Recent content by lordsigma

Whether flex or the cafe car is "worse" is fairly subjective and highly dependent on one's individual tastes or food choices. In general I'm going to go for a full meal for dinner over a microwave gas station burger or hot dog. But if one cannot eat or does not have an interest in any of the...

There is a hint in RPA’s hotline that eventual menu and portion size changes being a part of it. So they could conscievably totally change the actual meal to make it more suitable to this format / maybe something more like the pre flex Diner lite on the lake shore and Crescent and still just...

RPA confirmed in today’s hotline that effective June 1 the Crescent will receive a Viewliner 2 dining car back to the consist. Flex dining will continue to be served in the diner but it will be fully plated with table cloths, flowers on the table, etc. They have recently introduced this new...

Also were you on the lower level? I've noticed in the lower level rooms it's way rougher than upstairs.

Well hopefully they’ve realized that too and that’s why they’re trying out bringing it back and hopefully it will expanded across the route and to other routes as well.

Upon closer inspection of the comments they talked to the staff member and it sounds like it's a new happy hour pilot program that they are experimenting with on that leg of that route. The new long distance equipment is talking about having a bar in the lounge as a major concept so maybe...

Huh? A whole lot of assumptions being made there. Securing alternative bus transportation has not been as much of a sure thing since the pandemic.

Last time I had flex was on the Crescent - I don't see it as much because the Silvers, which are the LD trains I take most frequently, have traditional dining again. The chicken enchiladas I found halfway decent. The chicken parm was alright too, Those are the only two I tried on the current...

I think from the point of view of comparison it depends on how you look at it. Some of the airlines offer complementary snacks and soft drinks which Amtrak doesn't yes (not all of course with low cost carriers like Spirit charging.) However if you consider it from the point of view of what's...

I think another thing I'd say is this. Don't get me wrong - I'm not morally dead set against the idea. I just think sometimes with some of these things related to OBS it's about choosing your battles. One thing with F&B is that as long as threads exist here about food and dining someone will...

Sleeper fares are market and demand based and priced based on what the market will bear. This is why people are complaining so much about what the sleeper fares are. Coach fares are kept relatively flat to keep the coach seats relatively accessible as part of their essential service mission on...

The engineers are already based in Brattleboro so if they were going to do something it may end up being there. The union has fought to protect the Brattleboro crew base when management has in the past looked at moving the engineers to Springfield like the conductors are. Another possibility is...

Why should Amtrak long distance coach passengers get complementary items? If you take into account what one can purchase in the cafe there are way more options than what's available on domestic coach. You're paying for it one way or the other. Amtrak long distance coach fares are highly...

Amtrak decides the menus and chooses the product internally. Aramark's role at Amtrak is basically just a logistical middle man operating the commissaries for them. The flexible dining meals are not produced internally by Aramark - they are the product of another vendor. They may use some...

The engineers wouldn’t have to go quite as far as the Vermonter engineers are out of Brattleboro. The northbound job lays over in St. Albans like the Springfield based conductors do. The southbound job runs down to Springfield on the southbound train and then takes the northbound back to...