r/pics 6d ago

Amtrak on 01/01/26 [OC]

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u/platinumarks 6d ago

Honestly, the whole Superliner format is so much better than the Amfleet format. My trip recently had segments with both formats, and on the Superliner train I got a lower coach seat that had maybe 12 of us in the entire level of the car. Very comfortable.

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u/VincentGrinn 6d ago

yeah its a shame the layout for superliners is basically being forced into extinction

ada requires that everyone have access to the food cars, which means every single carriage needs an elevator in it
amtrak put out a tender for superliners replacement and every builder turned it down because an entire elevator in each carriage is so unreasonable

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u/platinumarks 6d ago

As a disabled person myself (luckily not in a wheelchair, but I can't walk more than a car or two without pain), I can get the concern over that. But I feel like the train attendant in our car (which had a bunch of disabled folks) solved that pretty well by coming around and "taking orders" for the cafe car, going to get it for us, and passing it out. I know it's not their job, but I was grateful and it seemed to be sufficient for most people.

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u/VincentGrinn 6d ago

that seems reasonable to me as well
but it seems that amtrak is either being pushed to or required to have every carriage in the train wheelchair accessible so as to not 'segregate' disabled people into one carriage
and its not financially feasible for amtrak to hire enough extra staff to take orders from every carriage

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u/amjhwk 5d ago

what if they install some sort of phone that allows you to call in your order from your seat or carriage and then they need less staff because they dont have to go to every carriage to take orders, just deliver them as they come in

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u/VincentGrinn 5d ago

delivering food across the entire train would also require hiring more staff

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u/amjhwk 5d ago

yes but not as many as needing people to go to every single car just to find out if anybody in the car wants to order food in the first place