footing the bill for more Amtrak annual free federal monies because someone at Amtrak forgot to check the institutional memory and figure out that all of this had been tried before, unsuccessfully.

  5. Oops. In a rash moment last week in TWA, we incorrectly identified train no. 347, the Illinois Zephyr as the Illini. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.
  6. If you’re a Christmas holiday traveler on Amtrak this year, make sure you’re properly prepared for the occasion. Savvy Amtrak travelers never leave home without the following items: Since you can never completely depend on the locomotive’s head end power for heat and lights and hotel services, make sure you dress warmly in layers, and take a flashlight. Power and lights may be out for a few minutes or hours at a time throughout the train, including the dining car where the power is necessary to cook and/or reheat meals. Take along a roll of sturdy duct tape; the handyman’s and Amtrak mechanical forces’ best friend. There are a million uses for it, from stopping annoying rattles to replacing window drape sashes. The most useful tool is one of those all-in-one screwdrivers and pliers combination. There can be lots of loose screws and bolts. Consider taking something along to file down oddly placed rough services that may catch clothing.A well-prepared traveler is a happy traveler.
  7. There always seems to be an ongoing whine from Amtrak apologists and cultists regarding modal envy. They gnash their teeth over the fact that airlines, cars, trucks, and waterways receive billions in alleged federal aid, while Amtrak is the poor cousin that receives scraps. This discussion became tedious years ago.Modal envy is just that - silly envy. If Amtrak is operated properly as the current board of directors seems intent on doing, then huge amounts of free federal monies are not necessary. Why whine for more money, when you can be mostly self-supporting? Yes, the socialists, even more tedious than the Amtrak apologists and cultists, up the ante whine by saying, “ALL passenger railroads in the world are government funded! Why not Amtrak, too?” Perhaps the best answer is the one your mother used to tell you, that if everyone else is jumping off of a cliff, should you do that, too?

    Why is there no faith in the free enterprise and free market system? Why is there this bizarre belief that just because there was once a problem with profitable passenger rail over three decades ago in a time of great transportation turmoil, there is a problem today? Why, in the days before the Eisenhower administration, when railroad union costs were proportionally higher than today, work rules were much less flexible, and there were few if any labor saving and cost saving devices like facsimile machines, computers, cell phones, and a host of other modern money saving inventions, is there the belief that passenger railroads, if operating competently, can’t be successful?

    Keep in mind that in a time when the passenger trains were profitable, there were many money-losing branch line, commuter, and local service passenger operations that drained profits away from the main line streamliners. Yet, passenger operations still made money, and not just in isolated parts of the country.

    So, with a better and better educated business leadership cadre today, streamlined operations, modern conveniences, and so much more, what rule is there that passenger trains are required to lose money and be run by often the most inefficient group of people on the earth - government employees?

    Back to the modal envy argument; smart people, instead of envying what free federal monies other modes of transportation receive, should, perhaps, put their energy into trying to figure out how to end the subsidies to other modes instead of whining about how Amtrak is allegedly left out in the cold.

  8. One clear thinking TWA correspondent who uses New York state’s Amtrak Empire service as his means of commuting to and from work in New York City wrote to ask why, if so many Amtrak trains were packed to the gills with passengers that were often hanging from the rooftops, were these trains not profitable? And, he went on to ask, wouldn’t Amtrak be in much better shape if it owned more track, so it could control the timeliness of its train service?Two good questions. First, most trains which the gentleman is referring to are set up as commuter trains, which have a higher value to each revenue passenger mile, sometimes twice as high as RPM values on long distance trains. The simple answer is that the way passenger train operations work, even with double value RPMs, and a high number of passengers, these two factors still do not generate enough revenue to cover the cost of running the trains on a frequent or non-frequent basis. Short distance trains have always been money losers, such as the New Haven Railroad passenger operations of yore, and the Pennsylvania Railroad NEC operations between New York City and Washington. The same reasons the NEC is in trouble today, from Boston to Washington, are the same reasons the New Haven and Pennsylvania both eventually ended up in bankruptcy and eventually folded into a profitable Conrail, sans the passenger operations (the reasons for the bankruptcy of the two lines are myriad and complex, but the short distance passenger operations were major contributors to the problems).

    As far as ownership of track is concerned, take a page from the airlines, truckers, and steamship companies. They are more than glad they don’t own the airways, roads, or waterways, but pay user frees, either through airport landing fees, vehicle license tags, or docking and lock use fees. Owning infrastructure is expensive to acquire, even more expensive to maintain, and brings a host of related problems. Amtrak is ALWAYS better off as a tenant than an owner, even for station and terminal properties.

  9. From a reader in New York to a reader in Northern California, the comments keep coming. One hobbyist that is still trying to understand the big picture of Amtrak nationally and in California, commented that it shouldn’t matter what California financially supported trains do about their fare levels, since it is California’s money, it’s California’s choice.This narrow, parochial view causes a number of problems. Last week, we talked about fare elasticity, the value of revenue passenger miles (the only legitimate measure of common carrier success or failure), and the average Amtrak ticket price.

    As long as any train is part of the Amtrak system, and its financial results are reported as part of the national system, such as all of the California corridor services, then the fare structure is important to the entire national system. Low, giveaway discount fares, designed just to attract warm bodies to trains to increase the passenger count, hurt the entire system financial results, which in turn, makes Amtrak weaker financially in the eyes of those who measure its success from a financial standpoint (everyone but socialists use this measure). If Amtrak is ever going to become more self-reliant, then it must be financially responsible in all areas. Amtrak, contrary to the thoughts of many ill-informed people, is not a social program, and the only problem the company is tasked to solve is that of providing reliable passenger transportation; it is not a federal jobs program, it is not a commuter service, and it is not designed to be a discount service for grandmothers and scout troops. It was designed to be a business, and it must act like a business. Transit agencies are designed to do all of the other things so many people wrongly want Amtrak to do today.

  10. Much to the relief of Amtrak apologists and cultists, this is the last TWA of the year. We will return in early January.On Christmas Day, the day we celebrate the birth of Christ, Amtrak in most parts of the country will have a clear railroad, as most freight operations will be suspended for the holiday. However, all Amtrak trains, stations, commissaries, reservation centers, and many other areas will be fully staffed that day so anyone who wishes to travel may do so. We thank each and every Amtrak employee who will give up their holiday to provide a service to others. And, we thank those freight railroad dispatchers and others who will also be working, just to accommodate Amtrak trains.

    URPA’s Christmas wish list is short, and simple: more long distance trains to more places; the understanding that corridors are an adjunct to the national system, and not more important than the national system; a healthy and robust Amtrak system; an Amtrak Board of Directors with a full complement of members; a dynamic new Amtrak President and CEO who will have the vision to lead the company to greatness; and a coming year in which not every news story about Amtrak will begin with “the perpetually troubled passenger railroad …”.

    Thank you Amtrak Chairman of the Board David Laney for your good work this year, and thank you Acting President David Hughes for taking the company reins during this time of transition. Amtrak, and the American taxpayers, are fortunate to have the services of both of these gentlemen.

    To all a Merry Christmas, and to all a Good Night.

  1. Last week’s TWA stirred up some mail, including this note from Amtrak’s best chef, west of Chicago, a 30 year veteran of Amtrak:

    “Bruce, what everyone seems to forget is that Amtrak has already tried the airline food in the 80’s…and it failed miserably. When I say miserably I mean total failure. No one would eat in the Diner. The food was horrible and the portions were way too small. The passengers hated it. The Chefs had difficulty preparing the food correctly because it was sealed in foil and testing for proper temps was difficult (unless you want a thermometer hole in your food). For the Coaches the prices were way too high, especially for the portions they were getting. It was for me the most embarrassing time in my career. I didn’t even want people to see me on the way to the Dorm for the shame I felt, feeding those people that garbage for the DAYS of train travel not the HOURS of plane travel.

    “s there no way to stop this foolishness, this downward spiral we seem to be committed to? AAGGGGHHHH!!! I’M DROWNING IN THE STUPIDITY!

    “Signed,

    “Glad To Have 30 Years”

    It’s true, those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. The same is true for corporations; those that don’t rely on institutional memory are doomed to repeat mistakes and failures.

  2. There is a tiny ray of sunshine in all of this diner fiasco in the making. For reservation agents and travel agents, Amtrak put in its computer information system last week some details on the new pre-plated meals it’s starting now (not February 2006), just on the City of New Orleans and Texas Eagle. At least the use of real dishes, glasses and stainless steel flatware will continue, along with tablecloths and cloth napkins. Here are the details, provided directly from the online listing:
    TEXAS EAGLE AND CITY OF NEW ORLEANS MENUS

TRAINS 21/22, THE TEXAS EAGLE, TRAINS 58/59, THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, AND
THE PORTION OF TRAINS 421/422 BETWEEN CHICAGO AND SAN ANTONIO, NOW HAVE A
DIFFERENT MENU THAN THE REST OF THE LONG DISTANCE TRAINS.

MEALS, PREPARED OFF THE TRAIN, ARE SERVED ON CHINA WITH CHINA CUPS,
GLASSWARE, AND STAINLESS STEEL FLATWARE.

TRAINS 21, 22, 58, 59, 421, 422

THESE TRAINS SERVE PREPLATED MEALS IN THE DINING CAR, AND USE THE MENU
[below] ... , NOT THE REGULAR DINING CAR MENUS.

THERE ARE TWO CYCLES, ONE FOR EACH TRAIN SET NOTED.

... ALTHOUGH THE MEALS ARE PREPARED OFF THE TRAIN, THEY ARE SERVED ON
CHINA. BEVERAGES ARE IN CHINA CUPS OR IN GLASSES, AND REGULAR STAINLESS
STEEL FLATWARE IS USED. CLOTH NAPKINS ARE PROVIDED, AND THERE ARE
TABLECLOTHS.

BREAKFAST - TRAINS 21, 59, 421 CHI-SAS

WESTERN OMELET, PORK SAUSAGE, BREAKFAST POTATOES .... 10.00
SOUTHWESTERN QUICHE WITH CORNED BEEF HASH ........... 10.00
FRENCH TOAST, SYRUP, HAM STEAK ...................... 10.00
RICE KRISPIES, RAISIN BRAN CRUNCH OR CORN FLAKES; CUT FRUIT, CROISSANT,
YOGURT (STRWBRY OR BLUBRY) .. 6.75

BREAKFAST - TRAINS 22, 58, 422 SAS-CHI

SOUTHWESTERN OMELET, SAUSAGE, BREAKFAST POTATOES .... 10.00
THREE CHEESE QUICHE WITH CORNED BEEF HASH ........... 10.00
FRENCH TOAST, SYRUP, HAM STEAK ...................... 10.00
RICE KRISPIES, RAISIN BRAN CRUNCH OR CORN FLAKES;
CUT FRUIT, CROISSANT, YOGURT (STRWBRY OR BLUBRY) .... 6.75
INCLUDED: COFFEE, TEA OR MILK, AND JUICE (ORANGE, APPLE OR CRANBERRY).

LUNCH - TRAINS 21, 59, 421 CHI-SAS

ANGUS CHEESEBURGER, CHIPS, PICKLE SPEAR ............. 7.00
SANDWICH (SERVER WILL DESCRIBE), CHIPS, PICKLE ...... 7.25
BARBECUE CHICKEN, POTATO WEDGES, CORN, SALAD ........ 12.00
ADD HOT SOUP (MINESTRONE OR CHICKEN NOODLE) ......... 4.00

LUNCH - TRAINS 22, 58, 422 SAS-CHI

ANGUS CHEESEBURGER, CHIPS, PICKLE SPEAR ............. 7.00
SANDWICH (SERVER WILL DESCRIBE), CHIPS, PICKLE ...... 7.25
POT ROAST, REDSKIN POTATOES, CORN, SALAD ............ 12.00
ADD HOT SOUP (MINESTRONE OR CHICKEN NOODLE) ......... 4.00
INCLUDED: COFFEE, TEA OR MILK.
BEVERAGES AND DESSERTS - SEE BELOW

DINNER - TRAINS 21, 59, 421 CHI-SAS

BRAISED BEEF, MASHED REDSKIN POTATOES, CARROTS ...... 18.00
CHICKEN PARMESAN, ROAST POTATOES, GREEN BEANS ....... 17.50
BASIL/THYME COD FILLETS, RICE PILAF, BEAN MEDLEY .... 16.50
CHEESE TORTELLINI, ALFREDO SAUCE, BROCCOLI .......... 11.00
EVENING SPECIAL - SERVER WILL DESCRIBE .............. 12.50

DINNER - TRAINS 22, 58, 422 SAS-CHI

BEEF TENDERLOINS, ROASTED POTATOES, BROCCOLI ........ 18.00
LAMB SHANK, RICE PILAF, BEAN MEDLEY ................. 17.50
SALMON FILLET, MASHED REDSKIN POTATOES, GREEN BEANS . 16.50
GNOCCHI - PASTA ROUNDS, MARINARA SAUCE, CARROTS...... 11.00
EVENING SPECIAL - SERVER WILL DESCRIBE .............. 12.50
INCLUDED: COFFEE, TEA OR MILK; GREEN SALAD; ROLL, BUTTER.
BEVERAGES AND DESSERTS - SEE BELOW

LUNCH AND DINNER BEVERAGES

SOFT DRINKS ......................................... 1.75
BOTTLED WATER ....................................... 2.00
BEER: BUDWEISER, BUD LITE, MILLER GENUINE DRAFT .... 4.25
BEER: HEINEKEN, CORONA, SAMUEL ADAMS ............... 5.25
RED WINE: MERLOT OR CABERNET SAUVIGNON, 375 ML ..... 12.00
WHITE WINE: CHARDONNAY OR PINOT GRIGIO, 375 ML ..... 12.00

LUNCH AND DINNER DESSERTS

MISSISSIPPI MUD CAKE (21, 59, 421) .................. 5.00
CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE (22, 58, 422) .................. 5.00
NEW YORK STYLE CHEESECAKE (ALL) ..................... 3.75
FRUIT (CANTALOUPE, ORANGE, HONEYDEW, PINEAPPLE,
SEEDLESS RED GRAPES) (ALL) .......................... 3.50

    It appears that while Amtrak is offering an allegedly less expensive to prepare meal, the prices for passengers have not dropped appreciably. Dinner for a family of four in the dining car can still easily run in the $75 to $100 range, plus tip. Prices are more than steep for breakfast and lunch, when you consider the average price of an Amtrak ticket is just $50.15.

  3. Here is what one anonymous Caltrans official had to say about long distance menus mimicking those found on corridor trains, such as the San Joaquins in California:

    “… I think the pre-plated meals we have on the San Joaquins work on a corridor service like the San Joaquins. But the customers on a long distance train expect a higher level of service and will not ride the trains if they’re given something less than what is provided now. To me, the tragedy of this is that Amtrak is taking these steps not in response to market demand, but to what they see as political survival. The arguments that say food service is a failure are as specious as the ones that say Amtrak is a failure. Our measures of success are just all out of whack.”

  4. We know from Amtrak’s own figures that for FY 2004, the last year audited figures are available for, the company took in $80,394,000 for gross food and beverage sales. That means, according to US DOT Inspector General Kenneth Mead, that it cost Amtrak over $160,000,000 to run its food service. Something is not right, here. The vast majority of Amtrak’s food and beverage revenue comes from lounge and cafe cars, not diners, simply because there are so few dining cars left on Amtrak.Most cafe and lounge cars are staffed by one employee per trip. We know that looking at Amtrak’s individual item food costs (such as what Amtrak pays for a candy bar or prepackaged sandwich for resale) its costs are well in line with restaurant industry standards, plus, in some cases, below restaurant wholesale costs due to national bulk purchasing. So, why the problem? Amtrak food and beverage service doesn’t have standard restaurant overhead like rent, electricity, telephone, garbage service, and other normal expenses. It does have cost of food, employee costs (many of which are high, but not so high they can’t be dealt with), cost of use of a lounge or diner, and dormitory space on trains for food service crews, central commissary costs, plus normal corporate overhead.

    But, still, why does IG Mead believe that Amtrak spends $2.00 for every $1.00 it receives in food and beverage revenues? The only figures Mr. Mead has to work from are Amtrak’s internal figures. The question begs, what other costs are Amtrak piling onto the food and beverage costs? Are there disproportionate headquarters overhead costs? The Amtrak dining car department administrative staff has been drastically reduced to a mere skeleton of what it once was. There are no excess employees working on trains. Commissary costs are allegedly now under control. Food and beverages sold by Amtrak are sold at premium prices, certainly not at Wal-Mart discounts. Also, some lounge and cafe cars are paid for through reimbursement of state monies, so those operations must be at least break even or at a slight profit. Where is the problem?

    It’s likely we will never know under Amtrak’s current accounting system. What we do know is that if Amtrak treated its dining and lounge car operations as a separate cost and profit center (there’s that “profit” word again), most likely everyone would know the true costs and profits of Amtrak food service. Until we do know these answers, there will be three victims. The most obvious victim will be the passengers, who will be attempting to survive on Amtrak long distance trains on limited pre-plated menus with few choices. Another set of victims will be Amtrak food and beverage employees who are losing their jobs because people they work for can’t figure out simple business economics. And, the third victim will be Amtrak, because it will ultimately be yet, again, running off passengers who produce lifeblood revenues. And, don’t forget the American taxpayers, who will also be footing the bill for more Amtrak annual free federal monies because someone at Amtrak forgot to check the institutional memory and figure out that all of this had been tried before, unsuccessfully.

  5. Oops. In a rash moment last week in TWA, we incorrectly identified train no. 347, the Illinois Zephyr as the Illini. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.
  6. If you’re a Christmas holiday traveler on Amtrak this year, make sure you’re properly prepared for the occasion. Savvy Amtrak travelers never leave home without the following items: Since you can never completely depend on the locomotive’s head end power for heat and lights and hotel services, make sure you dress warmly in layers, and take a flashlight. Power and lights may be out for a few minutes or hours at a time throughout the train, including the dining car where the power is necessary to cook and/or reheat meals. Take along a roll of sturdy duct tape; the handyman’s and Amtrak mechanical forces’ best friend. There are a million uses for it, from stopping annoying rattles to replacing window drape sashes. The most useful tool is one of those all-in-one screwdrivers and pliers combination. There can be lots of loose screws and bolts. Consider taking something along to file down oddly placed rough services that may catch clothing.A well-prepared traveler is a happy traveler.
  7. There always seems to be an ongoing whine from Amtrak apologists and cultists regarding modal envy. They gnash their teeth over the fact that airlines, cars, trucks, and waterways receive billions in alleged federal aid, while Amtrak is the poor cousin that receives scraps. This discussion became tedious years ago.Modal envy is just that - silly envy. If Amtrak is operated properly as the current board of directors seems intent on doing, then huge amounts of free federal monies are not necessary. Why whine for more money, when you can be mostly self-supporting? Yes, the socialists, even more tedious than the Amtrak apologists and cultists, up the ante whine by saying, “ALL passenger railroads in the world are government funded! Why not Amtrak, too?” Perhaps the best answer is the one your mother used to tell you, that if everyone else is jumping off of a cliff, should you do that, too?

    Why is there no faith in the free enterprise and free market system? Why is there this bizarre belief that just because there was once a problem with profitable passenger rail over three decades ago in a time of great transportation turmoil, there is a problem today? Why, in the days before the Eisenhower administration, when railroad union costs were proportionally higher than today, work rules were much less flexible, and there were few if any labor saving and cost saving devices like facsimile machines, computers, cell phones, and a host of other modern money saving inventions, is there the belief that passenger railroads, if operating competently, can’t be successful?

    Keep in mind that in a time when the passenger trains were profitable, there were many money-losing branch line, commuter, and local service passenger operations that drained profits away from the main line streamliners. Yet, passenger operations still made money, and not just in isolated parts of the country.

    So, with a better and better educated business leadership cadre today, streamlined operations, modern conveniences, and so much more, what rule is there that passenger trains are required to lose money and be run by often the most inefficient group of people on the earth - government employees?

    Back to the modal envy argument; smart people, instead of envying what free federal monies other modes of transportation receive, should, perhaps, put their energy into trying to figure out how to end the subsidies to other modes instead of whining about how Amtrak is allegedly left out in the cold.

  8. One clear thinking TWA correspondent who uses New York state’s Amtrak Empire service as his means of commuting to and from work in New York City wrote to ask why, if so many Amtrak trains were packed to the gills with passengers that were often hanging from the rooftops, were these trains not profitable? And, he went on to ask, wouldn’t Amtrak be in much better shape if it owned more track, so it could control the timeliness of its train service?Two good questions. First, most trains which the gentleman is referring to are set up as commuter trains, which have a higher value to each revenue passenger mile, sometimes twice as high as RPM values on long distance trains. The simple answer is that the way passenger train operations work, even with double value RPMs, and a high number of passengers, these two factors still do not generate enough revenue to cover the cost of running the trains on a frequent or non-frequent basis. Short distance trains have always been money losers, such as the New Haven Railroad passenger operations of yore, and the Pennsylvania Railroad NEC operations between New York City and Washington. The same reasons the NEC is in trouble today, from Boston to Washington, are the same reasons the New Haven and Pennsylvania both eventually ended up in bankruptcy and eventually folded into a profitable Conrail, sans the passenger operations (the reasons for the bankruptcy of the two lines are myriad and complex, but the short distance passenger operations were major contributors to the problems).

    As far as ownership of track is concerned, take a page from the airlines, truckers, and steamship companies. They are more than glad they don’t own the airways, roads, or waterways, but pay user frees, either through airport landing fees, vehicle license tags, or docking and lock use fees. Owning infrastructure is expensive to acquire, even more expensive to maintain, and brings a host of related problems. Amtrak is ALWAYS better off as a tenant than an owner, even for station and terminal properties.

  9. From a reader in New York to a reader in Northern California, the comments keep coming. One hobbyist that is still trying to understand the big picture of Amtrak nationally and in California, commented that it shouldn’t matter what California financially supported trains do about their fare levels, since it is California’s money, it’s California’s choice.This narrow, parochial view causes a number of problems. Last week, we talked about fare elasticity, the value of revenue passenger miles (the only legitimate measure of common carrier success or failure), and the average Amtrak ticket price.

    As long as any train is part of the Amtrak system, and its financial results are reported as part of the national system, such as all of the California corridor services, then the fare structure is important to the entire national system. Low, giveaway discount fares, designed just to attract warm bodies to trains to increase the passenger count, hurt the entire system financial results, which in turn, makes Amtrak weaker financially in the eyes of those who measure its success from a financial standpoint (everyone but socialists use this measure). If Amtrak is ever going to become more self-reliant, then it must be financially responsible in all areas. Amtrak, contrary to the thoughts of many ill-informed people, is not a social program, and the only problem the company is tasked to solve is that of providing reliable passenger transportation; it is not a federal jobs program, it is not a commuter service, and it is not designed to be a discount service for grandmothers and scout troops. It was designed to be a business, and it must act like a business. Transit agencies are designed to do all of the other things so many people wrongly want Amtrak to do today.

  10. Much to the relief of Amtrak apologists and cultists, this is the last TWA of the year. We will return in early January.On Christmas Day, the day we celebrate the birth of Christ, Amtrak in most parts of the country will have a clear railroad, as most freight operations will be suspended for the holiday. However, all Amtrak trains, stations, commissaries, reservation centers, and many other areas will be fully staffed that day so anyone who wishes to travel may do so. We thank each and every Amtrak employee who will give up their holiday to provide a service to others. And, we thank those freight railroad dispatchers and others who will also be working, just to accommodate Amtrak trains.

    URPA’s Christmas wish list is short, and simple: more long distance trains to more places; the understanding that corridors are an adjunct to the national system, and not more important than the national system; a healthy and robust Amtrak system; an Amtrak Board of Directors with a full complement of members; a dynamic new Amtrak President and CEO who will have the vision to lead the company to greatness; and a coming year in which not every news story about Amtrak will begin with “the perpetually troubled passenger railroad …”.

    Thank you Amtrak Chairman of the Board David Laney for your good work this year, and thank you Acting President David Hughes for taking the company reins during this time of transition. Amtrak, and the American taxpayers, are fortunate to have the services of both of these gentlemen.

    To all a Merry Christmas, and to all a Good Night.

Posted on Monday, December 19, 2005. Filed under This Week.