Wow, a big upgrade for this service! They're very familiar, yes different. You can definitely see the Railjet similarities though... And you confused me by being off the train half way through the video 😆 Excellent video tho mate! 🙏🏻
Haha, I had to spend the day in St. Joe for work and Lindsey got on in Chicago. She took all the initial footage! Thanks for watching, looking forward to your video Friday!
Hi Thom. Thank you for the trip report! The Venture cars look a lot more modern than the Horizon cars. It's great to see investment in new rolling stock. I notice it has a 6.5 hours turn around after the train arrives into Grand Rapids. Where does it go to stable overnight? Is there a nearby depot?
So the train has to be turned around so the locomotive faces the right direction. They do this very early in the morning, using a wye near the train station. If I had to guess it would stay overnight at the CSX Wyoming yard. Because although the Grand Elk RR Hughart yard is closer and a straight shot from the station, it makes little sense to me to involve another railroad just for a 4 hour overnight.
Being honest, these cars aren't that comfortable. The seat pitch wasn't awful but wasn't great. The seats themselves are uncomfortable and a bit narrow, by train standards. If one is a bit on the rotund side the fixed tables are a tight squeeze or even unusable. The wide aisles are nice and the lavatories are a great improvement. In summary I wouldn't want to try and sleep on one of these cars nor would I want to spend more than a few hours on them either.
I appreciate you sharing your experience. In all honesty, train standards are super dependent on where you are and what type of train it is. Put these seats in any European train and you could market it as a high luxury product. Not to mention American commuter rail, aka sharing a park bench with a stranger…
It is surprising the luggage racks are open like that One of the issues with rescue of survivors from the 1987 Colonial wreck was luggage strewn about and burying people Guess Amtrak didn't think wrecks happen that often to warrant a different design
Interesting that even with the built-in fold-down steps they still need the yellow step-stool to reach the platform. And as someone else referred to the lighting, it does seem a bit intense. Assume they are LED. Hope they are dimmable.
I believe the portable steps are a temporary issue, since the steps are under some scrutiny right now. Hopefully it’s resolved soon. I understand that 1 train a day doesn’t warrant construction of a high platform, but it still always feels strange boarding from what feels like a sidewalk! (Metra, on the other hand…) Superliners absolutely crush the competition when it comes to lighting at night. Unfortunately they seem to be the only trains actually dimmed. I remember when the cars were swapped out for Horizons a while back. The fluorescent lighting at 11PM was unbearable!
viewing some of the passangers. We can see they are sitting almost stright up. Very uncomfortable after a while. Big fail in the seating. No reclining. No foot rest. No way to get into a resting position. Sitting straight up may be fine for working. But not for traveling. The new cars may be fine. But the seats make it unlikely that one would ride the train again.
I like the Pere Marquette a lot because if you live in Michigan you can take it at 6am to Chicago, get in at 930 and leave back toward Michigan at 6pm, spending a full day in the city even if you live so far away. Pere Marquette is in the elite tier of Amtrak’s for me
I never rode the venture cars! But I find them very cool coming from someone who isnt a fan of modern trains! Isnt Grand Rapid the place the main character from Polar Express lives in?
I just rode on this train to Holland. The seats were uncomfortable compared to the superliner I just transfered from . And the power outlet is in a horrible spot. I rode business class on the way back and while older it was much better
The power outlets are in a much better spot, I don't know what you're talking about. Now if you're sitting in the aisle seat you can actually use them. Note that most trains in the world have their sockets where the ventures do.
Yes, the wifi even worked decently! (worlds better than the greyhound I took on the way back) The Superliners will be missed but I am very content with the alternative. Plus, it’s Amtrak. They could swap it out at any moment…
No longer on the Pere Marquette. One is on the Blue Water for cold weather testing of the door seals which can freeze-up! The conductors do not like these cars at all - too many things to go wrong! A single car was recently sent to the Canadian test center for cold weather testing and, wait for it, ... compression testing according to Railway Age!
Thank you very much for this interesting video. The Venture cars look very good, and having travelled many times on the OBB RailJets, I can say the seats are pretty good, but NOT in the same league as the refurbished Amfleet 1 cars in the North East corridor. They really are superbly comfortable, and the seats in both RailJets, and the new Venture cars are too firm for me ! I hope the series of Venture cars for the North East corridor have seats that match those now in Amfleet 1 cars, for some of the distances in the North East are very long - think Boston to Newport News ! Many thanks.
I share your hopes that the new Intercity Trainsets will have more comfortable seats. They’re even going to be used on the Cascades/Palmetto/Carolinian, so they better be! I think with all the complaints, fair or not, Amtrak and Siemens will listen. You bring up the railjet, and that’s really what they remind me of. European train seats tend to have no recline, be narrower, and harder. I’d love to have an Amtrak seat on an NS train lol. So yes, it’s all about perspective and preference! I love the NER Amfleets by the way. And just that train in general. Feels so different from the rest of the country.
Actually, I find the venture cars very comfy! Also I found that the seat default to recline and when you push the recline button, you use your body to push the seat into a non-reclined position, weird, but it works for me!
I noticed that the first time too. I was like, where’s the redline? Oh wait it’s already there. Yeah, just like most new trains, people love to hate them. I do not understand it, but it’s “cool” to say you think they’re ugly and uncomfortable.
Having been on the Austrian Rail Jet cars a number of times, I'm looking forward to riding these. Wonder if they plan on using these on the Hiawatha service to my home town, Milwaukee. Just found your channel and loving the content so far!
I mean I lived there for 4 years. I liked it, I still go back once a month or so. Eastown, Heritage Hill, Midtown, downtown, I enjoy those neighborhoods. Rip art prize. Some great local musicians. But I don’t think I’d ever move back. It was a good chapter, but the chapter has ended.
Venture cars are better than Amfleet but I far prefer the Horizon cars. The Venture seats are way too small for longer distances. I hopefully they don't replace the superliners with something similar.
You are the first person I’ve ever heard say they like Horizons the best! They are my least favorite by far. It only goes to show, everyone’s preferences are different!
@@Thom-TRA It does. I think I like them because they have the better seats and big windows unlike the Amfleet with small windows. I think this is especially noticeable in the Amfleet vs Horizon lounges. I do agree with you that the Venture cars have the best bathrooms.
It’s an interesting construction. Illinois and California are the parties that ordered the trains and at the end of the day, they are the legal owners. However, Amtrak had the responsibility over a lot of aspects of these cars, like testing, the paint scheme, allocation to routes, and maintenance.
@@Thom-TRA "Interesting" is a good way to put it. When I was certifying the first Brightline set to leave the factory a who's who list of people from state and Federal operators were going over that set with a fine-tooth comb. It was a foregone conclusion that the next-gen bilevel project was dead and they needed a replacement, fast. It wasn't long before the contract for these cars was announced. Internally we called them the "CalIdot" cars. The states are 100% responsible for these cars. Amtrak is their contract operator/maintainer but the checks come from the states.
Those Venture cars really look 'awesome' Thom both from the outside & inside. The new interiors with the large windows sure look more spacious. The toilets are also a major improvement - I especially like the 'motion sensors' automatic flushing (which can be a major issue on some Amtrak trains I've traveled on!). Good to see Amtrak move away from just stainless steel Overall a great improvement by Amtrak - would be great to eventually see the new Cafe & Business cars operating as Amtrak roll out the entire fleet of new cars. Well done Amtrak & thank you for sharing Thom.
I’m very happy to have an Amtrak train with some color! The new dark blue locomotives for the long distance trains also look really good. The cafes are all waiting around in the Chicago yard right now, hopefully they come out soon. If they do, I will of course post an update. It’s good to hear from you!
Glad to see these in service and free up the Superliner for the LD train where they are needed. I have not ridden on these new cars, but for a trip that is not more than 6 hours, they serve it's need.
There are now actually 2 superliners on the Illinois Zephyr between Chicago and Quincy too. I wish they could take some off the line to Galesburg IL, but I understand that the railroad there is being difficult about weight and axle counts. I agree! Wouldn’t want to do more than 6 hours, but for a short trip these trains are very decent.
I'm going to reserve judgement until winter comes. The chargers are already unreliable in the snow. To only prove my point further, today's train is sitting in St. Joe with a dead charger. If the cars can handle the snow, I think they'll be good.
@@TohaBgood2 We regularly blow them up on Amtrak 370 and 371. Feel free to lookup the failure rates. When the last Amtrak field report, something like 52% of the chargers were dead waiting for parts. Engineers up here tend to dislike them for how they deal with snow in general and their chance of failure
