FRIENDS OF AMTRAK PHOTO GALLERY - Page Forty-Seven

It's a bright September 2017 day in Berkeley and here comes a San Joaquin with single level Comet cars on its way to Bakersfield. Not much to say except that its gratifying to see California continue to grow its rail options. Lets hope Congress continues to hold off major system cuts and on this issue, at least, shows some fortitude....which is too often missing these days.

Camera Sony HV90.

It's a warm September 2012 afternoon and the Coast Starlight is leaving Emeryville with 16 cars on its way down to Los Angeles. Its consist includes a Pacific Parlor car, one of those magnificent pieces of rail equipment in the world, with wine tasting, entertainment and much more which I thoroughly enjoyed in a couple of years earlier.

But there is bad bad news. On very short two week notice Amtrak announced it is removing these cars from the Starlight permanently and not for the servicing usually done this time of year. According to the Rail Passenger Association's (formerly the National Association of Railroad Passengers) January 26, 2018 Hotline the announcement itself was totally screwed up, as were passengers who were booking tickets. Though Amtrak claims it can no longer afford to keep up the equipment in part because of huge investments it hopes to be making in long-distance equipment (which some of us will believe when we actually see it given the climate in Washington, which includes a recommendation from the Dept of Transportation that most long-distance services be cut). New CEO Richard Anderson, formerly CEO of Delta Airlines, which now flies passenger degrading cattle car coaches on many flights, the decision will apparently save millions in repair and refurb expenses. How many times have we heard this over the past few years as dining car meals and service deteriorate, flowers are removed from dining car tables, and in-room amenities are cut? Oh, and management cannot train employees to keep the Cascades on the tracks. Rumor has it that Anderson will be lowering the quality of some coach seating on many trains a la Delta. Its getting harder and harder to be a Friend of Amtrak.

Go to RPA's Hotline
There is Amtrak contact info and a petition should you wish to weigh in.

Camera LumixDMC-ZS1

Here's the California Zephyr arriving in Colfax, California, on its way to Chicago in October, 2005. We're happy to report that Amtrak has received excellent funding in the new federal budget and trains such as this should be safe. Here is a brief description from the Rail Passenger Association.

"The bill includes $2.813 billion for intercity rail--an increase of $1.3 billion over last year! That figure includes $1.9 billion for Amtrak ($650 million for the Northeast Corridor and $1.3 billion for the National Network); $593 million for the Consolidated Rail Improvement, which includes $250 million for PTC implementation; $250 million for the State of Good Repair program; and $20 million for the Rail Restoration program, which will be instrumental in restoring rail service to the Gulf Coast."

Lets hope the new Amtrak administration uses some of its funding to improve on board services, which have been in decline, and can afford to fix up the Pacific Parlor cars. There are indications that it is seeing customer service as increasingly akin to what our legacy airlines are doing: cattle car seating, far less generous flexibility in ticket purchasing and refunds, etc.

Camera: Olympus D510 DSLR.