Problem Boarding Train

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S

SW

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Hello. This is my first post and I thank you in advance for any help you give me.

Yesterday my mother tried to board the Cardinal to NYP in Ashland, KY. This was early in the morning before the station opened and the platform was dark. According to her the train stopped for a very short period of time and pulled away before she could get on board. She didn't see any doors open or a conductor.

She rebooked for tomorrow. Can you guys give me any tips to help her for tomorrow? I think the conductor just didn't see her waiting.
 
Does your mother have a ticket (paper or e-ticket) already in her possession? Is it for boarding at that exact station?

That's the only way the conductors knows that there will be a passenger there.
 
Agreed. If she had a ticket for that station on that day, they should have been looking for her.

Best bet is to be visible. On the platform, near the tracks, ready to go. A wave at the engineer as the train enters the station can't hurt.
 
Yes she had a reservation. She says the platform was dark so he might have not seen her.

I will definitely tell her to wave at the conductor. She needs to make herself seen.
 
I spoke to them just now and they said they added a note to the manifest that she would definitely be waiting tomorrow. The person I spoke to yesterday said that there was no way it could have happened like that. Since I wasn't there, I don't know 100% what the problem was.

Here's hoping tomorrow she gets on board. She was broken-hearted.
 
I'm sure she was, that sucks.

It is very surprising that it would happen like that. Looks like the train was 30 minutes down and it's possible that the crew was rushing. With sunrise as late as it is, even 30 minutes late the train was there just before sunrise.

Glad that your mom's travel plans were flexible and she was willing to wait until the next train.
 
I'm sorry to hear that, SW. I hope she has a wonderful trip.

I know you said you spoke to them, but I would have her call customer relations so she can provide any information they might need regarding what happened. They might have some questions only she'd be able to answer since she was there. There's a chance they'll give her a voucher for future travel.
 
That's scary, a platform so dark that the crew couldn't see a waiting passenger. Was mom the only passenger boarding at that station?
 
My brother was with her but they were the only two people there. She spoke to them yesterday and they told her the conductor must have not seen her. They offered to refund the amount I was charged to rebook her.

My brother is taking a flashlight tomorrow to make them more visible.
 
That's a great idea! He can wave it like one of those conductor lanterns. :)
 
Very surprising that there would not be some type of lights on the platform. Even the tiny stations have some types of lights. I hope tomorrow works better for her. Too bad it is not an every day train and she has to wait the extra day.
 
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June the Coach Rider said:
Very surprising that there would not be some type of lights on the platform. Even the tiny stations have some types of lights. I hope tomorrow works better for her. Too bad it is not an every day train and she has to wait the extra day.
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I would think this would be a safety/security issue for the train. Not knowing the station, is it possible they were on the opposite side for boarding that train? Perhaps the crew was looking, but they were in a different area.
 
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SW said:
My brother was with her but they were the only two people there. She spoke to them yesterday and they told her the conductor must have not seen her. They offered to refund the amount I was charged to rebook her.

My brother is taking a flashlight tomorrow to make them more visible.
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Just make sure they know to shine it on themselves, not directly at the crew.
 
Now I wonder if they were on the opposite side. She said she saw someone exit the train but he doors didn't open. I will ask her about that. Thanks.
 
Looking at Google Maps, there is only a platform on one side of the tracks.

There are also lights, so I'm not sure where this "Why aren't there any lights?" stuff is coming from. Our guest just said that it was dark, not that there were no lights.

Only a platform on one side, so it should be pretty easy to be on the correct side of the train (the side farther from the river).
 
SW said:
I spoke to them just now and they said they added a note to the manifest that she would definitely be waiting tomorrow. The person I spoke to yesterday said that there was no way it could have happened like that. Since I wasn't there, I don't know 100% what the problem was.

Here's hoping tomorrow she gets on board. She was broken-hearted.
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Great job keeping her encouraged, I feel so bad for her. Hopefully she will have a great crew/trip and this will be a funny story to tell around Christmas.
 
What she said was that the doors near where she was standing didn't open. She did see someone exit near the rear of the train. If one door opens do they all open? I'm not sure how that works.

Sorry. I wasn't clear.
 
Nope, the door has to be manually opened by a crew member.

Especially at a smaller station like that one, there will probably be only one door. Maybe two, if someone in the sleeping car is getting on/off.

As soon as the train stops and she sees a door open, she needs to head for it as fast as she can and make sure that she's seen.
 
RyanS said:
Nope, the door has to be manually opened by a crew member.Especially at a smaller station like that one, there will probably be only one door. Maybe two, if someone in the sleeping car is getting on/off.As soon as the train stops and she sees a door open, she needs to head for it as fast as she can and make sure that she's seen.
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Thank you. I will give her this advice.
 
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