All-Day Staffed Stations For Just One Train?

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jebr

jebr

Enthusiastic Transit Rider
AU Supporting Member
Gathering Team Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2012
Messages
4,928
Location
"The Last Great City of the East," St. Paul, MN
I went into the MSP station today around 5 PM to do some ticket exchanging, and I started wondering a few things...

First, why is the station open all day, from 6:00 AM until 11:45 PM (with the ticketing area open about the same length)? It accommodates just one train each way a day. I know it's a busy station, but is it really necessary for it to be open all day? (There was no one other than staff in the station when I was there.)

I guess there could be some justification with the connecting corridor service, but even that has the last connecting bus leaving at 12:20 PM (going to Duluth) and no buses coming in until 5:05 PM. It would seem, in my "layman" estimation, that closing it for a few hours in the afternoon could save labor costs...you'd only need two 8-hour shifts filled each day with the staff needed (5:30 AM - 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM - 12:30 AM, accounting for time needed to open and close on either end.) I'm also curious if those connections are used all that much, but that's a different subject for a different day.

Secondly, are there any other stations that are like this...only one train each way a day, but open pretty much all day? Indianapolis seems to be like that to some extent, but the ticket counter is still closed for a decent part of the afternoon each day, and some days closes pretty early.
 
I don't really know what the thinking is here, but look also at the example of Tucson. The hours aren't the same every day, since the SL is only three days a week, but the station itself is staffed every single day (even though there's not a single train on Wednesdays or Fridays). I suppose if they're doing a lot of walk up ticket sales on those non-train days, it would be worth the cost to staff it that way, but I'm having a hard time seeing that as being the case. If it was previously justified, the continuing shift to online (or at least phone) sales would seem to set up a future where employees are really only needed around the time of train arrivals and departures to handle baggage and solve problems.

For fun I added up the hours that MSP is open and divided by the number of trains and got 8.875 hours the station is staffed and open per train. For Tucson, I get ~12.2. I wonder what station on the Amtrak network has the highest ratio of time open to trains arriving/departing.
 
Here in Flagstaff we have daily service, the eastbound leaving early in the morning and the westbound after dinnertime. Up until about two years ago, the ticket office was closed for three or four hours in the afternoon. There are four regular employees and they were working five eight hours shifts, plus additional overtime as required. Then they switched the assignments to work four ten hour shifts per week, so the ticket office is now open all day, from about 3:15 am to 11 pm. If I recall what my friends down there told me, the senior agents work Monday through Thursday, and their reliefs work Thursday to Sunday, so usually on Thursday two agents will be on duty, as was the case when I dropped in last night. This cut down on overtime paid out and with the office not being closed part of the day, it increased the revenue of the ticket office. Sometimes when a big crowd is expected, one of the agents may be called in on their day off to work an additional four hours. They said business on the SWC is booming. If I was working there I would prefer the four day, ten hour arrangement.
 
Greenville, SC has the only Crescent coming through at night but one day a week, it is also open during the day. Thank goodness, as it is the only way to see an agent during reasonable hours.
 
Station Staffed all day with only a couple of trains has plagued the long distance routes for years. In order to get competent workers, somewhat normal schedules need to be offered. That is the reason that increasing train frequency does not raise expenses accordingly. I have been writing to Senators, Congress people and others for years. They usually think no rides Amtrak outside certain corridors, so why make Employees more productive?
 
As I have said in other posts... Amtrak baggage has got to be losing a large amount of money. With e-tickets and quick track machines, there really is no need for ticket agents at small towns. Hire a "station host" to open and close the station, and let people know about the train status. Simple as that.

Obviously larger cities with multiple trains and lots of passengers still need agents, but many do not. There are ways for Amtrak to cut costs... But nobody will get out of the "but this is how we've always done it" mentality.
 
The Station Hosts along the Heartland Flyer route are all volunteers who enjoy railroad history and working with passengers. As far as I know none are paid except maybe for a Polo Shirt or something along that line. Of course FTW is a regular staffed station with about 3 folks working there, but they have 4 trains a day to deal with.
 
TVRM610 said:
As I have said in other posts... Amtrak baggage has got to be losing a large amount of money. With e-tickets and quick track machines, there really is no need for ticket agents at small towns. Hire a "station host" to open and close the station, and let people know about the train status. Simple as that.
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If we're hiring someone (and we may need to if a train station has bad hours or if a station is busy), why not make them a ticket agent as well?

If they're hiring separate people solely for baggage service, then yes, I can't imagine it making money. At the same time, I'm not sure I see it being a good idea to go without it, since it at least allows people transitioning to train travel some similarity with airline travel (especially if they're transferring trains, etc.)
 
Ticket Agents at Amtrak get paid way more than min. Wage. Plus if they are full time they get all those good Amtrak benefits too. A station host that just opens the doors, answers questions, etc. can work for less, and as in many cases, even work as a volunteer.

Please understand that I know that some stations would still require agents.
 
TVRM610 said:
Ticket Agents at Amtrak get paid way more than min. Wage. Plus if they are full time they get all those good Amtrak benefits too. A station host that just opens the doors, answers questions, etc. can work for less, and as in many cases, even work as a volunteer.
Please understand that I know that some stations would still require agents.
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I guess I'm more questioning the logic of a station host not able to sell tickets. Probably some sort of union/work rules that don't allow those jobs to be combined, but sometimes I wish that those rules could be relaxed where it makes sense.
 
Reno has the California Zephyr as the only train, and the services are theoretically open from 7:30 AM to 5 PM. I've gone in for a look, and one time the ticket window was closed while the only ticket agent on duty was taking a break. They have bus service connecting with Capitol Corridor in Sacramento, but no baggage service. The last bus to leave for Sacramento is scheduled for 5 PM. I guess getting there early should be enough time to buy a ticket, and arriving there by bus after closing isn't an issue since the passenger will have already bought a ticket and doesn't need to access checked-in bags.

The SFC bus terminal in San Francisco is a little different. They actually get steady bus traffic there, but between buses it gets really quiet in there for the employees. They actually have a scheduled break from 6:30-7 PM every day. I'm not exactly sure how they do it, but I think they rotate employees with the actual train stations because I've seen them at other stations.
 
Do buses still serve the MSP Midway station? Jefferson Lines moved into St Paul Union Depot early this year.
 
Here in Austin there are Two Trains a Day, the Texas Eagles! (one in each Direction! #22/#422 Arrives @ 9:31AM and #21/#421 @ a Scheduled Arrival of 6:30PM! It's always Late thanks mostly to UP!) The Station is Open 7 Days a Week, 7AM-till 30 Minutes after the Arrival of #21/#421! There are 4 Agents assigned here and a Quik-Trac! The Lead Agent works Mon-Thurs 7AM-5PM! There is always 2 Agents on duty from 7AM-4PM Mon-Sunday.and only 1 Agent on duty till #21/#421 Arrives and Departs 7 Days a Week! The Evening Shift Agent always gets OT Pay since the RR Dispatchers do their Dispatching Delay thing on the way from FTW-AUS ! Austin has only had Checked Bags for a Couple of Years,(the Junior person on duty does the Baggage) the Station used to be Closed on Sundays like Temple still is with No Baggage Service!

I've often wondered why 2 Agents work the Morning shift and only 1 the Evening Shift and the Agents told me that this was a Union/Amtrak Contract thing since the Northbound #22/#422 used to have a Much Heavier Passenger and Baggage load!. On the South Bound #21 Evenings ( #421/3 days a week) the Passenger Load has been really Increasing and the Checked Luggage sometimes fills 2 Carts! Lots more people coming to/from Austin on the Eagles but of course No-one Rides Amtrak anymore! :rolleyes:

All of Austin's Agents are very Friendly, Helpful and do a Good Job! Maybe they could Train the Chicago Crew in Union Station! <_<
 
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jebr said:
TVRM610 said:
Ticket Agents at Amtrak get paid way more than min. Wage. Plus if they are full time they get all those good Amtrak benefits too. A station host that just opens the doors, answers questions, etc. can work for less, and as in many cases, even work as a volunteer.
Please understand that I know that some stations would still require agents.
Click to expand...
I guess I'm more questioning the logic of a station host not able to sell tickets. Probably some sort of union/work rules that don't allow those jobs to be combined, but sometimes I wish that those rules could be relaxed where it makes sense.
Click to expand...
The 'station hosts', IIRC, are not Amtrak employees, but are 'contracted' personnel. These are found generally in smaller stations, or in some cases in larger stations that are on newly opened routes. In larger, busier stations, Ticketing and Baggage personnel are Amtrak union employees. In some cases, the ticket agents will close the counter at train time and handle baggage. In busier stations, the crafts are separated, but they are in the same union, with ability to bid on either job description. 'Unassigned', or sometimes known as 'extra board' clerks, may be called to cover either craft they are qualified for. There are other crafts also in the same union in major stations...
 
In most small stations there is just a Station Agent and a Relief Agent.These two people do all the work at the station from selling ticket, handling bags, and cleaning the station.
 
The Flagstaff people I know at the station here earn their keep, in my view. Some of you may know that I am a former suburban ticket agent in New Jersey The company was all rah-rah-rah at the time about cutting down the number of jobs in favor of those ticket machines. There is a place for the machines (although NJ Transit's crass attitude on the subject created much animosity, going back some years )and I sometimes use them myself, but there is much to be said for a human presence in the form of a full time employee who knows the score, not just a caretaker or a ticket machine. Of course, those work in smaller places, agreed. But in a well patronized station like Flagstaff, even though there is just one train each way, it would be a pretty hollow place without the agents.
 
My home station of Newton Kansas has an agent from Sunday morning to Friday night. During the weekend there is only a person to come in and unlock the station during the time the SWC come in.
 
Glenwood Springs (GSC) is open all day, and well into the evening if the CZ is late -- eastbound or westbound. And on many days when I have passed through the station, either on the CZ or stopped in my car for a rest break and a quick purchase at the train museum inside the station, there have been two ticket agents working the station.
 
chakk said:
Glenwood Springs (GSC) is open all day, and well into the evening if the CZ is late -- eastbound or westbound. And on many days when I have passed through the station, either on the CZ or stopped in my car for a rest break and a quick purchase at the train museum inside the station, there have been two ticket agents working the station.
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That's probably because that station enjoys a very large usage, disproportionate to the city's population. Especially Train 5 on Saturday, and Train 6 on Sunday, where sometimes a hundred or more passengers are boarding after an overnite weekend 'getaway' from Denver. A bevy of hotel vans meet those trains. And in the winter, its the rail gateway for Aspen, 41 miles away. It is a full service station with checked baggage.
 
And then there is Olympia/Lacey Washington. 14 trains a day, Every train no matter how late they are met by someone, and not a SINGLE AMTRAK employee. (Its all been volunteer since the station opening in 1989)
 

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