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Old 09-17-2015, 08:05 PM
 
Location: Philly
10,227 posts, read 16,823,631 times
Reputation: 2973

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Amtrak could add second round-trip train between Harrisburg, Pittsburgh | PennLive.com

Looks like it might finally happen
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Old 09-17-2015, 08:43 PM
 
716 posts, read 766,022 times
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I don't know if I'm way off the mark here but if it's going to take 9 hours to get from Pittsburgh to New York by train (which is inevitible given the current infrastructure) I'd love to see the second frequency be added as overnight service, leaving Pittsburgh around 11PM and arriving in NYC around 8am. I've taken the overnight train to Chicago from here on a Friday and woke up in Chicago on Saturday morning at 9 with a full day ahead to see a concert that night. It's as if I lost no time and the convenience of leaving from downtown Pittsburgh and arriving directly in the middle of Chicago rather than the airport was a huge bonus. Of course any second frequency would be a plus but if it were to leave in the afternoon the whole day would be shot traveling.
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Old 09-18-2015, 05:27 AM
 
Location: Pittsburgh
1,776 posts, read 2,698,378 times
Reputation: 1741
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mtl-Cns View Post
I don't know if I'm way off the mark here but if it's going to take 9 hours to get from Pittsburgh to New York by train (which is inevitible given the current infrastructure) I'd love to see the second frequency be added as overnight service, leaving Pittsburgh around 11PM and arriving in NYC around 8am. I've taken the overnight train to Chicago from here on a Friday and woke up in Chicago on Saturday morning at 9 with a full day ahead to see a concert that night. It's as if I lost no time and the convenience of leaving from downtown Pittsburgh and arriving directly in the middle of Chicago rather than the airport was a huge bonus. Of course any second frequency would be a plus but if it were to leave in the afternoon the whole day would be shot traveling.
Overnight would be great. And the Amtrak seats are quite comfortable. Far easier to sleep in than an airplane unless you've dropped huge cash on those lie flat seats.
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Old 09-18-2015, 05:28 AM
 
5,894 posts, read 6,883,891 times
Reputation: 4107
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mtl-Cns View Post
I don't know if I'm way off the mark here but if it's going to take 9 hours to get from Pittsburgh to New York by train (which is inevitible given the current infrastructure) I'd love to see the second frequency be added as overnight service, leaving Pittsburgh around 11PM and arriving in NYC around 8am. I've taken the overnight train to Chicago from here on a Friday and woke up in Chicago on Saturday morning at 9 with a full day ahead to see a concert that night. It's as if I lost no time and the convenience of leaving from downtown Pittsburgh and arriving directly in the middle of Chicago rather than the airport was a huge bonus. Of course any second frequency would be a plus but if it were to leave in the afternoon the whole day would be shot traveling.
Completely agree - if you have to put up with the slowest rail travel at least make the time more convenient
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Old 09-18-2015, 05:43 AM
 
1,303 posts, read 1,815,547 times
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I don't know why Amtrak has to be unionized. Train travel is beneficial, but the public loses faith in it when they see a food server earning $35 an hour. Any little proposed change becomes mired in red tape and bureaucracy. How long did it take to put bikes on the DC train? NYC/PGH should be an overnight train. They need to purchase bunk house type rolling stock so that overnight sleeping accommodations are reasonably affordable.
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Old 09-18-2015, 06:00 AM
 
2,218 posts, read 1,945,914 times
Reputation: 1909
Quote:
Originally Posted by ny789987 View Post
I don't know why Amtrak has to be unionized. Train travel is beneficial, but the public loses faith in it when they see a food server earning $35 an hour. Any little proposed change becomes mired in red tape and bureaucracy. How long did it take to put bikes on the DC train? NYC/PGH should be an overnight train. They need to purchase bunk house type rolling stock so that overnight sleeping accommodations are reasonably affordable.
Nonsense. 99% of the public has no idea what the average food server makes on an Amtrak train, and I doubt you do either.
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Old 09-18-2015, 06:38 AM
 
5,894 posts, read 6,883,891 times
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Originally Posted by Merge View Post
Nonsense. 99% of the public has no idea what the average food server makes on an Amtrak train, and I doubt you do either.
From the 2012 economist Amtrak article (how to lose money selling $9.50 cheeseburgers - I can't link to for some reason)
Amtrak's dining-car waiters and coach and sleeper attendants are paid about $28/hour, while the employees in charge of the cafe and dining cars are paid about $31/hour + full government benefits & retirement. As this includes a guaranteed 3% raise its obviously higher now.
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Old 09-18-2015, 07:15 AM
 
2,218 posts, read 1,945,914 times
Reputation: 1909
Quote:
Originally Posted by UKyank View Post
From the 2012 economist Amtrak article (how to lose money selling $9.50 cheeseburgers - I can't link to for some reason)
Amtrak's dining-car waiters and coach and sleeper attendants are paid about $28/hour, while the employees in charge of the cafe and dining cars are paid about $31/hour + full government benefits & retirement. As this includes a guaranteed 3% raise its obviously higher now.
Fine. But the public is not "losing faith" in Amtrak because of food server salaries. That's a ridiculously reductionist theory.
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Old 09-18-2015, 07:19 AM
 
4,277 posts, read 11,789,634 times
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From this article it appears more likely to be a daylight trip through PA PennDOT asks Amtrak about adding second daily round trip between Pittsburgh, Harrisburg | TribLIVE
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Old 09-18-2015, 07:26 AM
 
5,894 posts, read 6,883,891 times
Reputation: 4107
Quote:
Originally Posted by Merge View Post
Fine. But the public is not "losing faith" in Amtrak because of food server salaries. That's a ridiculously reductionist theory.
It is however a good representation of the overall Amtrak problem as perennially needing lots of subsidies just to operate with minimal service & can assure itself to never have any capital required to expand infrastructure due to its highly inefficient manner of operation. I love rail travel but Amtrak sucks at it.
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