Pere Marquette boarding difficulty in Chicago

I posted some of this in another thread, but I would like to get some feedback from others about my experience on the Pere Marquette today. I spent 3 hours in the overcrowded Metro Lounge having arrived on the Southwest Chief 1/2 hour early. Although I had a 3 hour layover, I almost missed my connection due to some sort of mixup! When I checked in at 3 I was told they would "take me to my train at 6:00 pm." The Pere Marquette was scheduled to leave at 6:30.

At 6:10 I had not heard anything and I was concerned. I had upgraded to "Business Class" for priority boarding and felt that, unless the train had been delayed it should have been called. I inquired at the desk and I was told they were "waiting for a boarding call."

Finally at 6:20 they announced the train. She took me and 2 others outside the lounge doors, pointed and said "Go to Gate F." There was no one at Gate F, someone else said "Gate D!" There was no one there either! All the passengers had already boarded! Remember the reason I opted for Business Class was priority boarding!

I was beginning to panic, went through the unstaffed and closed gate and hollered "Where is train 370!?" Suddenly staff appeared and scolded me for going through the gate! I told them "I can't afford to miss this train!" I was pointed in the direction of the track and was told to board on the left side of the train, but then after crossing over, noticed everyone else had boarded on the right!

I was exhausted and stressed from running to the train, dragging my large suitcase! I'm also a senior passenger so this was a physical ordeal in addition to psychological. And I was never offered redcap service! I'm now sitting in an almost empty coach in a leather seat with a newspaper and a bottle of water! Is that worth the extra cost? I don't think so! ! What a fiasco!

I would like to hear from other business class passengers on the Pere Marquette, Train 370 from Chicago to Grand Rapids, Mi. I would like to know if this is a typical situation, what I could have done differently, to ensure trouble-free boarding. Judging from the lack of passengers in this coach I am wondering if it is just not a priority for Amtrak to accommodate the business class for this route. Personally I think they just plain forgot about us!

I hated to end my vacation on a sour note. The trip across country on the Southwest Chief was a delight! Maybe I will write more about that later.

Next time, call for a Red Cap. Depending upon Amtrak to do ANYthing resembling superior customer service, will typically result in disappointment

rrdude said:

Next time, call for a Red Cap.

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My experience at the LAX Metro Lounge - 3 or 4 Red Caps with 'golf carts' (?) came to the lounge early to take passengers to the SWC and Pacific Surfliner.

Must they be 'called' by passengers at other stations?

I ride several of the corridor trains out of CUS quite often. Your problem is not unique to the #370 train but occurs more often than it should on many of the 'three digit' trains. The staff that works in the Metropolitan Lounge are experienced, friendly, and competent BUT the loading of the corridor trains is not in their direct information flow. The conductor calls the passenger lounge (holding pen). They relay the info to the red caps and the Great Hall and the Lounge and no telling who else. Those employees in the holding pen are control freaks and their attention can easily get pulled in several directions at one time. In my opinion, and as a result of several close calls of my own, I think your close call was probably the same as has happened to me on occasion. Have you ever played the parlor game where you whisper in one person's ear and ten people down the line you find the information totally unrelated to what you whispered.

I recommend, based on experience, one of these solutions:

1. If you prefer to set in the Lounge be very cognizant of the time and make your way to the gate on your own about 20 minutes prior if there is no announcement,

2. You are holding the exacta! You are a senior and in business class...either of which gets you a seat in the holding pen where the conductor's alert is initially sent.

3. Go upstairs to the bar, order a drink, set you phone alarm for 20 minutes prior to your departure and make your way to the gate on your own.

I don't recommend these solutions in any particular order, but if you are riding with me, option 3 is my priority.

Excellent advice Colonel! I'll drink to that! LOL

It's hit and miss with the Wolverine as well. They've gotten better, but they've missed about one out of five trains I've been on (it used to be four out of five, so it really is much better). Also, they used to send everyone into the coach waiting pen, which totally defeated the purpose. Now, they walk everyone out, just like the sleepers.

Usually, about 30 minutes before departure, they'll tell anyone who's able to walk to go to the back of the lounge to wait by the door and then anyone who needs assistance to come up front by the desk so they can call for a redcap. The walkables follow the kindergarten leader out the door and then back into the station before going to the gate to the concourse. The people who need a redcap board the RedcapMobile outside of the lounge... somewhere... I assume by the information desk? I've never used one.

Anyway, as Joe said, if I don't hear anything by 25 minutes before departure, I just go to the departure gate. Sometimes I walk right up to the gate dragon and say I'm in BC, to which she goes, "WHY DIDN'T YOU BOARD WHEN WE CALLED," and I say, "BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T ANNOUNCE IT IN THE LOUNGE". Then I show her my ticket, she rolls her eyes, and I get to walk past everyone else.

Sometimes I wait in line with the coach passengers and then just head to BC once we're through the gate. It depends on how patient I feel.

The leather seats, more leg room, leg rest, free beverage, and newspaper aren't the chief reasons I book BC. While I do love the comfy seats and free beverage, I mostly book it because I get lounge access and it's much easier to find a seat. You don't have to deal with the stampeding herd (most of the time, and since you'll use redcaps, you get to sail right past them). Also, the lighting is dimmer, and it's much quieter than coach most of the time.

Sometimes, when I see the line-up at Kalamazoo and/or the ridiculous amount of people waiting for the Sunday night Wolverine back to Michigan, I'm so thankful I bought that BC ticket. It's a much better experience all-around.

SarahZ said:

It's hit and miss with the Wolverine as well. They've gotten better, but they've missed about one out of five trains I've been on (it used to be four out of five, so it really is much better). Also, they used to send everyone into the coach waiting pen, which totally defeated the purpose. Now, they walk everyone out, just like the sleepers.

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I was just in this situation yesterday with a BC ticket on 383. I noticed that the attendant was taking the walkables out the back door to earlier 3xx trains. I asked an attendant if this was a new policy, because in the past I had always been told to head for the main boarding area. The answer was that it depends on who is on duty, some walk you out the back door, others send you to the pen.

Also, something seemed weird the minute I entered the station; but I didn't realized what it was until now. It was the lack queues backed up to the ticket counter area. Also, there were very few people in the pen. I thought it must be a real slack day for Amtrak Chicago.

I noticed that the electronic departure boards said that "general" boarding is from the Great Hall. How does that work? I didn't see any queues there either. Is there a secret passage from the Hall to the platforms? What about all the events that normally are hosted in the Hall? A month ago, it was completely closed. You couldn't even get to the Clinton Street exits.

PaulM said:

I noticed that the electronic departure boards said that "general" boarding is from the Great Hall. How does that work? I didn't see any queues there either. Is there a secret passage from the Hall to the platforms? What about all the events that normally are hosted in the Hall? A month ago, it was completely closed. You couldn't even get to the Clinton Street exits.

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Was it for specific trains?

When the Wolverine gets packed, they have everyone wait in the Great Hall. They sort you by destination and then kindergarten walk groups to the concourse. Sometimes they just have everyone line up. I've seen the line snake all the way around the Great Hall.

They can only do this when they don't have a hosted event in the Great Hall, obviously. If the Great Hall is booked, then it's the usual Lord of the Flies nightmare queue.

Thank you all for your responses! This was what I was hoping for. Grounded flyboy, I appreciate your three choices. I was actually leaning toward this one: ns:

"1. If you prefer to set in the Lounge be very cognizant of the time and make your way to the gate on your own about 20 minutes prior if there is no announcement,"

In fact I do prefer the Lounge for the comfort, the snacks and beverages, and the luggage hold. Next time I will retrieve my suitcase 30 minutes prior to departure and make my way to the "regular" lounge. No longer will I trust the Metropolitan Lounge personnel to take care of me. They were very nice but obviously had too much on their plate at that time to be too concerned about 3 business passengers on a small train to Michigan!

SarahZ, you said, "Usually, about 30 minutes before departure, they'll tell anyone who's able to walk to go to the back of the lounge to wait by the door and then anyone who needs assistance to come up front by the desk so they can call for a redcap. The walkables follow the kindergarten leader out the door and then back into the station before going to the gate to the concourse. The people who need a redcap board the RedcapMobile outside of the lounge... somewhere... I assume by the information desk? I've never used one."

This is exactly what happened over and over again in the 3-1/2 hours I sat in the lounge and observed all the other trains! I guess I was naive to think that it would also happen with my train! Next time I will know better!

Last September 2014 I did BC on the 4:05 pm Illini/Saluki to Carbondale. I did check in the lounge and was taken to the train via the kindergarten walk but train was not ready for boarding so we were told to wait by the door inside the gate lounge for a few minutes. I will be doing the same BC trip in a couple weeks on October 6 and will have to be alert. It is my understanding that the coach lounges near the gates are now mainly for ederly(yay, I'm 73) and handicap while regular folks now board from the great hall. Don't know how it works.

SarahZ said:

PaulM said:

I noticed that the electronic departure boards said that "general" boarding is from the Great Hall. How does that work? I didn't see any queues there either. Is there a secret passage from the Hall to the platforms? What about all the events that normally are hosted in the Hall? A month ago, it was completely closed. You couldn't even get to the Clinton Street exits.

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Was it for specific trains?

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It appeared 2 or 3 times on the monitor in what looked like random order, not specific to any train.

They can only do this when they don't have a hosted event in the Great Hall, obviously. If the Great Hall is booked, then it's the usual Lord of the Flies nightmare queue.

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The thread got started because a lack of consistency regarding boarding calls. This adds another level of uncertainty.

As my screen name implies am an Amtrak retired oldtimer and I am married to another Amtrak retired oldtimer who had worked her last 9 years in the Chicago Metropolitan Lounge.

Our last long distance was in May and the people at the desk in the lounge all relatively new employees. They even gave me some static even as an employee my room to FLG was over $1200. It was only when the baggage room attendant interceded that I was taken care of. Thank God that we had been friends for 30+ years (by the way he is retiring in 10? days).

So with regard to what has been previously posted here, to quote another AU old timer YMMV!

I boarded 305 today, got to the lounge before the time stated on the lounge pass (4:40 for a 5:15 train). My wife asked a desk attendant if they had boarded our train yet. Attendant didn't know.

A few minutes later, wife asked again and got the customary "I already made the announcement" complete with the implied derision at us for being so ignorant. That seems to be frequent at that lounge.

Something similar seems to happen nearly every time at that lounge, confusion followed by derision.

Another time I left the lounge for just long enough to grab a paper at the newsstand that's a five-second walk from the lounge. I missed the call and got the same kind of attitude from the attendant.

Perhaps going forward I should just go to the holding pen and try that method? I don't want to squander a bunch of time waiting in the station nor do I want to deal with a-holes.

Maybe I'm confused, but it also seems they're boarding very early. The last couple 3xx trains I've taken from St. Louis haven't boarded until ten minutes before departure.

When we boarded the Texas Eagle yesterday in CHI ( Wed 10/14) they announced boarding and did the Kindergarden Walk and Redcap assistance drill @ 115PM! ( Coach passengers were boarded from the Great Hall a 130PM)

The Train rolled out @ 2PM!!

Perhaps it was because the Lounge was so crowded? No, that cant be, no-one rides Trains anymore!

Bob Dylan said:

When we boarded the Texas Eagle yesterday in CHI ( Wed 10/14) they announced boarding and did the Kindergarden Walk and Redcap assistance drill @ 115PM! ( Coach passengers were boarded from the Great Hall a 130PM)

The Train rolled out @ 2PM!!

Perhaps it was because the Lounge was so crowded? No, that cant be, no-one rides Trains anymore!

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This was the procedure for both of my trips that boarded from the lounge......a LD trip on the Empire Builder a year ago (the walk took place on the platform) July and a trip in BC on the Pere Marquette in June. No issues whatsoever. Hopefully the routine will be the same when I board the Southwest Chief a week from Monday.

I have never had a problem boarding a long-distance train. It is only the Pere Marquette that was the problem. I guess because there were so few of us in business class (3) in the Metropolitan lounge, it didn't warrant top priority.

crabby_appleton1950 said:

rrdude said:

Next time, call for a Red Cap.

Click to expand...

My experience at the LAX Metro Lounge - 3 or 4 Red Caps with 'golf carts' (?) came to the lounge early to take passengers to the SWC and Pacific Surfliner.

Must they be 'called' by passengers at other stations?

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In New York and Washington it is a good idea to let the Club Acela agent know that you want a Red Cap. They will call one and put you in touch with them.