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Amtrak ‘unbundles’ meals from ‘Silver Star’ sleeping car accommodations
The Silver Meteor thus becomes a latter-day extra-fare, deluxe train, and the Star a more pedestrian train, even with sleeping cars.
Right, because someone springing for accommodation with a bed isn’t going to want to eat a real meal?
This is pandering to the idiot congressional micromanagers, not “Customers have been clear they want more options”. I guess I’ll be taking the Meteor in future… or hoping Iowa Pacific comes to Florida.
This is 100 per cant wrong. They should keep the traditional dining car and at least keep the bundle as an optional service level on each train.
More watering down of high standards.
The Star goes the long, slow way to FL. The Meteor, the shorter, faster way. I’d bet the Star has a lot more “shorts” than the Meteor, so sleeper patrons don’t avail themselves of many meals, anyway.
Better yet, flip the Star’s schedule to be a daylight through the Carolinas, arriving Miami in the wee hours…
Flashback to last decade when Amtrak strangled the Silver Palm by removing its first class amenities, killing the first class revenue, which destroyed it financially and ultimately led to it being cut back to Savannah and renamed the Palmetto. History does not repeat itself… but it does rhyme.
The Palmetto has the best economic performance of all the Silver trains. Maybe it should be the template. There is little sense running Silver trains on old businessman’s schedules left over from the streamliner era. What’s needed is day train service from the Carolinas to the NEC and FL plus intra-Florida corridor service. This “food service” change is just tinkering at the edges.
If this is the start of a trend, what do they need the new dining cars for??? As below, why not offer both services, with appropriate pricing for each?
I can’t remember ever being asked to show my ‘first class’ ticket in the dining car to get a free meal. The food service personnel are too lazy to do that. No, I don’t want to eat in the ‘cafe-teria’. What next? Bring back the buffet on the ‘Silvers’? An “Automat”? Vending machines? Horrors!
I don’t think this is a good idea. True, there is not a wealth of selections in a rail dining car but if you think things through there cannot be. But what there is should be prepared well. I am afraid this hearkens the end of decent food service on Amtrak.
Who will want to take the train if you have to either eat crap or pack your own MRE’s? Perhaps this is a subtle way to discourage ridership.
What? How fucking stupid!
I like the idea. I would like to be able to get a decent night’s sleep without paying an arm and a leg. If meals are included, I will order soft drinks and dessert, but if not, I will pass on those extra’s or eat in the lounge. Better yet would be to keep sleeper service first class, perhaps offering to include meals for a flat fee, which the passenger can accept or decline. Finally, they need to offer slumber coach service for those want to be able to sleep on a budget.
The café/lounge food on Amtrak I have experienced leave a LOT to be desired. How is this an option when riders have no choice? Unbundle dining car the food if you want but don’t force all to the café.
I rode coach on the Meteor about a year ago. I ate in the dining car on the way down but on the way back there was a food truck on the platform at Orlando. My meal from the food truck tasted better and was not as expensive.
Excellent!
This does not bode well for the future of what used to be called First-Class Service! Over the last few years much has changed. Different menus every few weeks: gone; appetizers and excellent desserts: gone; fresh flowers: gone; the morning newspaper: gone. If the dining car goes, so does the opportunity to meet amazing table-mates. We are common folks, but have enjoyed meals with a former CEO of AIG, a TV writer and actor, a cold-war espionage agent in Berlin, and many other wonderful and interesting people. Farewell, any semblance of luxury travel by rail in the USA.
Good Idea
Usually I traveled by my self, on Amtrak, and was always a bit unhappy to pay for a secound persons food. Also for me 3 big meals is too much.
What I worry about is, that most likely, if Amtrak is going to introduce that on all of it´s overnight trains, the reduced prices will creap up to it´s former level within a year or two…
So no more dining car? The lounge is not a comfortable place to eat a full meal. Whats the point of building the new Viewliner II Diners?
Part of the joy of a long-distance train trip IS the opportunity for sit-down meals in the dining car, even when I have ridden in coach. This move will make the Silver Star more like a glorified NEC train. If I have opportunity to take the train to Florida again, even as a pass rider I know which train I will NOT take …