Amtrak Queue at St. Paul Union Depot

[n00ax]

After riding the Empire Builder train #7, I have noticed that Amtrak employees seem to enforce a ridiculous queue/ ID check system at St. Paul Union Depot, which creates a line that stretches from escalators to the ticket counter to the gate itself. Considering the Depot's platforms are new and not limited in space what so ever, and ID checks are stupid (they do it on the train), what is Amtrak's ridiculous reasoning to queue passengers to timbuktu in a recently remodeled station, that has platforms wide enough to easily accommodate passengers?

 

[the_traveler]

ID checks are random, and they may or may not be done aboard the train. They are so random that I have only been asked for ID twice (in 40+ years!) - and both times was prior to boarding inside the NOL station!

 

[unitedstatesfan]

While others have pointed out to me that Amtrak's boarding procedures vary by station, generally speaking as a foreigner (Australian) I find it difficult to understand why we cannot all wait on the platform for the doors to open as is the case in the vast majority of countries.

In Europe, Australia and much of Asia, one just piles on board the train: tickets are checked once the train is underway in many cases. A much more efficient system!

 

[NW cannonball]

After riding the Empire Builder train #7, I have noticed that Amtrak employees seem to enforce a ridiculous queue/ ID check system at St. Paul Union Depot, which creates a line that stretches from escalators to the ticket counter to the gate itself. Considering the Depot's platforms are new and not limited in space what so ever, and ID checks are stupid (they do it on the train), what is Amtrak's ridiculous reasoning to queue passengers to timbuktu in a recently remodeled station, that has platforms wide enough to easily accommodate passengers?

MSP is my home station. I have never seen any such situation there. Departing passengers do have to wait a few minutes until arriving passengers have cleared the platform, that's all.

"line that stretches from escalators to the ticket counter to the gate itself" -- Naah-ahh not so, even if an all-passenger ID check (what I've never seen at MSP)

Even IF there was an ID check at the platform gate at the far end of the concourse, or at the ticket counter, a queue that long would fill at least 5 Empire Builders. Anybody who has been at SPUD knows the layout, and "line that stretches from escalators to the ticket counter to the gate itself" seems a great exaggeration, really.

Sorry, OP, don't know your gripe, but most of it just doesn't fit MSP as I know it, and I do.

Unless there was a bomb threat or "dangerous fugitive" situation? I follow local news and know of no such thing, but maybe, what day?

 

[Palmetto]

Given the recent observation about the train being a vehicle for drug traffiking, maybe they were looking to identify a particular person that showed up on the manifest with a "flag". Who knows?

 

[NW cannonball]

Given the recent observation about the train being a vehicle for drug traffiking, maybe they were looking to identify a particular person that showed up on the manifest with a "flag". Who knows?

could be

 

[jebr]

I'm trying to figure out how that line would even work. The layout of SPUD would make it nearly impossible for a line from one of the escalators to the Amtrak gate to pass the main ticket counter. They do often check tickets just before entering the gate, and if there's a special event there may be only a small corridor people can line up in, but I'm confused as to what is being reported.

 

[norfolkwesternhenry]

After riding the Empire Builder train #7, I have noticed that Amtrak employees seem to enforce a ridiculous queue/ ID check system at St. Paul Union Depot, which creates a line that stretches from escalators to the ticket counter to the gate itself. Considering the Depot's platforms are new and not limited in space what so ever, and ID checks are stupid (they do it on the train), what is Amtrak's ridiculous reasoning to queue passengers to timbuktu in a recently remodeled station, that has platforms wide enough to easily accommodate passengers?

MSP is my home station. I have never seen any such situation there. Departing passengers do have to wait a few minutes until arriving passengers have cleared the platform, that's all.

"line that stretches from escalators to the ticket counter to the gate itself" -- Naah-ahh not so, even if an all-passenger ID check (what I've never seen at MSP)

Even IF there was an ID check at the platform gate at the far end of the concourse, or at the ticket counter, a queue that long would fill at least 5 Empire Builders. Anybody who has been at SPUD knows the layout, and "line that stretches from escalators to the ticket counter to the gate itself" seems a great exaggeration, really.

Sorry, OP, don't know your gripe, but most of it just doesn't fit MSP as I know it, and I do.

Unless there was a bomb threat or "dangerous fugitive" situation? I follow local news and know of no such thing, but maybe, what day?

I also live in MSP, and when I take the EB, I just sit diwn on one of the benches, and wait for the line to go down, then I board

 

[norfolkwesternhenry]

After riding the Empire Builder train #7, I have noticed that Amtrak employees seem to enforce a ridiculous queue/ ID check system at St. Paul Union Depot, which creates a line that stretches from escalators to the ticket counter to the gate itself. Considering the Depot's platforms are new and not limited in space what so ever, and ID checks are stupid (they do it on the train), what is Amtrak's ridiculous reasoning to queue passengers to timbuktu in a recently remodeled station, that has platforms wide enough to easily accommodate passengers?

if the line stretched to Timbuktu, Amtrak would have a huge equipment shortage, although all those tickets could buy some new superliners