Fwd: This train trip took a nose dive and 'Racing' mind-set is way off track

[Justin Walker]

Here is a forwarded story about a less-pleasant experience aboard the Coast Starlight.  We need to be aware of such experiences as we seek to eliminate them.  Additional preface by rail advocate Ken Ruben.

-Justin

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ken Ruben <ken...@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Jun 28, 2010 at 1:43 PM
Subject: This train trip took a nose dive and 'Racing' mind-set is way off track
To: Ken Ruben <ken...@gmail.com>

FYI.

 

---"Ken" Ruben---

 

Letters in re:  the rail oriented travel section last week.

 

The info about the COAST STARLIGHT does not make Amtrak look good although those of us who follow Amtrak and in particular, the COAST STARLIGHT, do know it has its ups and downs.  And based on readings on the various rail websites including  Yahoo All_Aboard and trainorders.com, it has been doing better.

 

In fact, the southbound  #11 was more than twenty minutes early Saturday when many of us returned from Pacific Railroad Society's Metrolink Ramble excursion.  #11 was already in the station.

 

On a personal note, some years ago, I was on a CS that was a little over 3 hours late, and I was telling passengers we were doing good (all things considered).

 

FYI.

 

---"Ken" Ruben---

 

http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-letters-20100627,0,1249780,print.story

 

 

This train trip took a nose dive

Plus getting around Europe by train, travel fees, Darby

June 27, 2010

It is difficult for me to place any credibility in Karl Zimmermann's story on cross-country train travel ["Make Tracks," June 20] based on my experience.

Zimmermann says the Coast Starlight is one of the best trains in the Amtrack system. Here's a slice of reality: My wife and I rode the Starlight roundtrip between Los Angeles and Seattle for several years to visit our son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. Things were fine for a while. Then they started to go downhill fast.

On the last four legs we traveled — two northbound and two southbound — the train was never less than seven hours late in arriving. When we first began these journeys, the menus in the dining car were varied and ample, and the food quality was reasonably good. That, too, deteriorated as time went by. We no longer travel to Seattle and back by train. My wife, who hates flying, would rather put up with it than the Coast Starlight

The real story — the one Zimmermann missed — about train travel in the U.S. is that, as a nation, we have no commitment to rail transportation.

Larry Levine

Van Nuys

[Merritt Mullen]

On Jul 3, 2010, at 7:19 PM, Justin Walker wrote:

> Here is a forwarded story about a less-pleasant experience aboard the Coast Starlight. We need to be aware of such experiences as we seek to eliminate them. Additional preface by rail advocate Ken Ruben.
>
> -Justin

The problem with that story is that the trip dates are undocumented. It gives the impression that it was a number of years ago, so it may not be a good example of what is expected today.

Merritt

[Jarrod DellaChiesa]

Yes - very few days this year have been even close to this late.  Dates would have been nice!

- Jarrod

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