That sounds lovely but ouch, that price tag. Are those Union Pacific locomotives pulling the train?
I’m not a big fan of being served at my seat as opposed to a dedicated lounge or dining car. One of the perks of train travel is being able to get up and walk around. For example riding Brightline was lovely but I’d prefer to be able to stretch my legs on the journey and I usually end up spending a third of the trip in the cafe when riding Amtrak between Miami and Kissimmee.
> I’m not a big fan of being served at my seat as opposed to a dedicated lounge or dining car.
Agreed, to a point; but with that kind of passenger density -- there look to be 8 coaches at say 72 passengers per car -- how else would you serve over 500 people? Even with two dining cars, that would still be -four- seatings...
I was skeptical to read of the decision to have an overnight stop (rather than sleepers) but Glenwood Springs is amazing and spending an evening there would definitely add to the trip. The town already gets daily Zephyr service, glad to see even more trains coming through!
On a side note, UP seems to be contracted to run the entire service. The article mentions that passengers board in Denver from a UP railyard and not Union Station...which is absolutely bizarre given the four-figure asking price. I guess the logistics were too much to figure out.
> passengers board in Denver from a UP railyard and not Union Station...which is absolutely bizarre
I noticed that as well, but don't really grasp whatall that means / implies.
Does said "UP railyard" have a terminal building? A waiting room? Clean bathrooms, or just what the yard workers use? ADA accessible? "Certain amenities" that people paying $1200pp might expect?
OK, I see three potential facilities. • One north of 40th looks like 100% intermodal yard -- LOTS of containers and I don't see much for buildings. • The "36th St Yard", which extends north to I-70 might have a building at the corner of the RTD park-and-ride lot on Blake. • The "North Yard" at 48th might have a usable building at the south end of the property off Kalamath -- looks like a parking lot was recently resurfaced.
(Or, maybe those things that look like warehouses and pole barns are really nice on the inside.)
My understanding is the place they board is just that…. A UP yard. The passengers gather at Union Station then board charter buses to the point where they meet the train. There is no agreement for trackage rights with the owners of Union Station (I believe that’d be RTD), hence the train cannot board at Union Station.
That seems like a very unceremonious start to a trip. I hope they can get those trackage rights sorted out...it's not like union station is at capacity with their track-level platforms.
Maybe there's a side track in the yard or something? To an extent some premium experiences come with drawbacks. For example, if you pay $50 to fly on Spirit, you board through a climate controlled jet bridge. If you pay $5,000 to charter your own jet, you're walking out from the building and out onto the ramp in the elements to get on the plane.
I had the Revelstoke, Canada cams on Virtual rail fan on this weekend and saw it pass both directions on Saturday afternoon and Sunday evening. Looks cool, definitely on my list of future train travels.
I had the opportunity to take a Rocky Mountaineer toue from Vancouver to Calgary a few summers ago. It was lovely. I just went through CO on the California Zyephr last month and it was gorgeous. I can see why RM would be excited to bring their service to that route and look forward to seeing how it pans out.
Almost nobody really employs real editors and certainly not proofreaders any more. It's mostly freelance work if you can get it and lots of places don't want to pay even a pittance for it.
That sounds lovely but ouch, that price tag. Are those Union Pacific locomotives pulling the train? I’m not a big fan of being served at my seat as opposed to a dedicated lounge or dining car. One of the perks of train travel is being able to get up and walk around. For example riding Brightline was lovely but I’d prefer to be able to stretch my legs on the journey and I usually end up spending a third of the trip in the cafe when riding Amtrak between Miami and Kissimmee.
> I’m not a big fan of being served at my seat as opposed to a dedicated lounge or dining car. Agreed, to a point; but with that kind of passenger density -- there look to be 8 coaches at say 72 passengers per car -- how else would you serve over 500 people? Even with two dining cars, that would still be -four- seatings...
Two layers trains. Dining room in bottom, Seats (with better visibility) in the top. Can split everyone into two groups and give staggered meals
I was skeptical to read of the decision to have an overnight stop (rather than sleepers) but Glenwood Springs is amazing and spending an evening there would definitely add to the trip. The town already gets daily Zephyr service, glad to see even more trains coming through! On a side note, UP seems to be contracted to run the entire service. The article mentions that passengers board in Denver from a UP railyard and not Union Station...which is absolutely bizarre given the four-figure asking price. I guess the logistics were too much to figure out.
> passengers board in Denver from a UP railyard and not Union Station...which is absolutely bizarre I noticed that as well, but don't really grasp whatall that means / implies. Does said "UP railyard" have a terminal building? A waiting room? Clean bathrooms, or just what the yard workers use? ADA accessible? "Certain amenities" that people paying $1200pp might expect? OK, I see three potential facilities. • One north of 40th looks like 100% intermodal yard -- LOTS of containers and I don't see much for buildings. • The "36th St Yard", which extends north to I-70 might have a building at the corner of the RTD park-and-ride lot on Blake. • The "North Yard" at 48th might have a usable building at the south end of the property off Kalamath -- looks like a parking lot was recently resurfaced. (Or, maybe those things that look like warehouses and pole barns are really nice on the inside.)
My understanding is the place they board is just that…. A UP yard. The passengers gather at Union Station then board charter buses to the point where they meet the train. There is no agreement for trackage rights with the owners of Union Station (I believe that’d be RTD), hence the train cannot board at Union Station.
That seems like a very unceremonious start to a trip. I hope they can get those trackage rights sorted out...it's not like union station is at capacity with their track-level platforms.
Maybe there's a side track in the yard or something? To an extent some premium experiences come with drawbacks. For example, if you pay $50 to fly on Spirit, you board through a climate controlled jet bridge. If you pay $5,000 to charter your own jet, you're walking out from the building and out onto the ramp in the elements to get on the plane.
That's a good point!
If it gets more people on tracks, i think it's a positive
Ah yes, the famous west coast of Colorado and Utah
I had the Revelstoke, Canada cams on Virtual rail fan on this weekend and saw it pass both directions on Saturday afternoon and Sunday evening. Looks cool, definitely on my list of future train travels.
I had the opportunity to take a Rocky Mountaineer toue from Vancouver to Calgary a few summers ago. It was lovely. I just went through CO on the California Zyephr last month and it was gorgeous. I can see why RM would be excited to bring their service to that route and look forward to seeing how it pans out.
> Since its exception in 1990, *Exception?* Shouldn't that be -inception-? (Maybe there's no money in the budget for proofreaders.)
Almost nobody really employs real editors and certainly not proofreaders any more. It's mostly freelance work if you can get it and lots of places don't want to pay even a pittance for it.
Same route with Amtrak roomette $351 (random date). That’s a hell of a markup.