American Orient Express should run the Coast Starlight Route from Amtrak and the Auto Train From Lorton to Sanford, FL. And Maybe the Silver Meteor and Silver Star Routes. Let Amtrak keep the Rest of the System. American Orient Express Could do Great Business on them Routes.[:D][8D]
Interesting idea, but the American Orient Express is very expensive to ride on: Liability, Operation over host railroads, Crew costs, Equipment maintenence, etc., are among the reasons. Currently to book a tour (at least a year in advance) is going to run in the thousand dollar digit.
The Amtrak Empire Builder, Crescent, and Silver Service trains and especially the Auto Train are among the long distance trains that do well ridership wise.
Recall that American Orient Express, operating as American European Express, tried operating a very plush, very expensive tri-weekly train between Chicago and Washingtion on the same route as the Cardinal, i.e. by way of the Greenbrier. Like Auto-Train, the operation was undercapitalized and did not survive a derailment which damaged a fair amount of its equipment.
I caught this train in Vegas going EB going towards the crew change point. It had Amtrak loco’s pilling it. [:)]
Didn’t they start out daily on tail end of the Broadway before moving to their own train on CSX?