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New dining "option" on Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited


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#1 pennyk

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Posted 19 April 2018 - 01:14 PM

Capitol Limited and lake Shore Limited sleeping car customers to be offered fresh choices for meals this summer

WASHINGTON – Amtrak will offer contemporary and fresh dining choices for sleeping car customers, instead of traditional dining car service, embarking aboard its Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited trains starting June 1.

Sleeping car customers will choose meals delivered to their Bedrooms or Roomettes – or eaten in a private café or lounge car – and entrees such as:

Lunch & Dinner: Chilled beef tenderloin, Vegan wrap, Chicken Caesar salad, or Turkey club sandwich.
Breakfast: Assorted breakfast breads with butter, cream cheese and strawberry jam; Greek yogurt and sliced seasonal fresh fruit plate.
These meals will continue to be included in the sleeping car fare and are delivered to the trains just prior to origination, eliminating on-board preparation. Customers will also be offered unlimited soft beverages, a complimentary serving of beer, wine or a mixed-drink and an amenity kit. A Kosher meal continues to be available with advance notice.

“Our plan is to provide new and fresh food choices in a contemporary way for these overnight trains,” said Bob Dorsch, Vice President of the Amtrak Long Distance Service Line. “Our continued success depends on increasing customer satisfaction while becoming more efficient.”

Dorsch said this enhancement will continue to be refined and we look forward to hearing from our customers.

The Capitol Limited (Trains 29 & 30) operates daily between Washington, D.C., and Chicago, via Pittsburgh and Cleveland. The Lake Shore Limited (Trains 48 & 49) typically operates daily between Chicago and New York, with a section to and from Boston (Trains 448 & 449).

 
 
https://media.amtrak...-amtrak-routes/



#2 KevinKorell

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Posted 19 April 2018 - 07:11 PM

Railway Age, 4/19/18:

 


Want airline food? Take Amtrak

 

 

Ex-Florida Congressman John Luigi Mica, a foodie who spent a considerable amount of time when he was Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee questioning Amtrak’s food service costs, must be very pleased with Amtrak’s announcement that it’s getting rid of dining cars on two long-distance trains.

 

Yes, you heard me right, and I believe it’s part of a plan to dismantle the National Network—shutting down most, if not all, long-distance trains, to focus on the Northeast Corridor, Midwest (Chicago) and California short- and medium-distance services.

 

 

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#3 KevinKorell

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Posted 20 April 2018 - 12:38 AM

In a sense, we started the month with April Fools, and now we get news that we hope is a hoax we all fell for.   Unfortunately it's not.  It may be the beginning of the end, as this no doubt will spread to the rest of the long distance system once the cost savings are tallied up.  Who is going to cross the country on a  one-way trip spanning 4 days living on chilled beef tenderloin for lunch & dinner?  And bread for breakfast, akin to what prisoners get?    I'll miss the sausages at breakfast -- in fact the only thing coming from a pig is....

 

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#4 KevinKorell

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Posted 22 April 2018 - 12:42 AM

Toledo, OH Blade, 4/21/18:

 


 

Amtrak to cut dining cars on trains that stop in Toledo

 

 

 

Amtrak plans to eliminate traditional dining-car meals on its trains that stop in Toledo effective June 1, instead offering “new and contemporary” — but cold — food to its sleeping-car passengers in their rooms.

 

 

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Kevin Korell


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#5 KevinKorell

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Posted 22 April 2018 - 02:47 PM

Fast Company, 4/20/18:
 

Amtrak is swapping dining cars on some trains for “airplane food”

 
 
 
One of the chief delights of choosing to travel long-haul by train versus plane (apart from skipping the whole airport security thing) is the dining car. Like a moving restaurant, dining cars await passengers needing to stretch their legs and recreate something of a normal daily routine by sitting down to a proper meal. They’re among the few options for non-stressful social spaces for travelers.

 
 
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#6 EvergreenRailfan

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Posted 23 April 2018 - 01:04 AM

Trying to get out of replacing the Long Distance Fleet in favor of Corridors. What we get with an airline exec as CEO.

#7 pennyk

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Posted 15 May 2018 - 01:17 PM

The menu has been posted:

 

https://www.amtrak.c...r-Menu-0518.pdf



#8 BillMagee

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Posted 15 May 2018 - 01:58 PM

The meals do not look horrible. Kind of like Panera Bread without the not options. I could live with this for a one night trip.  The free wine, beer and other alcohol for sleeper and Lake Shore Business Class is an upgrade. Marie and I each have wine, so we would save us $32 at dinner with this menu.  

 

I would prefer a regular, hot dinner served at a table, but given the possibilities, this could have been much worse.



#9 pennyk

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Posted 15 May 2018 - 04:04 PM

The free alcohol and sleeper lounge are a plus for me.  Because of food allergies, I am not sure if I can eat any of the lunch or dinner options.  Hopefully ingredients will be posted somewhere.  I am pretty sure I will be eating before boarding the Capitol Limited in July and/or bringing food with me.



#10 KevinKorell

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Posted 15 May 2018 - 04:22 PM

To me the meals look horrible.  There are many things I simply won't eat, and there's a reason I don't go to Panera Bread, because my stomach would be left hungry upon departure.   I'd have to make a trip to the food court in Washington Union Station or somewhere in New York Penn Station about 2:45 PM (very early for dinner), and make sure I'm nourished properly before returning to the lounge for boarding.  Likewise in Chicago Union Station, although the binge there would be a little closer to dinnertime given the 6:30-ish departure.  And eastbound this almost encourages one to make the switch to the Pennsylvanian, where at least you know what you're getting from the café car and can then save on sleeper costs to mitigate the atrocious dining car offerings.

 

There's not one thing listed for breakfast that I would want.  Even on Acela, which also has an inferior lunch/dinner menu that is way too fancy, they do at least offer for breakfast cold cereal with milk.



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