Kuyambira pa 1 Juni, Amtrak LAKESHORE LIMITED (ntchito yokhayo yatsiku ndi tsiku yochokera ku New York ndi Boston kupita ku Chicago) ndi CAPITAL LIMITED (sitima yokhayo yatsiku ndi tsiku yochokera ku Washington kupita ku Chicago) sakupatsanso anthu omwe akuyenda mgalimoto yoyamba omwe ali mgalimoto momwe akupangira zosankha zawo zotentha!
Amtrak akulonjeza kudya kwatsopano "Kwatsopano ndi Kwatsopano" m'malo mwake: sangweji yabokosi "yaulere" yozizira kapena saladi, imaperekedwa kuchipinda cha wokwera. Chakudya cham'mawa chimakhala ndi chisankho chimodzi, mkate wozizira ndi yogurt wokhala ndi zipatso zosenda. Palibe "Railroad French Toast" panonso! Anthu okwera tulo omwe amalipira madola mazana ochulukirapo kuposa omwe amakalipira aphunzitsi alandila chakumwa chimodzi chaulere ndi mabokosi awo ozizira, koma siilipira zambiri.
Amtrak atalengedwa mu 1971, chimodzi mwazovuta zake zoyambirira chinali kuchira pantchito zoyipa zomwe njanji zambiri zidapereka kumapeto kwa ma 1960. Poyang'anizana ndi kutayika kwachuma kwamakalata ndi mpikisano kuchokera mumisewu yapakatikati, onyamula monga Southern Pacific adasokoneza masitima awo otsala ogwiritsa ntchito njira zomwe zimaphatikizapo kuchotsa magalimoto odyera komanso malo ogona. Chiyembekezo chinali chakuti izi zikakwiyitsa okwera mpaka kuleka kuyenda pa sitima, ndipo wonyamulirayo atha kulandira chilolezo ku feduro kuti athetse ntchito. Chitsanzo chodziwika bwino chinali sitima yotchedwa SUNSET LIMITED, yomwe kuyambira 1968-1970 idangopereka chakudya chamakina m'masiku awiri okha!
Amtrak mwachangu adabwezeretsanso chakudya ndi zakumwa zoyenera, kutsatsa "Tikupangitsa Masitimawo Kukhala Ofunika Kuyendanso". Tsoka ilo, Amtrak posachedwa wayamba kutengera machenjerero awa a 1960, kuwononga zomwe zachitika pa board zomwe zingafooketse okwera.
Chifukwa chiyani izi zikuchitika? Amtrak akukakamizidwa ndi Congress kuti athetse kuchepa kwa chakudya, koma njirayi ndi yopanda tanthauzo komanso yosafunikira. Kodi maulendo apamtunda kapena ndege amayesa kupanga ndalama pa chakudya? Inde sichoncho; ndalamazi zimapangidwira ndalama zawo. Amtrak wakhala akuchita izi nawonso. Odyera njanji sanapangepo ndalama; anakopa bizinesi. Amtrak amayang'anira magalimoto pamagalimoto onse awiri. Oyendetsa magalimoto amatha kugula zinthu zotentha monga burger ndi pizza. Komabe, zinthuzi sizidzaperekedwa monga chakudya chomwe mungapatse ogona omwe akhala akulipira kwambiri tikiti yomwe kale inali chakudya chotentha mgalimoto yodyera!
Amtrak amachepetsa ogwira ntchito pakudya kwa anthu awiri omwe akuyesedwa, koma amapereka chakudya chotentha ku CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, CARDINAL ndi ACELA okhala ndi anthu awiri okha. Bwanji? Zakudya zaphikidwe kale zimabweretsedwamo kutentha kwathunthu ndikukhala nawo pachakudya. Bwanji osakwera masitima aku Chicago?
"Iwo omwe amaiwala mbiri yakale aweruzidwa kuti abwereze". Amtrak amadziwa zomwe zidachitika m'mbuyomu pomwe njanji zimachepetsa zofunikira. Riderhip inagwa. Ntchito zochititsa manyazi zapamtunda zonyamula anthu ogona (monga momwe zidakonzedweratu) zithandizira kuchepa kwakukulu. Kwa FY2018, Amtrak adalandira chiphaso chachikulu kwambiri cha DRM ku National Network m'mbiri ($ 1.3 biliyoni). Pakadali pano ikupereka magalimoto odyera atsopano 25 pamaneti ake akum'mawa. Khitchini zatsopano zamagalimotowa zimatha kupereka chakudya chotentha popanda wowaphika wodzipereka. Monga mamiliyoni ambiri apaulendo a Amtrak angakumbukire "chakudya chamadzulo, palibe chomwe chingakhale chabwino ...". Masangweji ozizira samangolephera!
Carl Fowler ndi Purezidenti wopuma pantchito wa Rail Travel Center / Rail Travel Adventures. Adagwira ntchito kwanthawi yonse kwa zaka zoposa 35 akugulitsa maulendo apanjanji padziko lonse lapansi, kuphatikiza Amtrak. A Fowler ndi Wachiwiri kwa Wachiwiri wa Rail Passenger Association / NARP. Awa ndi malingaliro ake.
ZOMWE MUNGACHITE PA NKHANIYI:
- Faced with the financial loss of the mail contracts and competition from the interstate highways, carriers such as the Southern Pacific systematically degraded their remaining passenger trains using tactics which included removing the diner and lounge cars.
- When Amtrak was created in 1971, one of its first challenges was to recover from the terrible on-board service many railroads had provided in the late 1960s.
- However, these items will NOT be offered as included meal options for sleeper patrons who have been paying much more for a ticket which historically included hot meals in the dining car.
