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Re: Amtrak: Throw Dubious Accounting of Cost Under the Train
Author: mook
Date: 11-30-2012 - 18:57

Amtrak's fully allocated cost formula is probably reasonably accurate in terms of total cost. It's not reasonable when applied to a single hamburger. McD's is much lower because they pay near min.wage, have no benefits, work everybody a min.number of hours, and have the volume to allow good prices on admittedly mediocre ingredients. Amtrak pays a living wage (arguably somewhat higher than a basic one), has reasonable benefits, has regular shifts (staff has to be available most of the time the train is running), and has a fairly low volume of business per train.

A better comparison might be to airline food (priced a hamburger on United lately?) for snack car operations like the ones on the Capitol Corridor or San Joaquins. For the dining cars on long-distance trains, a better comparison would be to coffee-shop operations (that serve dinner) in a hotel, or maybe Dennys or IHOP, or maybe even room service in a low-end business hotel; ummm...$5-10 burgers there to cover the cost of being available at nearly any time for the customer's convenience. Given those comparisons, a supposed $15 burger isn't as far out of line.

Could Amtrak do better? Certainly, but probably not 1) under the work rules required by labor contracts and Federal law; and 2) with as much availability to the captive customers on the train.

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Subject Written By Date/Time (PST)
  Amtrak: Throw Money from the Train SPKid 11-30-2012 - 14:22
  Re: Amtrak: Throw Money from the Train Stash 11-30-2012 - 14:50
  Re: Amtrak: Throw Money from the Train 49 Yews 11-30-2012 - 15:29
  Re: Amtrak: Throw Dubious Accounting of Cost Under the Train BOB2 11-30-2012 - 15:29
  Re: Amtrak: Throw Dubious Accounting of Cost Under the Train SPKid 11-30-2012 - 16:07
  Re: Amtrak: Throw Dubious Accounting of Cost Under the Train Phoebe Snow's Boyfriend 11-30-2012 - 19:09
  Re: Amtrak: Throw Dubious Accounting of Cost Under the Train Michael Mahoney 11-30-2012 - 16:09
  Re: Amtrak: Throw Dubious Accounting of Cost Under the Train Severe Duty 11-30-2012 - 16:18
  Re: Amtrak: Throw Dubious Accounting of Cost Under the Train mook 11-30-2012 - 18:57
  Re: Amtrak: Throw Dubious Accounting of Cost Under the Train Drew Jacksich 11-30-2012 - 19:23
  Re: A couple of real gems: Peter Griffin 11-30-2012 - 20:44
  Roads vs. trains reality check 12-01-2012 - 08:29
  Re: reality check Severe Duty 12-01-2012 - 08:58
  Re: reality check Erik H. 12-02-2012 - 18:52
  Re: Amtrak: Throw Dubious Accounting of Cost Under the Train Phoebe Snow's Boyfriend 11-30-2012 - 21:23
  Re: Amtrak: Throw Dubious Accounting of Cost Under the Train Drew Jacksich 11-30-2012 - 23:42
  Re: Amtrak: Throw Dubious Accounting of Cost Under the Train mvs 12-01-2012 - 09:05
  Re: Amtrak: Throw Dubious Accounting of Cost Under the Train Ostrum 12-01-2012 - 16:43
  Re: Amtrak: Throw Dubious Accounting of Cost Under the Train David Smith 12-02-2012 - 10:28
  Re: Amtrak: Throw Dubious Accounting of Cost Under the Train synonymouse 12-02-2012 - 14:29
  Re: Amtrak: Throw Dubious Accounting of Cost Under the Train synonymouse 12-02-2012 - 14:30
  Re: A year of Amtrak=a week in Afghanistan=a month of direct crop susbidies BOB2 12-02-2012 - 15:58
  Re: Amtrak: Throw Dubious Accounting of Cost Under the Train MG42 12-04-2012 - 18:57
  Re: Amtrak: Throw Dubious Accounting of Cost Under the Train mook 12-05-2012 - 08:26
  Re: Amtrak: Throw Dubious Accounting of Cost Under the Train MG42 12-05-2012 - 16:29
  Re: Amtrak: Throw Dubious Accounting of Cost Under the Train *eyeroll* 12-07-2012 - 14:59
  Re: Learn from passenger train history Phoebe Snow's Boyfriend 12-02-2012 - 18:49
  Re: Learn from passenger train history Erik H. 12-02-2012 - 19:04
  Re: Learn from passenger train history Phoebe Snow's Boyfriend 12-02-2012 - 20:06
  Re: Learn from passenger train history mook 12-02-2012 - 20:27
  the simple truth Reality Check 12-03-2012 - 08:33
  Re: the simple truth Sad but true 12-13-2012 - 22:30
  Re: Amtrak: Throw Dubious Accounting of Cost Under the Train MG42 12-04-2012 - 18:52
  Re: Amtrak: Throw Dubious Accounting of Cost Under the Train OldPoleBurner 12-05-2012 - 16:36
  The ACTUAL Simple Truth Savvy College Student (Undergrad) 12-04-2012 - 17:19


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