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Amtrak

Anonymous Mon 18 Sep 2017 14:47:33 No.1110004 View View Reply Original Report

Quoted By: >>1110055 >>1110094 >>1110129 >>1110271

I'm on the standard local non-Acela northeast regional train, but we're still going fast enough to be considered high speed rail (>120 mph), and the ticket was over $100 cheaper just for the half of the route I'm taking. Why would anyone pay three times as much to only save 10 minutes on a 4-5 hour trip? Does it only exist for ripping off people dumb enough to pay for it?

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 18 Sep 2017 17:07:44 No.1110043 Report

Quoted By: >>1110123

It's usually more like 30-45 minutes for D.C.-NY and well over an hour for D.C.-Boston, which is still questionable, but that time is worth it for some people. The Acela doesn't have any economy seating; it's all business or first class, so the difference is actually just $100. People like Chris Christie ride the Acela. It'd also be hypothetically faster, as their new trainsets can do almost 200MPH and the Northeast Regional is only capable of 125, but Amtrak lacks the capital to build out full HSR service.

Basically, there's enough people willing to pay for 30-45 minutes at a $100 premium so Amtrak does so. Most people don't give a shit and opt for the Regional, which is why many more Regional trains run each day than Acelas.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 18 Sep 2017 17:31:19 No.1110055 Report

Quoted By:

>>1110004
Expense accounts. There were stretches where my dad was commuting from Boston to NYC more or less 2-3 days a week, and his company paid for him to ride the Acela Express because he could catch the 6AM train in Westwood and make 9:30 meetings in Manhattan. Everyone slept for the first hour or two on the train, and started doing work at New Haven or so.

The other "bonus" was that employees could work and make phone calls on it on the way home as well.

Every so often, I treat myself to it because I like the Acela's interior so much more than the Regional's, but it's not worth the extra money unless you're a railfan or someone else is footing the bill.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 18 Sep 2017 19:37:44 No.1110094 Report

Quoted By: >>1110123 >>1110134

>>1110004
In fact, why would anyone want to pay so much extra cash between NY and Philadelphia if you can just take NJT/SEPTA?

The only issue is the transfer in Trenton, as it's not a good place to be waiting for a long time.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 18 Sep 2017 21:08:54 No.1110123 Report

Quoted By:

>>1110043
I thought DC-NY was the only part it can go faster on because CT's tracks suck, there isn't room to straighten them out so there are a bunch of sharp turns, and there are grade crossings and old bridges they have to slow down for.
>>1110094
MetroNorth ends in New Haven and the mbta commuter rail ends in Providence, so there isn't a way to get between those without Amtrak or buses (Shore Line East goes to New London but it's actually part of Amtrak, and you'd still need to get to Providence from there).

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 18 Sep 2017 21:16:59 No.1110129 Report

Quoted By:

>>1110004
I commuted between NYC and DC for a couple of months. If I recall correctly the Acela version occasionally made the difference between being able to make a morning meeting in DC from my home in NYC, and having to do an overnight trip. More often though it was just an excuse to avoid having to smell baby stink, backpacker stink, and college kid stink. The cars just smelled nicer.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 18 Sep 2017 21:32:18 No.1110134 Report

Quoted By:

>>1110094
>In fact, why would anyone want to pay so much extra cash between NY and Philadelphia if you can just take NJT/SEPTA?
Because they don't want to ride around with the deplorable and degenerate?

Nathan Bedford Forrest

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Nathan Bedford Forrest Tue 19 Sep 2017 07:44:08 No.1110271 Report

Quoted By: >>1111059

>>1110004
>Why would anyone pay three times as much to only save 10 minutes on a 4-5 hour trip? Does it only exist for ripping off people dumb enough to pay for it?
>Acela is actually considered one of the profitable Amtrak lines

What are they planning to do with the old Acela trainsets once they're replaced with the Avelia Liberty (God what a terrible name) anyway? Scrap them? Sell them to California to use on the HSR?

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 21 Sep 2017 00:35:13 No.1110896 Report

Quoted By:

Acela is for lobbyists and vultures who couldn't be bothered to travel with the poors

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 21 Sep 2017 15:39:00 No.1111059 Report

Quoted By:

>>1110271
Probably either use them as backup trainsets or for Keystone service.

The patrician option would be to push for New York getting a grant to electrify the Empire State Corridor up to at least Albany, so the old Acela trainsets can replace the old Rohr Turboliners.

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