There are several unconfirmed reports that all Silver Star sleepers after July 1st are blocked. This appears to have been going on for at least 2 weeks. Anyone with inside information ? Trains mag ?
another forum that I have seen has tested out to Feb 2016, they are showing sold out every day from july 1 to feb 2016.
Got this reply from a source at Trains.
Thank you for your inquiry, which was forwarded. Please see the following response author Bob Johnston:
(Amtrak spokesman) Marc Magliari told me that Silver Star sleeping car inventory has been temporarily withdrawn from Arrow “connected with equipment manipulation” and it will be put back for all departures within the next couple of days. No plans to drop the service.
Sincerely,
Now what in the world is " Equipment manipulation " ?
And what is “Arrow”? Talk about bureaucratic non-speak! The version of one web site, that the sleeping car is “sold out” for 7 months, is ludicrous.
This may be a new version of “gobbledy gook.”
A little plain speech in English would be welcomed.
I assumed Arrow was Amtrak’s reservation system. I think I’ve heard people call it that for many years. I don’t call it that, I just say “Amtrak’s” or even “the” “reservation system”. I’ve seen many posts, and heard many people even call Amtrak’s telephone system “Julie”.
Also to whom do you place the blame for saying “arrow” in this case, Train’s Bob Johnston or Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari? The post doesn’t clearly show who said “Arrow”.
And watch how much the coal tries to say the kettle’s a different color. Let he who has not used an obscure or ambiguous railroad or railfan term cast the first piece of ballast.
Points taken, Patrick!
A quck Google search gives this for Amtrak’s Arrow- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amtrak_Arrow_Reservation_System
Maybe they are replacing sleepers with baggage cars? Better guess: They are dropping a sleeper, perhaps?
As I wrote last Friday, “A little plain speech in English would be welcomed.”
This is pure speculation so take it as such. The monthly performance reports show no Heritage diners having any work done at Beech Grove this physical year. It may be that some Heritage diners will be due some work after July 1st if they were to remain in service. So to avoid that work ( overhaul ? ) Heritage diners will be temporarily removed from the Star allowing for more backup of the remaining dining car routes and maybe retirement of 1 or 2 of the diners. That will allow BG to work on other cars as well as stated in the monthly reports. ?
This may be a result of the delayed delivery of V-2s especially the diners bumping up against necessary major work on the Heritage diners ?
As well Amtrak may be waiting to see if any V-2 diners might be accepted for unlimited service by July 1 ?
So maybe a diner lite substitution on the Star and reduction of one sleeper from that route and adding it to the Meteor. As said pure speculation.
NARP Blog has statement that Amtrak will release sleepers for reservations next week.
Good Lord, all those overly vocal and opinionated New Yorkers on a sleeperless train…whew! glad I am not an Amtrak employee on it.[8-|]
Think that is bad - view the VRE (Virginia Rail Express), user comments and complaints - what a bunch of whiners.
Don’t go to hard on those vocal new yorkers, they kept seaboad, acl, and scl trains pretty full during the sixies. Supported Amtrak 3 initial offerings down to the sunshine state as well. Today’s silver service are well patronized. One would think it would be a good route for the Pullman trains to operate a few cars.
Well the speculation appears to have some merit. Amtrak just announced only snack service in the cafe/lounge on the Star thru January 2016. That certainly frees up 4 - 4-1/2 diners needed to cover the dinning car service. Maybe Amtrak expects enough V-2 diners in service by Jan 2016 to restore service ?
http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/68/104/Amtrak-Lower-Sleeping-Car-Fares-to-Florida-ATK-15-022.pdf
So blue streak guess you got it right. The question becomes will this be permenent or just an experiment
Nothing inherently wrong with separating meals from fares, in my opinion, but pulling the full diner is a non sequitur. I hope this is only to show Congress Amtrak is “trying” rather than a template for all future LD services.
I hope that the taveling republic rebels at the idea of having only the lounge car fare available when it spends the night and more on one train. I came from Charlotte to Wilmington on the Carolinian today, and after two of the cheeseburgers, complete with tough micro-waved buns, I would rather bring my own. What I would consider to be a real breakfast is not available, and, all in all, most of what is offered is little better than junk food. The attendant in Business class did offer, from time, to time non-alcoholic drinks at no cost.
I will have to try something else for lunch tomorrow as I go on up to Boston.
Point well taken