I've taken a few of the cross country trains. I loved having a roomette to sleep in overnight, but hanging out in the dining car turned out to be a surprising bonus. The dining car couldn't hold all of the train's passengers at once and mostly served the sleeping car passengers (the meals are included in the sleeping car ticket), so we pre-arranged dining times and were seated together to fill the tables -- so as a solo traveller I got to meet my fellow passengers and hear their stories. In those cases, passengers not in the sleeping cars might have been able to eat in the dining car if there were a few places available. I fully understand that expanding the number of dining cars would be required to accommodate all of the passengers -- which would be a good sign of dependable full ridership resulting in more service for everyone. One fond memory was taking the train from Denver to San Francisco, where a number of factors resulted in significant delays. The staff realized that we'd be getting in so much later that they'd need to provide dinner service and managed to improvise and acquire enough food for the unexpected extra meal to keep the passengers nourished and in good spirits.
They’re affordable especially for the distance you’re traveling and time the money isn’t the problem it’s the quality . They can’t lower the price because the people you vote for don’t think a national rail budget is as big of priority as other civilized nations.
As an Amtrak Employee on the Empire Builder it is all of our awesome passengers that make my work a joy. I love meeting y’all and being of service. Keeping riding Amtrak and hope to Welcome Each And Every one of you Aboard!!!!
Would love to see the VPRA-led CSX RF&P Subdivision state-owned third and fourth track projects gain additional Amtrak support to help push it forward! That will be an important project for improving service, making it more efficient along the east coast, and connecting the southeast with the northeast more efficiently along with the S-Line! Love all the projects that are currently taking place.
I recently rode Amtrak (which I love doing - I have an Amtrak Rewards card) from Fresno, CA (Amtrak San Joaquins), via Jack London Square, Oakland, CA to Portland, OR (Coast Starlight), to Milwaukee, WI (Empire Builder), and return. I had a bedroom which I reserved using my points (it now takes almost 2.5 times the points that it did before Covid for the same trip). I know Amtrak is working on replacing the old equipment for long distance trains, but it is way over due. I am hoping Amtrak will add staff at Beech Grove to rebuild, repair and service cars more quickly. Congress has never funded Amtrak appropriately since its' inception to make it a truly viable transportation option. The cars have had new carpet, curtains and seat coverings which is good. Trains, however, are usually late and turn around times are too short to adequately clean each car. I blame the Class 1 railroads for not always following the rules concerning Amtrak operations (they should be held accountable by the people who make the operational rules; i.e., Congress), but I also blame Amtrak management for not checking/inspecting the cleaning and support process like it should be done. For example, the shower/toilet cubicles aren't cleaned well. The walls surrounding the sinks are not cleaned well, if at all - look at the walls in all lighting to see what I mean. Additionally, I hope the designing of the newer cars included input from the customers. It would also be nice to be able to reserve a room using points online rather than have to talk to a ticket agent, but I understand the reasoning. I hope this latest push to make Amtrak better will continue. Changes in Congress may happen soon, but I hope that Congress will realize that passenger rail transportation is essential during times of war. The airlines will not be able to do it all. The United States should always be prepared for its' defense and railroads are a major player in this.
I'm so old, I remember riding on the Desert Wind (CHI-LAX through LAS), the Pioneer (CHI-SEA through DEN and PDX) and the International (TWO-CHI). And let's not forget the Sunset Limited (MIA-LAX).
4:50 Had Stephen waited until Janice finished her question, he would have been able to answer the question she asked. But he just started talking right over her. She asked about routes AND EQUIPMENT. I didn't hear Stephen say anything about equipment - all he talked about was routes and corridors. 8:55 Again, Tanishia asked bout new passenger equipment. The only equipment Stephen touched on, briefly, was the new locomotives, something most passengers really don't care about. Most of his response was about infrastructure. CEOs: learn to LISTEN! 12:49 I think that after 20 years with Amtrak, every "Lead Ticket Agent" should have already ridden every route so as to be able to express an educated opinion when asked by a customer about a particular route. Maybe not as a paid shift, but as a company-paid experience.
"And the question is: Where does it make sense to run passenger trains?" That right there is Amtrak Management's little loophole they love to use. Granted, you're not going to run a train from NYC to South Dakota, I get that. But they seem to be planting that seed of trying to get out of LD service anyway they can.
Correct! Take a look at a less polished Stephen Gardner speaking to the Wall Street Journal in the 2019 clip, "Amtrak's Dying Long-Distance Trains." Gardner states: The narrator claims: "Amtrak wants Congress to untie its hands and allow it to cut its longer, unprofitable routes. The company's management sees opportunity for profits and long-term growth in shorter distance travel." ...at which point Gardner discusses what the company sees as the future of the carrier. "Shorter haul, intercity service between big city pairs, it's the way of the future."
The staff on the trains are all very efficient and friendly. I want to thank them for all they do. Dealing with them is truly part of the fun. I ride the auto train.
Push for a better route in Maine, I understand it's state funded / owned but I'm sure if Amtrak stepped in with federal funding something may actually come of it.
Still waiting for Atlanta to Memphis to Oklahoma City to Albuquerque service with connections at terminal ends to the Crescent and the Southwest Chief.
AMTRAK ROCKS!!! EVERYONE WHO WORKS THERE IS GREAT!! THE BEST OF THE BEST!! If Amtrak doesnt go there, then I dont need to either. Amtrak has come back from farse of covid better than before. Keep going!!
NOW, Amtrak just needs to separate from politics amd the lie of global warming, because there is more scientific proof that we are in a cooling phase, which will change weather patterns. The earth warms and cools, according to the sun and what is going on with it. Not because John Kerry and Al Gore say it's getting warm. Do your own research and ask your own questions of the scientists.
Who can i contact with Amtrak about what is needed from a city/county/state to get a stop in Cave City Kentucky at Mammoth Cave National park between Louisville and Nashville. Like to look at a long term plan and how we could help Amtrak make that happen. How long of an area is needed for stop? Who builds Station, parking, Fuel stop. Cave City is going through a renovation and looking at long term planning, love to plan for a National Park stop, which historically is why Cave City was founded in the first place. What can we do to plan long term for a stop?
That would be your local city council since train stations and airports initial construction costs are tax payer funded with local taxes. I think that is why there are some towns with very small populations that trains stop at, because the people that live there make a yearly investment into their own town's train station for many decades. Here at KC, Amtrak only lives in a tiny portion of the station, the rest of the station is still paid for us taxpayers here in KC, mainly through a 1% local city tax on every dollar earned in salary, and that is in addition to the federal taxes and state taxes that you probably already know. It is also funded by some of the other business tenant at the train station but at this time Amtrak is still losing money and depends heavily on the tax payer at both the local and federal level.
There's a Stephen Gardner video from over a year ago talking about a Tucson to downtown Phoenix commuter train, possibly extending further west to Buckeye, AZ. And vague wishes of getting the old Sunset Ltd. route between Phoenix & Yuma back into service. Any progress?
Well, I know it's an unrealistic pipedream, but still, I'd really love to see more service out of my hometown of Memphis. This city used to be a considerable passenger rail hub, but now we only have the north-and-southbound City of New Orleans. We have a very nice, recently remodeled Central Station, and it sure would be great to be able to catch Amtrak trains going to other great cities in addition to CHI and NOLA. Being semi-retired, I'd love to have the opportunity to experience more variety in travelling on Amtrak, without having to go somewhere else first.
I wish AMTRAK would partner with car rental agencies, the hardest part of taking AMTRAK to a new City is getting a rental close the the station. Love the trains and the easy use of getting through the station to the train.
I'm a volunteer at the Illinois Railway Museum. One of our Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee interurban cars has a reproduction poster inside, informing passengers that they can book a Hertz rental car from several stations by filling a form out with the ticket agent.
What is the problem with restoring the full Sunset Ltd from New Orleans to Jacksonville? This at one time was the only Amtrak line that ran from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, at the same time reconnect Phoenix AZ to this train line.
CSX is the problem. They can barely run their own railroad, much less host any passenger service. Amtrak had to drag them kicking and screaming through court for two years just to open the service from New Orleans to Mobile.
There are MANY things to do at AMTRAK. Here are just a few. DAILY SERVICE on the SUNSET LIMITED and CARDINAL. THROUGH OPERATION of some trains from one route to another and in some cases, simply THROUGH CARS! Routes such as Seattle to Washington on the EMPIRE BUILDER and CAPITOL LIMITED. for example. Twice Daily services on key long distance routes, with trains eight to twelve hours apart. Chicago LA for example.
This interview is a great idea. I like the idea of service and being nice to customers and showing them that you care. An important topic that I would have liked the CEO to address is the relationship between AMTRAK and the host railway companies. There is a federal law that states passenger trains must be given priority but the law has not been enforced. No matter how much updated rolling cars are, if AMTRAK trains are always late, passengers will not be happy. Could AMTRAK and DOT work with the host railways to ensure that passenger trains receive priority especially on the long distance trains?
2:45 Amtrak travel as a vacation in itself was a great option as the US emerged from the pandemic restrictions while travel abroad remained unpredictable.
Amtrak HAS to get the capacity on the long distance trains back to pre pandemic levels. You can’t run two sleepers and two coaches over a two year period and expect to increase ridership. Summers should have three or four sleepers and four or five coaches. When I worked on the Coast Starlight, we ran four sleepers and five coaches in the summers. They were also talking about adding a second dining car to handle the crowds! The demand is there. Unfortunately, the capacity is not.
Take a look at previous past plans for rail lines development/support in rural parts of the US. This will help will provide more passengers support and opportunities in the long run, even after our time.
Would be nice if we could get actual timetables once more. It's so annoying trying to find complete schedules, except where the RPA has made their own.
What advice would you have for people that want to become train conductors for Amtrak? My partner would love to become a train conductor and it seems as though the industry is very competitive. Is there any advice that you could give to him? Also is Amtrak hiring any web developers? 😂
I would like to see the Broadway Limited return. Since New York & Washington, D. C. each have a train to Chicago, why not have the Broadway Limited start from Philadelphia. The Cardinal could be a back up option for all 3 cities. I'd would also like to see the Cardinal 1) Have daily service. 2) Have an actual dining car like the other eastern long distance routes. Also, bring back cloth coach seats. Especially for long distance trains.
What about the new *Acela/Avelia Liberty trains?* are we gonna see them in 2024? I look on Google and TH-cam but don’t see any evidence of further successful testing. Are they scheduled 📅 and slated for fall 🍂 2024?
Houston is America’s fourth largest city, yet we have just 3 trains a week. We are the nations fifth largest metro and are only 250 miles (3.5 hour drive) from the Dallas Forth Worth area which is the nations fourth largest metro area and we have ZERO train service between us. How do you expect me to support rail expansion elsewhere when every study conducted over the last 15 years shows connecting Houston to Dallas is needed desperately and will be profitable yet you only just recently got a little involved and have not articulated to the public in Texas what you’re doing? You need more than a snippet of news and a press release.
What are the things I would like to see improve because there’s gonna be a new train called the Floridian that’s gonna replace the capital limited from Chicago to Washington DC and the Silverstar from New York to Miami well, that train is gonna go Chicago through the Cities that the Capitol limited goes through it will still stop in Washington DC, but will still continue on to Miami Florida And I really wanted to try riding the Capitol limited for a long time but never got the chance to do that I’ve seen videos of it and it was a really cool train ride when I watched those videos before, but because of this new train the Floridian, that’s gonna take over from Chicago to Miami, That will be really nice cause I don’t be able to bring back the traditional Dining like they used to on the Capital limited between Washington DC and Chicago, also what I would like to see improve in addition to that because, as soon as they get to Florida, Orlando is about 45 minutes from Port Canaveral, and because Amtrak does have a Thruway bus, that goes to cities that are not serviced by the Amtrak train, in addition to just the Thruway bus continually service, but they have been, what are the things I would like to see improve is those three-way bus services offering specified transfers between rail stations And hotels such as all Walt Disney World resort, Walt Disney World, Swan, dolphin resort, Disney Springs area, hotels, including the Wyndham Lake, Buena Vista, Disney Springs, all good neighbor, hotels, and Port Canaveral area hotels, as well an offer transfer between those hotels and the cruise terminal for passengers that are sailing on carnival, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Disney, And other cruise lines that sell out of Port Canaveral because Port Canaveral is the busiest cruise terminal in America, so I would like to see those Thruway buses author transfer between those hotels and the Port Canaveral cruise terminal, and then at the end of the cruise, because the Floridian will not leave Orlando until that afternoon, The throughway bus should look into offering a Sightseeing tour to the Kennedy space center on the way back to Orlando and then drop off at the Amtrak station in time to catch the Floridian back to Chicago and I would also like to see the Thruway bus offer specified transfers between Chicago Union Station And many of the downtown hotels, Washington DC Union Station and many of the downtown hotels, Los Angeles, Union Station to many of the downtown hotels, including hotels in San Pedro, where princess Cruise line leaves from to go to Mexico, and Hawaii during the winter month and hotels in the Long Beach area for passengers that is sailing on carnival, cruise line and all carnival cruise lines that are going to Mexico leave out of Long Beach. They should also have those three-way buses offer specified transfer between the Seattle team Street station and many of the downtown hotel for people that want to visit the city for one and for cruise travelers. And then on the day at the Cruise, author, those transfers between those hotels, and the cruise terminal are vacation day for well, Caribbean, princess, celebrity, Norwegian, Holland, America, and Carnival for all Cruise days and then at the end of the cruise, after those transfers from the cruise terminal because the empire builder is not leave Seattle till 455 they should look into offering an option to visit the SpaceNeedle before leaving on the Empire builder and have a lunch stop at market before arriving at the King Street station in time to catch the 4:55 PM When the train ride in Seattle coming from Chicago, they should have the option to author a sightseeing tour of Seattle that will last all day with a one hour lunch stop at Place market before continuing with the tour because check in at the many of the downtown hotels or anywhere between 3 PM And 4 PM and check out is anywhere between 11 AM and 12 noon and then offer specified transfers between the Jacksonville Tampa Kissimmee, Savannah in Miami train station and many at the hotels, including all Miami downtown hotels so that way passengers do not have to always Uber or Lyft every time they have to go from the train station to those hotels I’m not saying they have to use our services, but I’m giving them an option to use those services in addition to just purchasing your tickets, when you make the reservation, the reservation is asked the customers would you like specified transfers between the Station and The Hotel? And then put that into the reservation and then also starting from January 1, 2025 all the way through December 31, 2025, because The Ford will not arrive in Orlando until 10:07 AM, if you are staying on property at the Walt Disney World resort, you will get free admission to eat at Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park, or typhoon lagoon waterpark on the first day of a arrival before check-in begins so just wanted to share that with you that this is gonna start happening from January 1 all the way through December 31 up next year also want to let you know that Epic universe, which is at Universal Studios in Orlando, it’s gonna open up next year And nobody be having two new hotels at that theme park so if he’s gonna look into having the three-way bus service author, those transfers between the Amtrak station and all Universal area hotels in addition to Jeff The, Hotel, but I just mentioned above, that would be great and appreciate it so I just wanted to share that with you. Let me know what you guys think and we’ll go from there.
Maybe focus on more practical routes for people traveling cross country. The long distance service is terribly slow and impractical and you need bigger ideas than just serving Boston-DC. Incredibly disappointing to hear the CEO saying "trains don't make sense everywhere"
If someone wanted to get into PTC engineering who currently works in an IT engineering role, what would be the best way to get qualifications for a role like that at Amtrak?
@@mcleodm19 Keep in mind, the brass at Amtrak have their own private "business car." So it's not likely you'll be chatting with him in line at the cafe car.
@@mcleodm19he definitely has taking multiple 4+ hour trips on the train. I remember another video with him talking about his love of trains starting as a kid.
We need a train to get from ATL to FL (Orlando and the tourist destinations, specifically cruise ports) Instead it goes from ATL to DC then back down to FL.
@@SynchroScore State partnerships. Converting the full system to passenger only tracks is unrealistic, but you can still do it on a smaller scale. If you look at Virginia, VPRA is about to begin a series of projects that will eventually create a third and fourth mainline track on the RF&P Subdivision. The third and fourth track will be owned by the state for passenger traffic.
@@MrMarshmallow26 A smaller scale, much smaller, in fact. It is possible for some lines, but it depends on states actually contributing, and the availability of lines to be purchased, like in Michigan. Or where it's possible to add another track, and I have a feeling that the RF&P had those tracks available for the state to purchase, or had them in the past with the existing right-of-way, bridges and such still there, just needing to be relaid. But like all simple answers to complex problems, it has no chance of being a complete solution.
@@SynchroScore The tracks never existed before but the RF&P right-of-way was cleared for four tracks between DC and Richmond for most of the way, so VPRA bought off the extra right-of-way, so yes. Essentially it’s two corridors in one.
Anything south of DC is totally neglected in my opinion but I have to remind myself they are on the freight companies tracks, so not a whole lot of say so
@@Zeromyhero-o6o Auto Train and Virginia services don’t do too bad of a job. Palmetto and Carolinian are okay too. Eventually Virginia will build a passenger-only third and fourth mainline track on the RF&P between DC and Richmond. The S-Line project is also underway.
It’s kinda hard given that’s the only corridor Amtrak really has true authority over. But when you do more research on your own you’ll notice that there are projects in other parts of the system, such as Virginia who is preparing to construct a third and fourth passenger-only mainline track on the RF&P (DC-Richmond) and is also working on the S-Line project in partnership with North Carolina.
Restore all the sleeping cars that you had running before covid! you have 20 stored viewliner sleepers wasted in yards not making money. Your new Florida train has 2 sleepers, and crew takes up 5 of those rooms...4 cars are needed AND you have them in storage..Also when you cancel a train you need to arrange transportation for the passengers do not tell them to figure out how to get home. Your paid by the taxpayer! not some wall street hedge Fund
FREIGHT rail network. Not passenger rail network. Focus on intercity routes Eva us long distance trains don’t even break even and are absolute money pits because you are to pay to constantly maintain the infrastructure as labor. Compared to airline flights it’s just not worth it. Miami to New York, $190+, and it takes 25 hours. Flights are cheaper and take 3 hours. The new Acela trains can’t even come close to their top speeds on the existing rails of the NEC. Focus more on not being a money pit for taxpayers that needs to be constantly bailed out over and over again and start focusing on making money
Sarcastically speaking its great service, especially south of DC on the Norfolk Southern, CSX Transportation, BNSF and Union Pacific 😒 They care more about the northeast corridor
@@Zeromyhero-o6o Okay. Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts regarding this subject. New York, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, and Washington DC Amtrak 🚆🚂 train service is the greatest
Full restoration of traditional dining service on all the long distance routes would be wonderful!
Including the Auto Train
@@TheSoftballstar1261 Auto Train already has traditional dining.
I've taken a few of the cross country trains. I loved having a roomette to sleep in overnight, but hanging out in the dining car turned out to be a surprising bonus. The dining car couldn't hold all of the train's passengers at once and mostly served the sleeping car passengers (the meals are included in the sleeping car ticket), so we pre-arranged dining times and were seated together to fill the tables -- so as a solo traveller I got to meet my fellow passengers and hear their stories.
In those cases, passengers not in the sleeping cars might have been able to eat in the dining car if there were a few places available. I fully understand that expanding the number of dining cars would be required to accommodate all of the passengers -- which would be a good sign of dependable full ridership resulting in more service for everyone.
One fond memory was taking the train from Denver to San Francisco, where a number of factors resulted in significant delays. The staff realized that we'd be getting in so much later that they'd need to provide dinner service and managed to improvise and acquire enough food for the unexpected extra meal to keep the passengers nourished and in good spirits.
More affordable roomettes and bedrooms on long-distance trains.
This ^
The challenge is those services already lose money and are subsidized by the NEC profits and other urban routes. I do agree they are high at peak.
They’re affordable especially for the distance you’re traveling and time the money isn’t the problem it’s the quality . They can’t lower the price because the people you vote for don’t think a national rail budget is as big of priority as other civilized nations.
I wish you could book a single bed, rather than an entire room, like in most countries.
Definitely more affordable those roommates bedroom prices are ridiculous
As an Amtrak Employee on the Empire Builder it is all of our awesome passengers that make my work a joy. I love meeting y’all and being of service. Keeping riding Amtrak and hope to Welcome Each And Every one of you Aboard!!!!
Restore Sightseer Lounges on the Capitol Limited and Texas Eagle and make traditional dining systemwide again!
Would love to see the VPRA-led CSX RF&P Subdivision state-owned third and fourth track projects gain additional Amtrak support to help push it forward! That will be an important project for improving service, making it more efficient along the east coast, and connecting the southeast with the northeast more efficiently along with the S-Line! Love all the projects that are currently taking place.
I recently rode Amtrak (which I love doing - I have an Amtrak Rewards card) from Fresno, CA (Amtrak San Joaquins), via Jack London Square, Oakland, CA to Portland, OR (Coast Starlight), to Milwaukee, WI (Empire Builder), and return. I had a bedroom which I reserved using my points (it now takes almost 2.5 times the points that it did before Covid for the same trip). I know Amtrak is working on replacing the old equipment for long distance trains, but it is way over due. I am hoping Amtrak will add staff at Beech Grove to rebuild, repair and service cars more quickly. Congress has never funded Amtrak appropriately since its' inception to make it a truly viable transportation option. The cars have had new carpet, curtains and seat coverings which is good. Trains, however, are usually late and turn around times are too short to adequately clean each car. I blame the Class 1 railroads for not always following the rules concerning Amtrak operations (they should be held accountable by the people who make the operational rules; i.e., Congress), but I also blame Amtrak management for not checking/inspecting the cleaning and support process like it should be done. For example, the shower/toilet cubicles aren't cleaned well. The walls surrounding the sinks are not cleaned well, if at all - look at the walls in all lighting to see what I mean. Additionally, I hope the designing of the newer cars included input from the customers. It would also be nice to be able to reserve a room using points online rather than have to talk to a ticket agent, but I understand the reasoning. I hope this latest push to make Amtrak better will continue. Changes in Congress may happen soon, but I hope that Congress will realize that passenger rail transportation is essential during times of war. The airlines will not be able to do it all. The United States should always be prepared for its' defense and railroads are a major player in this.
You really think the congress critters give a rat's pitootey about us?
A war they instigated?
"We have the largest rail network on earth..." = TRUE! It's also true that 85% of that map is ignored. For decades.
America is 100 years behind China on rail travel - we are in the horse and buggy stage of light rail - it is beyond embarrassing
I'm so old, I remember riding on the Desert Wind (CHI-LAX through LAS), the Pioneer (CHI-SEA through DEN and PDX) and the International (TWO-CHI).
And let's not forget the Sunset Limited (MIA-LAX).
Yay! The video clip of the Borealis coming into Columbus WI is mine! Got over 70k miles with Amtrak and glad to Add the Borealis to my list! :-)
Time for high speed rail!!
We'd need to build an entirely new corridor
If it's going to happen, it won't be with Amtrak.
See Brightline.
@@TheBadCivilServantAmtrak took over the Dallas to Houston high speed rail project.
4:50 Had Stephen waited until Janice finished her question, he would have been able to answer the question she asked. But he just started talking right over her. She asked about routes AND EQUIPMENT. I didn't hear Stephen say anything about equipment - all he talked about was routes and corridors.
8:55 Again, Tanishia asked bout new passenger equipment. The only equipment Stephen touched on, briefly, was the new locomotives, something most passengers really don't care about. Most of his response was about infrastructure.
CEOs: learn to LISTEN!
12:49 I think that after 20 years with Amtrak, every "Lead Ticket Agent" should have already ridden every route so as to be able to express an educated opinion when asked by a customer about a particular route. Maybe not as a paid shift, but as a company-paid experience.
need more trains in the Midwest
Have you heard of the Rio Grande Plan in SLC? That’s sure to bring more trains to the crossroads of the west.
Talk to your state governments and legislators! They fund most of amtraks expansions, not federal dollars. See Virginia and North carolina
Still waiting for New Orleans to Baton Rouge to Lafayette to Shreveport service.
Viva Amtrak!
"And the question is: Where does it make sense to run passenger trains?"
That right there is Amtrak Management's little loophole they love to use. Granted, you're not going to run a train from NYC to South Dakota, I get that. But they seem to be planting that seed of trying to get out of LD service anyway they can.
Correct! Take a look at a less polished Stephen Gardner speaking to the Wall Street Journal in the 2019 clip, "Amtrak's Dying Long-Distance Trains." Gardner states:
The narrator claims:
"Amtrak wants Congress to untie its hands and allow it to cut its longer, unprofitable routes. The company's management sees opportunity for profits and long-term growth in shorter distance travel."
...at which point Gardner discusses what the company sees as the future of the carrier.
"Shorter haul, intercity service between big city pairs, it's the way of the future."
The staff on the trains are all very efficient and friendly. I want to thank them for all they do. Dealing with them is truly part of the fun. I ride the auto train.
Push for a better route in Maine, I understand it's state funded / owned but I'm sure if Amtrak stepped in with federal funding something may actually come of it.
Still waiting for Atlanta to Memphis to Oklahoma City to Albuquerque service with connections at terminal ends to the Crescent and the Southwest Chief.
Maglev it
Any plans for service from Palm Springs/Indio into Los Angeles ?
Agree, just don't Caltrans run them!
Thank you Stephen. Lets get the 3C Corridor done!
You forgot about Dayton.
Everyone forgot about Dayton
AMTRAK ROCKS!!! EVERYONE WHO WORKS THERE IS GREAT!! THE BEST OF THE BEST!! If Amtrak doesnt go there, then I dont need to either. Amtrak has come back from farse of covid better than before. Keep going!!
Can you take over SNJ, except for the AC line, NJT forgot we exist and we are growing and traffic on our highways is crazy and jammed up...
NOW, Amtrak just needs to separate from politics amd the lie of global warming, because there is more scientific proof that we are in a cooling phase, which will change weather patterns. The earth warms and cools, according to the sun and what is going on with it. Not because John Kerry and Al Gore say it's getting warm. Do your own research and ask your own questions of the scientists.
I often ride Amtrak and appreciate this video. It's nice to hear about what's being worked on.
More user-friendly website that easily allows one to price up an anticipated trip in advance of making actual reservations.
Increase the frequency on the Ethan Allen Express, get it down under 7 hours from Burlington to New York, and extend it to Montreal!
Still waiting for trains running from Nashville to Louisville thru to Chicago. And a train from Cleveland to Cincinnati. Probably never happen.
Who can i contact with Amtrak about what is needed from a city/county/state to get a stop in Cave City Kentucky at Mammoth Cave National park between Louisville and Nashville. Like to look at a long term plan and how we could help Amtrak make that happen.
How long of an area is needed for stop? Who builds Station, parking, Fuel stop. Cave City is going through a renovation and looking at long term planning, love to plan for a National Park stop, which historically is why Cave City was founded in the first place. What can we do to plan long term for a stop?
That would be your local city council since train stations and airports initial construction costs are tax payer funded with local taxes. I think that is why there are some towns with very small populations that trains stop at, because the people that live there make a yearly investment into their own town's train station for many decades. Here at KC, Amtrak only lives in a tiny portion of the station, the rest of the station is still paid for us taxpayers here in KC, mainly through a 1% local city tax on every dollar earned in salary, and that is in addition to the federal taxes and state taxes that you probably already know. It is also funded by some of the other business tenant at the train station but at this time Amtrak is still losing money and depends heavily on the tax payer at both the local and federal level.
We need a ticket agent/ticket station in Roanoke virginia ?
There's a Stephen Gardner video from over a year ago talking about a Tucson to downtown Phoenix commuter train, possibly extending further west to Buckeye, AZ. And vague wishes of getting the old Sunset Ltd. route between Phoenix & Yuma back into service. Any progress?
Tucson to Phoenix appears to be struggling politically as of February 2024 due to a bill to prevent funding to this project.
Well, I know it's an unrealistic pipedream, but still, I'd really love to see more service out of my hometown of Memphis. This city used to be a considerable passenger rail hub, but now we only have the north-and-southbound City of New Orleans. We have a very nice, recently remodeled Central Station, and it sure would be great to be able to catch Amtrak trains going to other great cities in addition to CHI and NOLA. Being semi-retired, I'd love to have the opportunity to experience more variety in travelling on Amtrak, without having to go somewhere else first.
The railroad is a future-proof concept for mobility and logistics. I wish you all the best!
I wish AMTRAK would partner with car rental agencies, the hardest part of taking AMTRAK to a new City is getting a rental close the the station. Love the trains and the easy use of getting through the station to the train.
I'm a volunteer at the Illinois Railway Museum. One of our Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee interurban cars has a reproduction poster inside, informing passengers that they can book a Hertz rental car from several stations by filling a form out with the ticket agent.
Thank you for the information, you guys are the best, @amtrak, you too, Stephen Gardner.
Appreciate my home station featured at 7:00!
What is the problem with restoring the full Sunset Ltd from New Orleans to Jacksonville? This at one time was the only Amtrak line that ran from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, at the same time reconnect Phoenix AZ to this train line.
CSX is the problem. They can barely run their own railroad, much less host any passenger service. Amtrak had to drag them kicking and screaming through court for two years just to open the service from New Orleans to Mobile.
There are MANY things to do at AMTRAK. Here are just a few. DAILY SERVICE on the SUNSET LIMITED and CARDINAL. THROUGH OPERATION of some trains from one route to another and in some cases, simply THROUGH CARS! Routes such as Seattle to Washington on the EMPIRE BUILDER and CAPITOL LIMITED. for example. Twice Daily services on key long distance routes, with trains eight to twelve hours apart. Chicago LA for example.
This interview is a great idea. I like the idea of service and being nice to customers and showing them that you care. An important topic that I would have liked the CEO to address is the relationship between AMTRAK and the host railway companies. There is a federal law that states passenger trains must be given priority but the law has not been enforced. No matter how much updated rolling cars are, if AMTRAK trains are always late, passengers will not be happy. Could AMTRAK and DOT work with the host railways to ensure that passenger trains receive priority especially on the long distance trains?
2:45 Amtrak travel as a vacation in itself was a great option as the US emerged from the pandemic restrictions while travel abroad remained unpredictable.
Amtrak HAS to get the capacity on the long distance trains back to pre pandemic levels. You can’t run two sleepers and two coaches over a two year period and expect to increase ridership. Summers should have three or four sleepers and four or five coaches. When I worked on the Coast Starlight, we ran four sleepers and five coaches in the summers. They were also talking about adding a second dining car to handle the crowds! The demand is there. Unfortunately, the capacity is not.
We need the Rio Grande Plan in Salt Lake City!!!!
Take a look at previous past plans for rail lines development/support in rural parts of the US. This will help will provide more passengers support and opportunities in the long run, even after our time.
I believe there are plans for service to the Phoenix area. I am looking forward to that, since I go to that area from California once or twice a year.
im going to be a new cruiser on trains.from Tampa to Toledo, round trip just to do it
Let's get the Adirondack down to 7/8 hours and no summer shutdown!
7/8 hours from what, what locations
Pumped for talks with Stephen!
I can't wait to take the amtrak from Baltimore to Wilmington Delaware on New Year's Eve Day
Would be nice if we could get actual timetables once more. It's so annoying trying to find complete schedules, except where the RPA has made their own.
They gotta improve the website. Its clunky going through the train times
What advice would you have for people that want to become train conductors for Amtrak?
My partner would love to become a train conductor and it seems as though the industry is very competitive. Is there any advice that you could give to him?
Also is Amtrak hiring any web developers? 😂
I would like to see the Broadway Limited return. Since New York & Washington, D. C. each have a train to Chicago, why not have the Broadway Limited start from Philadelphia. The Cardinal could be a back up option for all 3 cities. I'd would also like to see the Cardinal 1) Have daily service. 2) Have an actual dining car like the other eastern long distance routes. Also, bring back cloth coach seats. Especially for long distance trains.
Detroit has been neglected for years now. When will we get our new or updated train station????
But what about the new Acelas?)
What about the new *Acela/Avelia Liberty trains?* are we gonna see them in 2024? I look on Google and TH-cam but don’t see any evidence of further successful testing. Are they scheduled 📅 and slated for fall 🍂 2024?
As Gardner said interview, he hopes they start service soon. You know it’s bad when the CEO can’t even project a start date anymore.
We need a straight up new corridor on the NEC
Big up my yardies! 🇯🇲
Commuters are considered a little less than Freight which is steerage which just means they had excess room. Freight still takes priority.
Houston is America’s fourth largest city, yet we have just 3 trains a week. We are the nations fifth largest metro and are only 250 miles (3.5 hour drive) from the Dallas Forth Worth area which is the nations fourth largest metro area and we have ZERO train service between us. How do you expect me to support rail expansion elsewhere when every study conducted over the last 15 years shows connecting Houston to Dallas is needed desperately and will be profitable yet you only just recently got a little involved and have not articulated to the public in Texas what you’re doing? You need more than a snippet of news and a press release.
Will the Avelia trains ever run?
What are the things I would like to see improve because there’s gonna be a new train called the Floridian that’s gonna replace the capital limited from Chicago to Washington DC and the Silverstar from New York to Miami well, that train is gonna go Chicago through the Cities that the Capitol limited goes through it will still stop in Washington DC, but will still continue on to Miami Florida And I really wanted to try riding the Capitol limited for a long time but never got the chance to do that I’ve seen videos of it and it was a really cool train ride when I watched those videos before, but because of this new train the Floridian, that’s gonna take over from Chicago to Miami, That will be really nice cause I don’t be able to bring back the traditional Dining like they used to on the Capital limited between Washington DC and Chicago, also what I would like to see improve in addition to that because, as soon as they get to Florida, Orlando is about 45 minutes from Port Canaveral, and because Amtrak does have a Thruway bus, that goes to cities that are not serviced by the Amtrak train, in addition to just the Thruway bus continually service, but they have been, what are the things I would like to see improve is those three-way bus services offering specified transfers between rail stations And hotels such as all Walt Disney World resort, Walt Disney World, Swan, dolphin resort, Disney Springs area, hotels, including the Wyndham Lake, Buena Vista, Disney Springs, all good neighbor, hotels, and Port Canaveral area hotels, as well an offer transfer between those hotels and the cruise terminal for passengers that are sailing on carnival, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Disney, And other cruise lines that sell out of Port Canaveral because Port Canaveral is the busiest cruise terminal in America, so I would like to see those Thruway buses author transfer between those hotels and the Port Canaveral cruise terminal, and then at the end of the cruise, because the Floridian will not leave Orlando until that afternoon, The throughway bus should look into offering a Sightseeing tour to the Kennedy space center on the way back to Orlando and then drop off at the Amtrak station in time to catch the Floridian back to Chicago and I would also like to see the Thruway bus offer specified transfers between Chicago Union Station And many of the downtown hotels, Washington DC Union Station and many of the downtown hotels, Los Angeles, Union Station to many of the downtown hotels, including hotels in San Pedro, where princess Cruise line leaves from to go to Mexico, and Hawaii during the winter month and hotels in the Long Beach area for passengers that is sailing on carnival, cruise line and all carnival cruise lines that are going to Mexico leave out of Long Beach. They should also have those three-way buses offer specified transfer between the Seattle team Street station and many of the downtown hotel for people that want to visit the city for one and for cruise travelers. And then on the day at the Cruise, author, those transfers between those hotels, and the cruise terminal are vacation day for well, Caribbean, princess, celebrity, Norwegian, Holland, America, and Carnival for all Cruise days and then at the end of the cruise, after those transfers from the cruise terminal because the empire builder is not leave Seattle till 455 they should look into offering an option to visit the SpaceNeedle before leaving on the Empire builder and have a lunch stop at market before arriving at the King Street station in time to catch the 4:55 PM When the train ride in Seattle coming from Chicago, they should have the option to author a sightseeing tour of Seattle that will last all day with a one hour lunch stop at Place market before continuing with the tour because check in at the many of the downtown hotels or anywhere between 3 PM And 4 PM and check out is anywhere between 11 AM and 12 noon and then offer specified transfers between the Jacksonville Tampa Kissimmee, Savannah in Miami train station and many at the hotels, including all Miami downtown hotels so that way passengers do not have to always Uber or Lyft every time they have to go from the train station to those hotels I’m not saying they have to use our services, but I’m giving them an option to use those services in addition to just purchasing your tickets, when you make the reservation, the reservation is asked the customers would you like specified transfers between the Station and The Hotel? And then put that into the reservation and then also starting from January 1, 2025 all the way through December 31, 2025, because The Ford will not arrive in Orlando until 10:07 AM, if you are staying on property at the Walt Disney World resort, you will get free admission to eat at Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park, or typhoon lagoon waterpark on the first day of a arrival before check-in begins so just wanted to share that with you that this is gonna start happening from January 1 all the way through December 31 up next year also want to let you know that Epic universe, which is at Universal Studios in Orlando, it’s gonna open up next year And nobody be having two new hotels at that theme park so if he’s gonna look into having the three-way bus service author, those transfers between the Amtrak station and all Universal area hotels in addition to Jeff The, Hotel, but I just mentioned above, that would be great and appreciate it so I just wanted to share that with you. Let me know what you guys think and we’ll go from there.
Maybe focus on more practical routes for people traveling cross country. The long distance service is terribly slow and impractical and you need bigger ideas than just serving Boston-DC. Incredibly disappointing to hear the CEO saying "trains don't make sense everywhere"
If someone wanted to get into PTC engineering who currently works in an IT engineering role, what would be the best way to get qualifications for a role like that at Amtrak?
Hard sleeper cars would be great
I think that a security check should be implemented
expand the downeaster to rockland!!
Have a ticket agent back in the westerly station
DEI here
What do you mean?
Has the ceo gone on a 4 plus hour trip?
Highly doubt he rides the train more than a few times a year
@@mcleodm19 Keep in mind, the brass at Amtrak have their own private "business car." So it's not likely you'll be chatting with him in line at the cafe car.
@@mcleodm19he definitely has taking multiple 4+ hour trips on the train. I remember another video with him talking about his love of trains starting as a kid.
Have the rolling stock washed and clean on the exterior when in revenue service. Too many dirty when in operation. Thanks.
We need a train to get from ATL to FL (Orlando and the tourist destinations, specifically cruise ports)
Instead it goes from ATL to DC then back down to FL.
Get your own tracks and stop playing second fiddle to freight!!!!!!!
There's a reason they're using freight tracks.
And how are they going to pay for that?
@@SynchroScore State partnerships. Converting the full system to passenger only tracks is unrealistic, but you can still do it on a smaller scale. If you look at Virginia, VPRA is about to begin a series of projects that will eventually create a third and fourth mainline track on the RF&P Subdivision. The third and fourth track will be owned by the state for passenger traffic.
@@MrMarshmallow26 A smaller scale, much smaller, in fact. It is possible for some lines, but it depends on states actually contributing, and the availability of lines to be purchased, like in Michigan. Or where it's possible to add another track, and I have a feeling that the RF&P had those tracks available for the state to purchase, or had them in the past with the existing right-of-way, bridges and such still there, just needing to be relaid. But like all simple answers to complex problems, it has no chance of being a complete solution.
@@SynchroScore The tracks never existed before but the RF&P right-of-way was cleared for four tracks between DC and Richmond for most of the way, so VPRA bought off the extra right-of-way, so yes. Essentially it’s two corridors in one.
Go back to Colombus Ohio and maybe add a state supported route to Maryland and more for the underserved states
Schedule, Schedule, Schedule
✌🏾
AMTRAK is an eastern oriented passenger railroad😢
Anything south of DC is totally neglected in my opinion but I have to remind myself they are on the freight companies tracks, so not a whole lot of say so
@@Zeromyhero-o6o Auto Train and Virginia services don’t do too bad of a job. Palmetto and Carolinian are okay too. Eventually Virginia will build a passenger-only third and fourth mainline track on the RF&P between DC and Richmond. The S-Line project is also underway.
Amtrak has to be more commercially minded. It has to be willing to do projects with private investors/companies such as Brightline.
This guy has such bad vibes. He “owns” the room in a bad way and I don’t think he went more than 2 minutes without saying “northeast corridor”
It’s kinda hard given that’s the only corridor Amtrak really has true authority over. But when you do more research on your own you’ll notice that there are projects in other parts of the system, such as Virginia who is preparing to construct a third and fourth passenger-only mainline track on the RF&P (DC-Richmond) and is also working on the S-Line project in partnership with North Carolina.
Just barebones sleeper cars.
Restore 406 to running condition put the diesel engine back in it .
As long as you have to fight against the freight RR your gonna lose unfortunately outside of the NEC
Restore all the sleeping cars that you had running before covid! you have 20 stored viewliner sleepers wasted in yards not making money. Your new Florida train has 2 sleepers, and crew takes up 5 of those rooms...4 cars are needed AND you have them in storage..Also when you cancel a train you need to arrange transportation for the passengers do not tell them to figure out how to get home. Your paid by the taxpayer! not some wall street hedge Fund
FREIGHT rail network. Not passenger rail network. Focus on intercity routes Eva us long distance trains don’t even break even and are absolute money pits because you are to pay to constantly maintain the infrastructure as labor. Compared to airline flights it’s just not worth it. Miami to New York, $190+, and it takes 25 hours. Flights are cheaper and take 3 hours. The new Acela trains can’t even come close to their top speeds on the existing rails of the NEC. Focus more on not being a money pit for taxpayers that needs to be constantly bailed out over and over again and start focusing on making money
Focus on journeys under 250 miles ending in larger cities. Long-distance is a huge money loser.
Bring back the Arrive magazine on the trains
“Host” railroads sounds so sinister, probably because they are. Buy their tracks out!
Does Amtrak hire heritage Americans to work on its trains or are these jobs strictly reserved for Black people?
What is “heritage Americans”?? Amtrak doesn’t reserve jobs, grow a brain. Everyone is welcome to apply.
A bunch of PR. I'd rather take a Flixbus
Why?
@@darthmaul216 $10 one-way vs $30. Amtrak is even slightly slower and is more susceptible to freight delays than buses are to traffic.
Amtrak 🚆🚂 train service is the greatest.
Sarcastically speaking its great service, especially south of DC on the Norfolk Southern, CSX Transportation, BNSF and Union Pacific 😒 They care more about the northeast corridor
@@Zeromyhero-o6o Okay. Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts regarding this subject. New York, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, and Washington DC Amtrak 🚆🚂 train service is the greatest
We need to build more sidings in Texas🫡I’ll help