An ICE Train Experience - by Jim Cameron

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The following is a report on my ride on the ICE on Friday Oct. 15,
1993 from NYP to WAS on Amtrak # 223... the 'non-stop' Metroliner
which pauses only at Baltimore and New Carrollton on its 4:30pm -
7:14pm dash down the Corridor.

Given that this was a Friday afternoon and that the train was 99%
full, it seems a fair assessment of ICE's capabilities in a worst case
situation for the passenger... best case for the railroad.

Joining me on the trip was my wife, a blase traveler who, despite my
best efforts over the years, seems as enthusiastic about rail riding
as going by bus.  She was my reality check for how the trip was going.

We arrived at NYC's Penn Station about 4pm and immediately headed from
the crowded waiting room to the lower level.  Though we were booked in
the ICE's Deluxe Q Class and could have waited in the Metropolitan
first class lounge, I instead opted for trying to board early, get a
good seat and some pictures.  It didn't take long, peering down the
escalators and stairs to find the ICE train, head down to the platform
and find the first class car at the head of the consist.  Sitting on a
pillar outside the car was the Amtrak attendant, a 50-something woman
who seemed weary already.  Rather than saying "Can I help you on to
the car", she shrugged in acknowledgement when I asked if this was the
first class car, and we boarded.

You've probably read a great deal about the ICE Train's seating
arrangement... a combination of compartments ("suites") which must be
reserved in advance, and clusters of two and one seats, some with
tables and some without.  About half the seats face backwards, and
they are equipped with the much talked-about seatback video screens.
More on the seating arrangements in a moment.

We got seated, were given a menu of at-seat snacks, and requested a
couple of diet Cokes and a cheese/cracker assortment.  These snacks
and drinks showed up about 30 minutes later... after a second request.
I could tell we were off to a good start.

The train departed about one minute late and headed into the tunnel
under the Hudson at a moderate clip.  The PA carried greeting
announcements, some description of the consist and a plug for the
Bistro and Dining Car.  By now an OBS (On-Board Supervisor) was
working her way thru the First Class section taking dining car
reservations... this despite the Attendant's warning "You better go
now (4:30pm), honey.  This trip ain't but 3 hours."  Having secured a
6pm seating from the OBS, we settled in for the ride still hoping for
those diet Cokes and crackers some time before Philly. Or at least we
=tried= to settle in.

My biggest single complaint about the ICE train was the seats.  They
were narrow, hard and unforgiving.  The same width in Deluxe Class as
in coach (but with more pitch), they weren't deep enough to
accommodate an American rearend, i.e. from the back of the seat to the
edge where your legs hang over you were left with about five inches of
overhang.  The seats tilted back, but this offered little comfort. In
the Deluxe Class compartments the seats were the same narrow width,
but with a little more knee room.  Strangely, one entire compartment
had been turned into a storage/prep room for the Attendant and her
cart for drinks and snacks.

On a later walk thru Second Class the situation proved even less
comfortable.  There, with even less pitch between seats, riders looked
as if they were on a Greyhound bus.  In the Second Class compartments
the knees were bumping into each other as facing passengers had to
stagger one knee in, the other out.

Given the hour and people's appetite, the Bistro Car seemed to be the
place where Second Class riders went to stretch their legs and fill
their stomachs.  The line snaked well out thru the seating area in the
Bistro Car, thru the door and back into the Coaches.  The Bistro
offered one small serving area and one harried Amtrak attendant.  The
same space was used to hawk a variety of ICE Train souvenirs, though
by the time I got there they had no coffee mugs, just pins and hats. I
was given a brochure and the suggestion to order by mail.  Given the
long line waiting for service, the inward-facing seating in the Bistro
had nothing but a nice view of people's bellies as they swayed and
hung-on as the train rolled south.  Which brings me to the ride...

This is a very, very heavy train. It obviously has power and
accelerated smoothly, but riders could feel every bump and bounce. 
The lack of a tilt mechanism (as on the X2000) left passengers and
staff alike lurching thru even the smaller curves on the NY to
Philly sections of track.  I marveled at the difference with the
X2000, having ridden that same section of track on one of the Swedish
train's final revenue runs just weeks earlier.

In the vestibules, which have self-opening glass doors, are small
computer terminals and keypads on which riders can call up
information. In Germany this, I am told, includes schedules and fares.
But in our case we could call up pages of text on such things as
Amtrak's new Viewliners and NE Corridor improvements.  Another screen
in each vestibule alternately displayed the train number, destination
and next station stop and a screen showing the speed.  Highest speed I
was able to ascertain by timing the milepost markers was 135 mph.

Back in first class I noticed two seats occupied by women carrying
large stacks of paper.  Sure enough, after the PA told us that Amtrak
wanted to know what riders thought of ICE, these women got out of
those two revenue seats and started distributing questionnaires...
yellow for Deluxe class, blue for Second class.  The woman in First
class chatted with a rider across the aisle from me, another Amtrak
employee riding as a passenger and told her "Don't fill this out
'cause they'll only throw out your answers."  (She filled out a
questionnaire anyway.)  I completed mine and compared answers with my
wife, only to discover there were different questions in many cases. 
Much of the questionnaire was about the seating arrangements...
especially about how Americans felt about sitting facing backwards. 
As a regular commuter on Metro North, this was nothing new to me.

The seatback video screens played two movies: "Dave" and "The Firm".
The CNN service wasn't working for some reason, though I was curious
to see if this was going to be a tape or some sort of live pick-up. 
The audio system was very nice... taped music channels and local FM
stations.  Headphones were free in Deluxe or could be bought in the
Bistro.  Or you could plug in your own, if you had 'em.  The interior
of the cars was very quiet and the pressurization was obvious when
we'd sail past an oncoming train on an immediately adjacent track and
you'd notice nothing more than a blur. The windows were large and the
lighting excellent, even after it became dark outside.

The highlight of the entire trip was the Dining car... the forward 
half of the Bistro car, seperated by a full kitchen.   Hot meals,
freshly prepared to order were served with panache.  My wife had a
chicken dish and I ordered filet mignon. The meals were delicious but
not cheap... about $40 for the two of us with one round of drinks. 
The dining car is as lovely as the pictures you've seen, especially
with the louvered skylights.

At Baltimore I'd guess that about half the passengers got off, with a
few more detraining at New Carrollton.  After Baltimore the Bistro was
empty and the Dining car service wound down.  Now was my time to
explore the rest of the train.  In the first coach behind the Bistro
was "The ICE Team" compartment housing a desk and electronics
equipment for the audio and video.  Behind it was an office-style
compartment with one of the many phones on board and the only fax
machine.  The phone worked great as an earlier call I'd made at 135
mph sounded crystal clear.

We arrived at Union Station in Washington two minutes late.  Our
fatigued Deluxe class Attendant made everyone wait as she hauled a few
bags onto the platform and then waited, palm outstretched. Finally we
were off and on our way into the hubbub of the station.  A final
glance at the head-end showed that the pristine white nose of the ICE
engine had picked up a lot of mud enroute, but I was sure that
wouldn't last long.

What were my impressions of the ICE Train?  Well they were just what I
said to a non-uniformed Amtrak rep in the Bistro car as we left
Baltimore: uncomfortable seats on a nice train, but not as good as the
X2000 in my opinion.  Surprisingly, ICE is not going to make revenue
runs outside of the NYP-WAS corridor.  It will not venture under the
catenary north to New Haven as the X2000 did.  As a resident of
Connecticut living midway between NYC and New Haven, that disappointed
me because I'd like to have a chance to see how ICE performs under the
curvier conditions north of NYC where X2000 seemed to have an
advantage.

Skeptics of the X2000 have reminded me that a direct comparison of
trainsets isn't fair... that the X2000 that visited the US was an all
First Class consist.  True, but at least on the X2000 I could fit my
butt in the seat and not feel cramped.  And neither train's luxurious
decor will be matched by Amtrak's probably spartan configuration.
But neither will Amtrak's service be as good as the Germans or Swedes,
so I have no illusions.

News stories of ICE's first revenue runs as a Metroliner included
comments from Siemens engineers blaming the rough ride on Amtrak's NEC
roadbed. True, ICE does run on a dedicated roadbed in Germany, much
like the TGV does in France.  But doesn't it seem like German
arrogance to blame the track for a rough ride when the X2000 floated
smoothly over the same track?

You'll have to be the judge of whether my experience was typical or a
mad Friday evening aberration.  I've tried very hard to separate in my
own mind, and in my writing, the poor Amtrak service from the
experience of the ICE equipment itself. But even if I am wrong, I'd
still urge you to ride the ICE train while you can and draw your own
conclusions.  I know that if I have another chance, I'll be back!


     <<< Jim Cameron, *Sysop, Journalism Forum / CompuServe >>>
         and member, Metro North / New Haven Commuter Council