Amtrak: on right track at last?
Much-maligned Amtrak is reaching record-setting rider numbers while railroad officials are looking at new ways to improve its 15 national routes in a move that could potentially give passengers more viable alternatives to air travel.
“The push for upgrades comes as Amtrak is on pace for record ridership this year, carrying a best-ever 13.6 million passengers in the first half of fiscal year 2010. That’s a 4.3-percent increase over the same period last year,” reports the AP.
Amtrak officials cite an improving economy and high fuel prices as factors in ridership growth.
Amtrak is the US’s only major passenger train system.
President Barack Obama is also giving $8 billion in stimulus money to 13 high-speed rail projects and 31 states, though Amtrak’s role in those projects is murky, since states will control the funds, adds the AP. Some of the projects are also years away from completion.
In the meantime, Amtrak is putting all of its long-distance routes under review through 2012, including five this year.
Some small changes are already noticeable to entice more travelers.
On the Coast Starlight, which connects Los Angeles and Seattle, Amtrak upgraded sleeping cars and ditched plastic dinnerware in favor of china, table linens and glassware.
Last month, Amtrak rolled out wireless Internet access on its 110-mph Acela Express trains between Washington and Boston. It is evaluating whether to add Wi-Fi to other routes.
Focus groups and customer feedback will help determine ways to improve schedules, equipment, reliability, food service and staffing levels, Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said.
Some trains may be more inclined to offer daily service, for example.
Amtrak prices, like airline tickets, can vary according to how far in advance travelers buy their tickets, and whether they opt for coach or first-class. But for travelers willing to take the extra time, the costs can be far less than traveling by air. For examples, a one-way coach fare from Cleveland to New York City, purchased three weeks in advance, costs $67 to $89.
On-time performance remains a problem, however. Some popular routes fail to meet their schedules more than half of the time. But Amtrak officials say on-time performance has improved overall from 30 percent in 2006 to 80 percent.
Fright trains often take priority over passenger loads. A lack of track capacity also can hinder passenger time performance, according to a 2008 inspector general report.
By David Wilkening
David
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