Pet peeves while riding amtrak

[PerRock]

could go on about males with bad aim who leave the seat down but will leave it at that :angry2:

Now hold on a minute Missy, and that's exactly what you HAVE to do, HOLD On!

Of course I raise the seat, (just like every male who posts here, right?) but "aim" is tricky when traveling full speed, or over some rough track at slower speed.

I have come to the conclusion that on a train its better if I just sit down.... I've had a number of "close calls" due to bumps and such, makes life so much easier.

peter

 

[fredevad]

The fact that the so-called Quiet Car is NEVER QUIET and no one either enforces the rule OR makes the fact that it's the Quiet Car clearly evident at every stop. It doesn't help to just say it at the beginning of the run. Every stop, people get on and have no idea it's the Quiet Car, and the barely audible announcement that the second car is the Quiet Car is USELESS... who actually counts cars and knows which number car they're in?

The quiet cars on the Hiawatha trains are always the last car in the direction of travel. What bugs me is that they are clearly marked with overhead signs and some people either somehow miss the signs or just plain ignore them. This is unusual for when I ride though and the quiet car is normally quiet.

I usually like the quiet cars when traveling alone because I like to listen to the ambient sounds of riding the train. However, sometimes it's not people that are making the quiet car noisy - sometimes it's the car itself. I remember this one trip from MKE to CHI that there was about a 1 - 2 foot piece of trim that had come loose above the luggage rack - the way it rattled and slapped there was no way there would be any quiet.

 

[MrFSS]

could go on about males with bad aim who leave the seat down but will leave it at that

Now hold on a minute Missy, and that's exactly what you HAVE to do, HOLD On!

Of course I raise the seat, (just like every male who posts here, right?) but "aim" is tricky when traveling full speed, or over some rough track at slower speed.

I have come to the conclusion that on a train its better if I just sit down.... I've had a number of "close calls" due to bumps and such, makes life so much easier.

peter

I agree - we were on a tour of Alaska some years ago and the tour director made an announcement to the effect that gentlemen should remain seated for the entire performance.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

Coming home from the gathering on 352 the wolverine this child was crying on and off throughout the whole trip and the mother even changed the child's diaper ON THE SEAT YUCK.

I'm curious where on the train you'd have her change the kid, I have never seen a changing table on the wolverine line.

you could bring a towel and use it over the toilet bench in the bathroom to change the child with. Im with simpythy if the mother is doing everything to try and quit there child but not if they just ignore the problem like it will go away on its on. this wasn't a baby either it was a toddler.

 

[PRR 60]

Lack of seating assignments in Acela First Class.

Unless you are boarding at WAS, NYP, or BOS endpoints, there is a poor chance that two people traveling together will find seats together in Acela FC. You could have booked weeks or months in advance and it does not matter. Except for the rare instance of a nearly empty train, you have to hope you are among the first to board, and even then it is likely that you will be split up, and it is also likely that one or both of you will be stuck with one of those lousy backwards facing seats across a table from another pair. A trip from PHL to PVD in Acela First will set you back over $200 per person, each way. A round trip for two will be in the neighborhood of $1000. When I'm in that kind of neighborhood, I expect seating to be assigned, not cattle call.

 

[rrdude]

I agree - we were on a tour of Alaska some years ago and the tour director made an announcement to the effect that gentlemen should remain seated for the entire performance.

THAT could not have been said any better!

 

[rrdude]

Coming home from the gathering on 352 the wolverine this child was crying on and off throughout the whole trip and the mother even changed the child's diaper ON THE SEAT YUCK.

I'm curious where on the train you'd have her change the kid, I have never seen a changing table on the wolverine line.

you could bring a towel and use it over the toilet bench in the bathroom to change the child with. Im with simpythy if the mother is doing everything to try and quit there child but not if they just ignore the problem like it will go away on its on. this wasn't a baby either it was a toddler.

And your suggestion is RIGHT ON, most parents WILL bring a changing pad or sheet, just for that purpose.

 

[dan72]

One of my pet peeves has been Amtrak's abysmal attempts at implementing recycling on board. There was a bin in our sleeping car when we were on the SWC last June, but the attendant had it covered up with other items making it unusable. That, and seeing an SA in the dining car throwing away a wine bottle.

If Amtrak is going to tout themselves as being the 'green way to travel' they really need to get their poop in a group on this issue. There's a lot of stuff coming off those trains that ends up in landfills that doesn't need to. I realize they are dealing with many different cities for their refuse and that might be the hang-up here. If anybody has some insights on this, I'd be curious to know. But as an ignorant observer, that's been one of mine. :blink:

Dan

 

[TVRM610]

Coming home from the gathering on 352 the wolverine this child was crying on and off throughout the whole trip and the mother even changed the child's diaper ON THE SEAT YUCK.

I'm curious where on the train you'd have her change the kid, I have never seen a changing table on the wolverine line.

you could bring a towel and use it over the toilet bench in the bathroom to change the child with. Im with simpythy if the mother is doing everything to try and quit there child but not if they just ignore the problem like it will go away on its on. this wasn't a baby either it was a toddler.

And your suggestion is RIGHT ON, most parents WILL bring a changing pad or sheet, just for that purpose.

Put me in the "unsympathetic" camp but changing diapers in public places should just not happen IMHO. And while you can't control an infant when they cry, you can certainly keep a child from running and playing through the train.

On my last ride on the crescent there was a group of kids in the lounge car who were basically treating the booths like a playground while the parents played cards. The lounge attendant finally had enough and put them in their place. Of course there mom got most upset and told other passengers how rude he was. Funny, I thought what he did was perfect. ha.

 

[Eric S]

One of my pet peeves has been Amtrak's abysmal attempts at implementing recycling on board. There was a bin in our sleeping car when we were on the SWC last June, but the attendant had it covered up with other items making it unusable. That, and seeing an SA in the dining car throwing away a wine bottle.

If Amtrak is going to tout themselves as being the 'green way to travel' they really need to get their poop in a group on this issue. There's a lot of stuff coming off those trains that ends up in landfills that doesn't need to. I realize they are dealing with many different cities for their refuse and that might be the hang-up here. If anybody has some insights on this, I'd be curious to know. But as an ignorant observer, that's been one of mine.

Dan

Recently, Amtrak has been adding recycling receptacles in its cafe cars. Perhaps it would be possible to add/convert a recycling receptacle in coach cars as well. Sleeping cars (as currently configured, perhaps new Viewliners will be different) seem to be rather cramped as is, and I'm not sure where a recycling receptacle could be added.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

could go on about males with bad aim who leave the seat down but will leave it at that :angry2:

Now hold on a minute Missy, and that's exactly what you HAVE to do, HOLD On!

Of course I raise the seat, (just like every male who posts here, right?) but "aim" is tricky when traveling full speed, or over some rough track at slower speed.

Isn't that what your fancy GPS is for? :lol:

I am a male, but have mastered the art of using the Automatic Seat Lifter located on the bottom of my shoe whilst in public facilities. :lol:

 

[rrdude]

One of my pet peeves has been Amtrak's abysmal attempts at implementing recycling on board. There was a bin in our sleeping car when we were on the SWC last June, but the attendant had it covered up with other items making it unusable. That, and seeing an SA in the dining car throwing away a wine bottle.

If Amtrak is going to tout themselves as being the 'green way to travel' they really need to get their poop in a group on this issue. There's a lot of stuff coming off those trains that ends up in landfills that doesn't need to. I realize they are dealing with many different cities for their refuse and that might be the hang-up here. If anybody has some insights on this, I'd be curious to know. But as an ignorant observer, that's been one of mine. :blink:

Dan

You are A #1 right on target with this. If you are going to promote "green" then ACT and enforce your staff to ACT green.

 

[AlanB]

Pigs that mess up the bathroom and can't even clean up after themselves or flush!This happens in sleepers too but not as often! :angry:

Agreed.

Any I think the Viewliners are the very best design, hands down. Everyone has their own toilet, and how one takes care of it (or not), affects only that person.

I have changed my opinion 180 degrees on the toilet in the room, as the Viewliner roomette is configured.

Yuck with a cap Y!

Get that stink-factor OUT OF MY ROOM. Ever look at the area "around" the toilet, when the sun is shining in the window? I'll leave that to your imagination.

You'll get your wish with the 25 new Viewliner II cars.

 

[AlanB]

Lack of seating assignments in Acela First Class.

Unless you are boarding at WAS, NYP, or BOS endpoints, there is a poor chance that two people traveling together will find seats together in Acela FC. You could have booked weeks or months in advance and it does not matter. Except for the rare instance of a nearly empty train, you have to hope you are among the first to board, and even then it is likely that you will be split up, and it is also likely that one or both of you will be stuck with one of those lousy backwards facing seats across a table from another pair. A trip from PHL to PVD in Acela First will set you back over $200 per person, each way. A round trip for two will be in the neighborhood of $1000. When I'm in that kind of neighborhood, I expect seating to be assigned, not cattle call.

We already know that Amtrak can do this. The software already exists and has been battle tested; it justs needs to be turned back on. And then of course, Amtrak has to find someone who will actually enforce the seating assignments, which is what was probably one of the biggest reasons that they turned the seat selection software off.

 

[jis]

My pet peeves have to do with the various window treatments that Amtrak dreams up. The most common problem is of course, filthy windows. Apparently 6 hours layover in Chicago is not enough time for the maintenance folks in Chicago to manage to clean the windows of the Cardinal, as I discovered last weekend. It is even worse of course when in their infinite wisdom Amtrak decides to wrap a train and half block up the windows in the process, like they have recently done (again) to an Acela set.

 

[NorthCoastHiawatha]

First timers complaining endlessly, and then exclaiming "I'm never taking the god **** train again"

 

[amamba]

Lack of seating assignments in Acela First Class.

Unless you are boarding at WAS, NYP, or BOS endpoints, there is a poor chance that two people traveling together will find seats together in Acela FC. You could have booked weeks or months in advance and it does not matter. Except for the rare instance of a nearly empty train, you have to hope you are among the first to board, and even then it is likely that you will be split up, and it is also likely that one or both of you will be stuck with one of those lousy backwards facing seats across a table from another pair. A trip from PHL to PVD in Acela First will set you back over $200 per person, each way. A round trip for two will be in the neighborhood of $1000. When I'm in that kind of neighborhood, I expect seating to be assigned, not cattle call.

I completely agree with this - especially as someone from PVD! TURN ON seat assignments in first class.

When my H and I took our last trip together on acela from PHL-PVD in acela 1st class we were super lucky and actually got one of the tables that has one person on each side and you are facing each other, but otherwise we would have ended up in a foursome like that OR sitting separately. That really sucks when its a 1st class ticket. It is just about impossible on most trains to find two seats together when boarding in PVD, so I think next time we go on a trip, I might pull a crazy move (sounds like something the_traveler would do! :giggle: ) and take a regional up to BOS, hang out in the club acela for a few, then board the acela in BOS so we can get good seats. The cherry on top is of course the extra 100 points (each!) on the PVD-BOS run.

 

[AlanB]

This past weekend I rode a T train from Providence to South Station just to ensure that we got two seats together.

And we also enjoyed the CA for a bit too!

 

[Dovecote]

Riders that don't use headphones on there ipods or laptops. While on AE 2164 back in July there was a family and they all had ipads with no headphones and watching videos on youtube at the loudest level. I politely asked them use headphones or turn it down. I got a polite response of F*&k off.

Steve

This is one of my pet peeves as well. In fact Amtrak requires that any personal electronic device not make any sound through speakers or earphones that are audible to others. I have on occasions asked either the Car Attendant or Conductor to speak to passengers traveling in my car that are not following this policy. Each time they spoke to the individuals involved and they quickly put their headphones on.

 

[amamba]

This past weekend I rode a T train from Providence to South Station just to ensure that we got two seats together.

Now THAT is dedication!! That is a long, slow & crowded ride. Maybe not so bad on the weekend, though.

 

[Matthew]

1) When you are on a train that is running late (stuck on a siding somewhere for 45 mins) and there are no updates from the conductor or crew as to what is going on or when you'll get moving or why you're stuck there. A little info goes a long way!

2) Toilets. Many times on the Acela (esp on early morning trains) the toilets get clogged up and star sloshing around. It's disguising! People that don't flush or clean up the bathrooms on LD trains annoy me as well... it gets nasty in there quite quickly. Showers (maybe even for a small fee) should have been installed in the Coach Superliners to keep the smells down.

3) LD Bedrooms need upgraded bed linens and better pillow. They are far too often in quite sorry state (like 50 Thread Count sheets and flat pillows)! Duvets and nicer linens should be provided as well.

4) Lack of Wifi and TVs on LD trains. This is a MAJOR issue IMHO. I think Amtrak needs to install Wifi on all LD trains and install small TVs (like you have on international flights) in the bedroom and roomettes of LD trains. Maybe DirecTV?

 

[Devil's Advocate]

1) When you are on a train that is running late (stuck on a siding somewhere for 45 mins) and there are no updates from the conductor or crew as to what is going on or when you'll get moving or why you're stuck there. A little info goes a long way!

Agreed. However, I think they're trying to work on this as my recent trips had the staff jumping on the PA to alert us to time keeping issues. However, even having a scanner you're only as informed as the indifferent freight dispatchers want you to be.

Showers (maybe even for a small fee) should have been installed in the Coach Superliners to keep the smells down.

ABSOLUTELY! What kind of moron thought it was a "perk" to allow people to clean up? It's for everyone's benefit when you are able to wash yourself and get clean. Making coach class suffer only ends up making everyone suffer in the end.

4) Lack of Wifi and TVs on LD trains. This is a MAJOR issue IMHO. I think Amtrak needs to install Wifi on all LD trains and install small TVs (like you have on international flights) in the bedroom and roomettes of LD trains. Maybe DirecTV?

I don't see why they can't put a TV in every seat in coach as well. Except that they all get destroyed by the pax apparently. I wonder how airlines manage to prevent the pax from destroying everything they can get their hands on while Amtrak is apparently helpless to keep their trains from being ransacked by customers and yard hands alike.

 

[guest]

1) When you are on a train that is running late (stuck on a siding somewhere for 45 mins) and there are no updates from the conductor or crew as to what is going on or when you'll get moving or why you're stuck there. A little info goes a long way!

Agreed. However, I think they're trying to work on this as my recent trips had the staff jumping on the PA to alert us to time keeping issues. However, even having a scanner you're only as informed as the indifferent freight dispatchers want you to be.

Showers (maybe even for a small fee) should have been installed in the Coach Superliners to keep the smells down.

ABSOLUTELY! What kind of moron thought it was a "perk" to allow people to clean up? It's for everyone's benefit when you are able to wash yourself and get clean. Making coach class suffer only ends up making everyone suffer in the end.

4) Lack of Wifi and TVs on LD trains. This is a MAJOR issue IMHO. I think Amtrak needs to install Wifi on all LD trains and install small TVs (like you have on international flights) in the bedroom and roomettes of LD trains. Maybe DirecTV?

I don't see why they can't put a TV in every seat in coach as well. Except that they all get destroyed by the pax apparently. I wonder how airlines manage to prevent the pax from destroying everything they can get their hands on while Amtrak is apparently helpless to keep their trains from being ransacked by customers and yard hands alike.

To the last point:

maybe because airline passengers are crammed in so tightly and constantly being checked by flight attendants that the person wanting to screw up the equipment doesn't really have the opportunity and perhaps fears getting caught.

On the train, unless there's someone sitting next to you, you can pretty much do what you want to the seat, etc. and people do!

Add: I've seen a lot of stuff screwed up on planes, too, like seatback pockets ripped and recline buttons inoperable.

So the crude slobs among passengers are all over the place, unfortunately. Too bad they can't be identified somehow and automatically assigned to a special car with steel-back benches and toilets like those in public parks!!

 

[amtrakwolverine]

When I rode the SWC back in 07 the SSL had tvs but they were disconnected as i tried turning them on.Also the sleeping cars(don't remember if it was superliners or viewliners or both)had little tvs that you could watch pre-programed movies. These have all been removed due to vandalism.

 

[LA Resident]

When I rode the SWC back in 07 the SSL had tvs but they were disconnected as i tried turning them on.Also the sleeping cars(don't remember if it was superliners or viewliners or both)had little tvs that you could watch pre-programed movies. These have all been removed due to vandalism.

The backs of the seats in BC cars on the Pacific Surfliner have had inoperable video screens for years.

It could be the problem is not vandalism perse here, but rather having a dependable person on the train making sure that pre-programmed movies or news channels or whatever were properly loaded and/or received for each trip. Given the inconsistency with which Amtrak keeps up basic housekeeping chores on these trains, like bathroom cleanings and trash removal during quick turnarounds in San Diego, LA or Santa Barbara, perhaps it's a better situation that the screens remain unused! I can just hear the complaints from passengers otherwise!