My adventure yesterday and why I love the Keystones even more now

Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum

Help Support Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Dec 26, 2014
Messages
4,426
I was in Philadelphia yesterday, having stayed over at the end of a lovely vacation coming back from Virginia, and had planned to take SEPTA from Philly to Trenton, where I connect to my light rail to go home. SEPTA was a mess, though, so I decided to splurge and take a Keystone, especially because I had a commitment yesterday evening and also had to be at work early this morning. Plus I pulled something a couple of days ago when tripping over my sneaker that I'd forgotten was there (note to self while stumbling across room: always put things where they belong), so my leg was sore and I knew Amtrak would be faster and more comfortable than commuter rail.

I got to 30th Street and bought my ticket with no problem, was taken down by a redcap (very nice, but not one I usually use--hint 1 as to what went wrong) and put on a Keystone ("a" Keystone, not "the" Keystone--hint 2). There was a Keystone train on both tracks (hint 3).

So obviously you know what happened--we pull out, and they announce the next station as Paoli, not Trenton.

Any other day, I would have just accepted it, taken a nice ride out to Harrisburg and either stayed over if there was a good hotel rate or come back and just considered it a nice, if long, joy ride. But I really did have to get back, and I came as close to panicking as I ever have on a train.

That's when the first wonderful conductor came along--I've seen him before, so I think he has been a Keystone conductor for a while. I showed him my ticket and explained what happened, and he told me not to worry, he would go figure something out, and I would be taken care of. A few minutes later, he came back and said he had arranged for the train to stop at Ardmore (a small station not too far out of Philly, but one that not a lot of trains, including that one, stop at) and had arranged for the next Keystone, which was coming through in about 20 minutes and didn't usually stop at Ardmore, to stop and pick me up and take me to Trenton.

The train stopped at Ardmore, he took my bag down the steps and showed me how to get to the other side, and when I shook his hand and thanked him, he said it was not a problem and that it was their fault and their job to straighten it out.

Then I walked to the other side and waited on the platform with a bunch of people who had been waiting for SEPTA forever. And then the Keystone came along, and the second wonderful conductor--a much younger one than the first, so maybe fairly new--showed up at the door and put the stairs down. I went up to him and showed him my ticket and explained I was the lady who had been put on the wrong train. He helped me up the steps, handed my bag up, pulled up the steps, and told me to find a seat and just relax and everything would be fine and they would take me to Trenton. What really impressed me was how he got me on the train and kept the 30 or so people who were yelling and saying "Can you take us to 30th Street?" on the platform and away from the train!

I got home in plenty of time, relaxed, and with a leg that ached a lot less than it would have if things hadn't gone as smoothly.

I have never had reason (good or bad) to call Customer Relations, but it was the first thing I did yesterday after getting home, and asked them to put a commendation in for the crews, and especially the conductors, on both those trains.

Some of you know I already had a soft spot for the Keystones. And they have even more of a place in my heart after yesterday. :)
 
I'm glad it turned out to be a good experience for you, despite the hassle.

Couple of thoughts:

1. Conductors should announce on the PA prior to the train's departure which Keystone you're on. They should do this a couple of times during the 15-20 layover at 30th Street, particularly after boarding of new passengers has begun. Make a final announcement about two minutes before doors close on departure. Obviously you wouldn't catch everybody, such as last-minute boarders and those who aren't paying attention...but it would potentially help in cases like this. Airline crews make announcements like this on commuter flights at hubs where multiple flights board in close proximity out of the same gate area.

2. Keystone trains would be a strong contender for having destination signs on the outside (in the same way that SEPTA trains have, for instance). Nearly every Keystone train ends in either Harrisburg or New York. All you'd need is a two-sided sign that is flipped at either end of the route. I'm not sure how much Keystone equipment rotates into and out of Northeast Regional routes. In that case you'd have to go with digital signs, like on Acela. That would require a lot more $$, of course.
 
I'm glad it turned out to be a good experience for you, despite the hassle.

Couple of thoughts:

1. Conductors should announce on the PA prior to the train's departure which Keystone you're on. They should do this a couple of times during the 15-20 layover at 30th Street, particularly after boarding of new passengers has begun. Make a final announcement about two minutes before doors close on departure. Obviously you wouldn't catch everybody, such as last-minute boarders and those who aren't paying attention...but it would potentially help in cases like this. Airline crews make announcements like this on commuter flights at hubs where multiple flights board in close proximity out of the same gate area.
The announcements happened to me at a small airport this summer - first time I'd heard it ("this is the flight to CHICAGO, not DENVER").

Also glad you had such a "worked out" situation!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The Keystone Service is excellent! Sure the trains may not have a cafe car, but I've found them to be the friendliest trains out of all the Amtrak trains I've been on. Reasonable fares and the service with a smile are good enough to make me a repeat customer!
 
They were also very accommodating to the field trip groups I've taken to Philadelphia.
 
Great news!!! Glad to hear good news about Amtrak! I love our Amtrak California folks so glad the Keystones are doing a spectacular job of taking care of their customers!
 
I'm glad it turned out to be a good experience for you, despite the hassle.

Couple of thoughts:

1. Conductors should announce on the PA prior to the train's departure which Keystone you're on. They should do this a couple of times during the 15-20 layover at 30th Street, particularly after boarding of new passengers has begun. Make a final announcement about two minutes before doors close on departure. Obviously you wouldn't catch everybody, such as last-minute boarders and those who aren't paying attention...but it would potentially help in cases like this. Airline crews make announcements like this on commuter flights at hubs where multiple flights board in close proximity out of the same gate area.
The announcements happened to me at a small airport this summer - first time I'd heard it ("this is the flight to CHICAGO, not DENVER").

Also glad you had such a "worked out" situation!
Back in the early 1980s my brother once flwe to Indianopolis instead of Providence because he wasn't paying attention (and neither was the airline that let him board the wrong flight.

Then there was the guy who thought he was going to Oakland and ended up in Auckland.
 
Just last year, my nephew was flying from Manchester, NH, to Chicago. He was scheduled to fly on Southwest to Midway. When he got there he saw a sign for a 6 a.m. flight to Chicago, presented his ticket on his phone to the gate attendant and got on the plane. It was only after the plane took off, that he realized he was on a United flight!. It seems both United and Midway had 6 a.m. flights out of Manchester to Chicago and somehow he was allowed to board the United flight, which landed at O'Hare. His luggage, however, went to Midway on Southwest. He had to call his parents who were waiting at Midway to pick him up at O'Hare and then return to Midway to claim his luggage. How this happened in this age of high security alerts is quite baffling. I thought airlines made a big deal about matching luggage with passengers. And how did the gate attendant let him on the plane after scanning his phone E-ticket? He swears it happened and his parents confirm the story.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Back
Top