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Dec 10, 1970.
AMTRAK DINING CAR PRICES RISING Trains 21, 22, 58, 59, 421 and 422 now have a different menu than the rest of the long-distance trains. These trains use preplated meals prepared off the train and the prices appear substantially higher than rail travelers are accustomed to paying. This change is no doubt part of the DOT effort to increase Amtrak income, but could have the effect of reducing train patronage. On one of the two rotating menus, breakfast items consist of three choices with meat, each priced at $10, and one cereal choice at $6.75. At lunch, a cheeseburger is $7, a sandwich (type varies) is $7.25, barbecue chicken with potato wedges, corn and salad is $12, and soup (minestrone or chicken noodle) is $4. At dinner, a beef entree (braised or tenderloin) is $18; a chicken entree is $17.50; cod fillets are $16.50; cheese tortellini is $11; and an "evening special" is $12.50. |
Amtrak train cancellations to continue
through at least July 1 due to heavy rain and flooding that began last
weekend.
Amtrak issued the following bulletin Jun 29:
* All Empire Corridor train service west of Albany,
(Amsterdam, Utica, Rome, Syracuse, Rochester, Depew, Buffalo, Niagara Falls,
Toronto) is canceled through Saturday, July 1. No alternate transportation
west of Albany is being provided.
Amtrak will reassess the progress on track repairs daily and announce
a service restoration date as soon as possible.
House votes $1.114 billion for Amtrak The full House of Representatives yesterday voted to allow Amtrak $1.114 billion for the next fiscal year, an increase from the $900 million that a House committee had recommended. The larger amount would bring the Amtrak money up to the level requested by the Bush-appointed Amtrak Board. It is still $394 million below the current year's funding. There was no indication, however, that the Amtrak micro-managing language had been removed from the bill. The increase for Amtrak was sponsored by Rep. Steve LaTourette, (R-Ohio). He said he felt sure that the Senate would increase the figure further. The complete bill, of which this is a part, will be voted
on Friday, June 16.
Refuting some myths about long-distance train travel Long distance trains simply do not function in the imaginary ways that government train-haters claim they do. If these train-despising politicians and government lackeys would honestly examine the trains, ride them themselves and take note of who uses them and how, they might realize the falsity of their declarations. For example, in the matter of connectivity among trains, consider the following data collected by a correspondent in March on the westbound CAPITOL LIMITED, train 29: Of the 140 passengers boarding in Washington DC on March
14, 44% had taken another train to connect to No. 29.
Obviously, the connectivity among these trains was important to the ridership of all of them. Where were these people traveling? Listed here are the endpoints of the trips of those connecting to and/or from the CAPITOL: Winter Haven-Los Angeles
Note the great diversity of locations comprising the endpoints
of these people's trips. And these travel patterns are not exclusive
to Train 29-30. All the long distance
When a train-opposing bureaucrat says that
And when they claim that people on long distance
trains have an option of taking low-fare airlines, take another look at
Amtrak reaches age 35 Tunnel work is disrupting Coast Starlight service in Southern California VIA's CANADIAN is back partially on Canadian Pacific rails Amtrak funding action in the Senate Spring-summer schedule changes for St. Louis-Kansas City coming Killing Amtrak slowly from within
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