The Amtrak redemption arc continues?>https://media.amtrak.com/2026/04/amtrak-takes-big-step-towards-new-long-distance-trains/>It’s official! We’ve started the procurement process for Amtrak’s largest-ever Long Distance train order.>Our customers deserve the best, and this new fleet will move us full speed ahead into a new era of American train travel.>We’ve issued a formal request for suppliers to bid on the new Long Distance fleet replacement contract. Interested carbuilders are now preparing their proposals for submission. Following an extensive evaluation, we plan to announce our selected supplier by the end of 2027. >This once-in-a-generation fleet replacement program was developed in close coordination with the Federal Railroad Administration, with the goal of modernizing overnight and cross-country travel for a fleet that includes many cars today approaching nearly 50 years of operations.>The program calls for more than 800 new railcars across 14 routes.
Everything other than the talking heads is all AI-generated, of course, but that's par for the course these days.
>>2070947All single level cars is gay and lame.
>>2070952bi-level cars are racist against wheelchairs
I just wish I could take interstate sleeper car trips at a price that was competitive with air travel or a long ass drive + hotel. I mean it is like that if you stay in $1000/night hotels but jesus
>>2070948Looks soulless
>>2071117rail isn't as heavily subsidized as air travel and I don't want them to be. then you get shit like the tsa and other authoritarian bs we don't need.
bumpy.
>>2070948Good. Why can't AI take you there? Are you a luddite who refuses to use an AI-Native transit?
>>2071115I hate unhandily incapable "people".
They need to do a cross country auto train. Currently the only one is from DC to Orlando, set up so the politicians can enjoy going to disney world.
>>2074855Even I dont want that. Everything east of the Mississippi is a overnight and a little more. Nothing west is justified by density. NOTHING should go past Denver.
very unambitious.
>>2077012Realism is god.
>>2070947Amtrak can never redeem itself for me. I've taken Amtrak 3 times now and twice it has shit the bed with 4+ hour delays. The first time, we just waited at a station at a small town and, because they couldn't give us an estimate as to how long we'd be stuck there, they cautioned us to stay near the train. Well, for the 4 hours I spent at a closed station, I could've gone to the local museum, had a breakfast at the local coffee joint, and come back with time to spare. The second time, instead of getting into my station at midnight I got in at 4 AM. We spent 3 hours parked right outside the city. Once we were finally permitted to proceed, it took 20 minutes to get to the station.I will never trust Amtrak for anything important, only for trips that are purely leisure and even then I may be more inclined to spend 2 days driving instead if there is a decent hotel halfway to my destination.
>>2077800>because they couldn't give us an estimate as to how long we'd be stuck there, they cautioned us to stay near the trainClearly whatever was going on didn't have a definite end time and they were right to have you stay close to the station for that reason.
>>2072692Apples oranges comparison. Government funds the TSA jobs program and may help maintaim operatiinal stability to prevent disruptions of a normally self-sustaining airline just because of one bad year. Vs amtrak, which is never self-sustaining in any year outside the NEC.
>>2077804I know it's not really their fault and it's the fault of the freight line, but they could've at least told Amtrak >Hey there's 200 cars on this derailed freight train, we estimate XXX hours to shift thisbecause the alert had gone out at 4 AM and we were stopped at that station from 8 AM.
>>2077852And I had the Amtrak app and they texted me. They could've texted me with a 30 minute warning or something.
>>2077832I heard an interesting argument the other day: Highways are subsidized so Amtrak should get a matching subsidy.
>>2077859Highways are paid for by taxes on gasoline. What kind of taxes should cover Amtrak?
>>2077867what cagebrains actually believe
>>2077870Highways are funded more because they are a powerful catalyst for (taxable) commerce in a way that amtrak is not.
>>2077859>i heard retarded drivel so i'll repeat itok
>>2070947Why in the blue fuck are we still throwing good money after bad on passenger rail?
>>2079728In what sense?
whendowe,,,getrailer travel?,,,cargo containers?,water?,power?,wifi.,,,,costsextra foredge cabin.,smells of curry center.
Amtrak is shit and they will probably piggyback on the VIA order because the niggers that run Amshit are too incompetent to do the purchasing on their own.>>2074708based. I like to call them 'Unhandy Incapable'.
>>2081633Thank you BaconRider
>>2070947Long distance trains are the worst value train type. If it's longer than overnight it's no good. Train companies outside the U.S know thisOnly boomers and railfans ride long distance, and boomers are dying out. How much do you wanna bet Amtrak isdoing this to purposely sink ridership numbers to justify ending amtrak altogether at the next congress
>>2070952i think the main argument against double-decker trains is they slow down boarding and disembarking, unless you also have matching split-level stations.though how much of a problem it would be in the US where trains aren't the primary transportation option i think is a question worth asking.
>>2077867Federal spending is always newly created money. There is no direct relationship to tax revenue.
