NEW ORLEANS — Amtrak will finally restore daily service to and from New Orleans on the Crescent and City of New Orleans, among the last of the routes that have only offered five-day-a-week operations since service cuts in January.
Saturday and Sunday service on both the Chicago-New Orleans City route and the New York-New Orleans Crescent route returns this weekend. Seven-day-a-week operation had ended in January with operations were trimmed to five days a week on nine long-distance routes and a 10th, the New York-Miami Silver Meteor, was suspended entirely [see “Amtrak to decrease service …,” Trains News Wire, Jan. 14, 2022]. The return of the Crescent, City of New Orleans and Silver Meteor, was originally scheduled for September but was pushed back in July [see “Silver Meteor return …,” News Wire, July 18, 2022].
The Meteor was to have resumed operation earlier this week, but that has been pushed back because of damage along its route caused by Hurricane Ivan.
Amtrak notes in its media advisory about the return of the Crescent and City that “the constraint has not been travel demand, which has been recovering all year, but rebuilding the employee headcounts at major terminals such as New Orleans and along many of the routes.”
The company also continues to seek employees, noting in the advisory its August announcement of the need to fill 4,000 positions including onboard service jobs with a starting pay of $21 per hour and mechanical positions including journeyman position jobs starting at $34.07 [see “Amtrak plans hiring events …,” News Wire, Aug. 17, 2022].
— Updated at 9:15 p.m. on Oct. 8 to correct references to long-distance train that is still suspended. It is the Silver Meteor.
With the absence of the ‘Silver Meterior’, the ‘Silver Star’ became Amtrak’s only long distance train other than ‘Auto Train’ with a high ratio of sleeping cars in its consist. The normal consist of the ‘Silver Star these days has been five sleeping cars, a diner, a cafe-lounge car and five coaches with a baggage car at the rear behind the sleepers. This hearkens back to a period pre-Amtrak when many upper tier long-distance trains carried more than three sleeping cars often equal or exceeding the number of coaches.
The restoration of these two LD trains i believe brings all LD up to pre coviv frequency. EXCEPT #98 the Silver Meteor. I have a reservation TPA/WAS for the 18th Oct. on the Meteor. Amtrak informed me today the Meteor will be reinstated on Oct. 15th. No mention of this change,that I can find, on the AMTRAK website etc.
In the past Amtrak was served and run by outstanding and capable me who knew their business and worked to make Amtrak suceed. Leaders like Paul Reistrup, W Graham Claytor, the afore mentioned David Gunn and George Warrington. Now Amtrak is being run by either political hacks, airline or trucking executives or people who just don’t know the railroad industry. What a shame this has turned out to be. Years ago there was a slogan that the old Eastern Airlines used which was ” Is this any way to run an airline ? You bet it is” {Our airline fan contributor to this column Mr Landey should remember it} Now it can apply to Amtrak with some revision which goes like this Is this any way to ruin a railroad ? You bet it is says Amtrak and it’s Marx Brothers board of directors Joseph C. Markfelder
Thanks for the note and you know how to spell my name!!!
No I don’t remember the slogan, or any other EAL slogan.
My first flight ever, late in 1966, was in an Eastern Airlines Super C Constellation, Boston to LaGuardia. Followed by several more EAL flights between Boston – LGA or Boston – Newark, Connies or DC-9s.
My last intended flight on EAL was 1978, Deroit to Charlotte on a DC-9. However in 1987 a flight on Piedmont Airlines, Asheville to Charlotte was cancelled. Piedmont found me space on EAL Asheville to Atlanta on a Jetstream, connecting to Atlanta to Detroit, Boeing 727. Shortly after, EAL shut down.
Mr. Markfelder: I applaud everything you expressed except for your putting George Warrington in the same league as Messers. Claytor and Gunn. Warrington was as NEC-centric as Gardner and Coscia. But Amtrak recovered from him. Whether it can recover from Richard Anderson and Stephen Gardner is no sure thing.
Yes Mike Lustig, except for the corridors Amtrak is pathetic.
To be fair, the Hiawatha is a great corridor. It runs fast, it runs frequent, it runs on time, and every station is either new or heavily rehabilitated. Compare today’s shining-jewel MKE to the dilapidated, dirty Milwaukee Road Union Depot which Amtrak inherited. Thanks to Wisconsin DOT.
Charles,
Just to be clear, I’m an advocate for the long distance trains. I want them to succeed. I miss the days of David Gunn when he upgraded the Empire Builder and ridership increased.
I’m mad as hell that Amtrak has become such a clown show starting with delta dick and his legacy continuing with Tony, Stevie and the fly boys. I’m mad at congress because they have been awol regarding the decline and fall of Amtrak. Not to mention the bonuses that top management gave themselves. Then the 2020 buyouts and furloughs that occured. There needs to be a reckoning at Amtrak and heads need to roll.
Regarding the trains to Florida, Seaboard Coast Line was the last passenger train optimist by 1969. When Amtrak began operations, thee trains a day from NY to Florida and the winter Florida Special.
Sad thar Amtrak all but has destroyed it.
So, this is Amtrak’s (aka Pravda) version of good news?
Frankly, it’s not too late for Congress to request the GAO to account for the corporate management “decision from Hell” which, in essence, shut down the system during-and crippled it after the pandemic by the neophytes in charge who, evidenced their deficiency in railroad experience; lacked the foresight to competently plan how to prepare to bring the system back-up; retain seasoned crews; deploy experienced maintenance and repair staff.
The GAO should report on its findings before any further bonus payments or raving PR news released; not subject to interference by Senator Schumer (NY). The issues should be thoroughly dissected and analyzed to identify the financial impact re:
-lost revenues from shorter consists; loss of frequency.
-cost for recruitment, orientation, training; as well, turnover.
-cost for loss of asset utilization of equipment/power sitting unused in yards, instead of operating in revenue service.
-cost of running reservation bureau with inadequate or lack of trains to book space.
Additional related topics should be included that could be utilized as a teaching tool for the House and Senate chairs of their finance committees to act on. Certainly, we can only hope that the novice to transportation, Secretary of Transportation “Mayor Pete,” and his FRA Administrator, would truly benefit from seeing the curtain pulled back to reveal the Wizard a mere man shouting into a megaphone.
Mr. Singer, you consistently write such good stuff commenting on articles such as this one. And I sure agree with your assessments of Buttigieg and Bose; Utterly clueless they are. Do you have the stature to write these things to folks at the the GOA and Sen. Maria Cantwell who recently gave Amtrak and Board members considerable flak?
Florida is automobile country and also where freeways and super highways reign
Here in Orlando, Sunrail only runs on weekedays and the Lynx bus sytem shuts down down after 10pn and also with no decent transit connections serving Orlando International Airport Railroads and transit don’t stand a chance in this state If you dont own or drive a car in Florida better invest in several pairs of good walking shoes or sneakers not that pedestrians have a fighting chance of survival when trying to cross or navigate city streets But at least we can say that Florida is leading the way for travel to the moon, Mars and the outer galaxies
Joseph C. Markfelder
The Silver Meteor was cancelled, not the Silver Star.
I was just going to say that myself. You beat me to it. HA HA.
The Champion was cancelled decades ago. As if Florida can get by on one train or two (plus the auto train).
Florida can get by on no trains…it’s not Republican to have passenger trains paid by taxpayers.