Amtrak 'Simplified Dining Service' Proposal

Potential Effects on the Texas Eagle

Sightseer lounge, Texas Eagle, Dallas Union Station.

The 2006 Amtrak appropriation bill requires the Department of Transportation Inspector General to certify, by July 1, 2006, that Amtrak has made substantial progress in reducing the operating deficit from food and beverage service. In the event that the Inspector General fails to certify these savings, all subsidy to food service as well as sleeping car service will be withdrawn. This level of micromanagement has rarely been seen with appropriations for other government agencies, and there is concern that this requirement was inserted in the legislation to provide a mechanism to force discontinuance of national network trains.
Amtrak has begun implementation of a simplified dining car service, in an effort to reduce food service costs. This service will be the standard for all national network trains, with the exception of the Empire Builder and Auto Train. The initial steps, involving pre-cooked entrees, disposable plates, and reduced dining car staff, seem to have been successful. Food quality under the new system has been well received by passengers, with the exception of breakfast where the absence of fresh eggs remains a significant fault. (This shortcoming will reportedly be resolved in the next menu cycle.)
Amtrak itself provides an excellent assessment of the intangible value of dining car serivce:
For many, riding a train is a once in a lifetime experience: the start or end to a vacation that our customers will remember for years to come. For others, it's a yearly excursion or a means of transportation for business purposes. Whatever the reason or frequency, it is our goal to provide them with the most memorable and enjoyable experience possible.
The dining car experience is paramount in our customer's perception of a positive, customer friendly travel experience. The dining car, from the quality of food served to the degree of service provided, is the "heart" of the travel experience. To meet customer's expectations, everyone who works in the dining car must work as a team with the Lead Service Attendant (LSA) acting as the "team captain." Excellent service consists of providing properly prepared food which is appealing to the eye and palette and is served by a gracious and competent employee.
Recognition must be given to Amtrak's success in designing the simplified dining service. Minor fine-tuning of menus, operating practices and other details remain to be accomplished, but the general concept has been successful in both maintaining expected food quality and reducing Amtrak's cost of providing the service.

Loss of the Texas Eagle Sightseer Lounge ?

Sightseer lounge, Texas Eagle, Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center.

There is no doubt that more efficient dining car and lounge car operation is desirable, but there is grave concern that the more extreme aspects of this program will actually harm the Texas Eagle by discouraging ridership. The Texas Eagle currently operates with a dining car (staffed by 3 employees) and a lounge car (staffed by one employee.) In the next stage of the "simplified dining service," Amtrak proposes a massive and costly redesign and rebuilding of both Superliner dining cars and Sightseer lounge cars, converting both cars into hybrid dining-lounge cars. At the conclusion of this process, the Texas Eagle food and beverage service would be consolidated into a single "diner-lounge." This new car will be incapable of providing the travel experiences currently available in the Sightseer lounge car. Trains operating over longer distances or with heavier loads would carry two diner-lounge cars, although neither car would be configured like the very popular Sightseer lounge.

Amtrak correctly states that the dining car "...is the heart of the travel experience." However, if the dining car is the heart of the train, the Sightseer lounge car is its soul. As the social center of the train, the lounge car provides the opportunity for passengers to enjoy many of the assets that are unique to rail travel. Whether traveling by coach or by sleeping car, the lounge offers a central location away from travel accommodations, allowing passengers to move about the train. The Sightseer lounge, because of its open interior design, is unparalleled in its value for sightseeing, visiting with fellow passengers, or hosting an informal sing-along. Imagine trying to have one of the National Park Service's very popular "Trails and Rails" programs in the new style of diner-lounge -- it cannot be done. It is impossible to assign a revenue generating value to the benefits of a true lounge car, but these benefits help to create the allure and mystique of rail travel. As such, they help persuade passengers to pay more for tickets and to complain less when enduring occasional operating glitches that are an unavoidable part of all public transportation.

A bluegrass band entertains passengers traveling to Austin, Texas -- live music capitol of the world.

Amtrak 'Simplified Dining Service' Proposal

Potential Effects on the Texas Eagle

Loss of the Texas Eagle Sightseer Lounge ?