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billthebarn

Train Attendant
Joined
Jun 11, 2013
Messages
94
I love riding trains but do not like certain things. Rude employees are one. Stopped up toilets on the Superliners are another. Inconsiderate people who take up three seats in the SSL during the day when others are looking for a place to sit. I also believe passengers shouldn't be exposed to some of the areas the train travels through. Hoping to get things cleaned up.

I believe differences exist. Planes are different than trains. Dogs are different than cats. Men are different than women.

Now the questions:

Anybody here like rude employees?

Anybody here like stopped up toilets?

Anybody here like a sprawled out person taking up three seats during the day when others can't find seats?

Of course not. (I hope)

PS. I also have a sense of humor.
 
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Here is my reply,

I agree with "BillTheBarn". I, (perhaps like "Bill"), would like to see things change, DRASTICALLY, at Amtrak. I realize, fully, the financial handcuffs they deal with.

Get this, many of the things the traveling public has to endure, can be "fixed" without massive capital expenditures, or changes in union work rules....

Communication. Attitude. Hiring practices. Cleanliness. (OK, that's gonna cost something...)

Other things, they really can't control. OTP. (Delays, bad track, priority, on-and-on-and-on)

Others cost $$$. Equipment. RE-Training. MOW for NEC & Michigan. Stations, etc. etc., etc.

I think, and I hate to say this "out loud", that many members here are "Fans of Amtrak, no Matter What Amtrak Does....." (i'm trying to be diplomatic....)

So when "Bill", or me, point out Amtrak's faults, many posters are quick to apologize and explain away the REASONS that Amtrak has to do what it does, or treat customers like they do, with virtually no repercussion....

That's just plain BS.

The only way Amtrak survives, or it SHOULD survive, is to act like it has competition. Sadly, it has enuff political clout, (although tenuous) that it has endured.

As a former OBS employee and foamer fan, I think the best thing I can do is support them politically, and hold their feet-to-the-fire as regards to service.

God forbid what happened in Mexico, happens here.

Keep posting "Bill", and don't let the Amtrak-Apologists weaken your spirit.
 
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I'm not so sure that explaining why the way things are or why they're not easily fixed by Joe Boardman simply writing a letter should qualify one as an "Amtrak Apologist".

I agree that it would be awesome if there was less trash EVERYWHERE, not just along railroad tracks.

I don't think that I've ever seen anyone defend rude employees around here. Bad apples have to go, period. Documenting transgressions by complaining to Customer Relations is how we can help affect that process.

I'm not in favor of conductors enforcing made up rules. If someone is sleeping across several seats and there are no other available seats, that's one thing. But in all the the Lounge Lizard complaining, I haven't heard a single person say "I wanted to sit in the SSL but couldn't find a seat". I do agree that Lounge Lizards trying to keep people quiet so they can sleep is a load of crap. But I also haven't heard of conductors trying to enforce that "rule" (since quiet hours don't apply to the SSL).

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't really see the "Fans of Amtrak, no Matter What Amtrak Does.....". What I do see (for the most part) is common sense explanation of *why* things are the way they are and realistic expectation for what can actually get fixed.
 
rrdude said:
As a former OBS employee and foamer fan,
Click to expand...

What does liking foam have to do with Amtrak? Oh, the seats, are they too soft, too hard, or what is your opinion on the foam? :giggle:

I know we all make mistakes but some are just funnier than others.
 
Agreed completely that there are many people on this forum that seem to not realize the many faults of Amtrak the main one being for myself living in the south not far from Savannah, GA that to take the train its inconvenient. I would love to be able to take the train to Atlanta but there is no route that goes there. I would love to take the train to Philadelphia but the routes leave at not great times and would involve basically giving up time spent at my destination or taking an extra day two days off of work which is undoable as a recent college graduate. I noticed this on another thread saying how the train from one destination to another is comparable in price to Airlines but the fact is its not taking into account the extra time off which means money lost. For myself I can get a flight for roughly $50 dollars more to Philadelphia from Savannah and that involves taking two less days off which equals two more days of income. I would love to take the train but sadly not all of us are retired or in the financial position to be able to afford more days off. I try to support as often as I can but that only happens if I'm in the northeast visiting family and am trying to go to New York or else along the NEC from Philadelphia.
 
First of all, the moderators here have the right to edit or change any post. When they do however, a notation should alert readers the post was changed. This opening post "Confession" was changed.

Ryan,

In one of my first posts, I had mentioned I rode the Canadian many times and had never had a rude waitress or waiter. I believe a non-partial reader's next question should have been, "How do they (VIA) do it?"

Instead, I was asked the confrontational question "Does that mean you deny their (VIA rude employees) existence?"

Faulty logic to begin with...I've never had a heart attack but I certainly believe heart attacks exist.

I would like to see Amtrak get better. I would like to see the Amtrak-caused pproblems decrease. I believe the first step is discussing the issues....not take a defensive position immediately.

And, the words racist, sexist ageist are thrown around too loosely today. I don't know about you, Ryan, but I enjoy "girl

watching" on the street, on the beach or on the train. That doesn't make me a "sexist".

Do you have any ideas on how Amtrak can improve?
 
we have some friends who i have been talking train travel to for a while. they have finally signed up for a trip and i am thankful it is on via (the canadian) instead of amtrak. their chances of a good trip(meaning mostly pleasant obs and functioning equipment) are astronomically better
 
ASTRONOMICALLY in ths case, is NOT an over-exageration.....

Although they could have a good trip on Amtrak, if they have their expectations well-grounded, but that's been a point of contention of mine for years, WHY SHOULD ONE HAVE TO "Expect average or below on Amtrak, and be 'happy' when they get average or above?"

This is not just related to Amtrak v. VIA Rail, as I truly realize that Amtrak serves as basic transportation, and runs "the wheels of its equipment...", and VIA generally doesn't.

It's all about ATTITUDE, ATTITUDE, ATTITUDE. But changing that takes time (i know, 40+ years shud be enuff) and money, but more importantly, it takes direction from the TOP down, that is transparent to changes in the executive office....

The last I really saw of that went out with Graham Claytor, RIP. Has staffing, training, and employee attitude got better over the years? Of course, marginally.

There is much more that needs to be done.
 
I sincerely believe in that part of the "Desiderata" that states " If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself." So, I will not compare Amtrak to Via, or to airlines, save for the TSA circus silliness.

Amtrak is not Via, they are two different animals.

Amtrak has several problems, mostly dealing with human resources. There are a vast majority of great employees, and a few bad apples who do actually ruin the whole bunch. I wish there were a better method of culling out the bad apples. That is within Amtrak's ability to fix.

OTP is partially within Amtrak's ability to fix. A train starting out from it's beginning point late is unacceptable. Problems should be anticipated and fixed before initial departure time. Problems down the line can be caused by any number of factors, some in Amtrak's control, some not.

As for the scenery, I still submit that it is the best scenery available, The trip on the CS and EB were excellent scenery, and even on the TE and HF the scenery is really good. If one wants to put salvage yards and old forgotten industrial sites "out of sight, out of mind" than they are free to go purchase these properties and "improve" them to what they would rather see. Myself, I often wonder what was happening in these old factories back "in the day" when they were the source of income and life for former day Americans. What was it like when these places were humming along 24 hours a day making supplies for WW2, or the early boomer days? Fascinating to me.

Remember the immortal words of Steve Goodman (sung by Arlo Guthrie):

The train pulls out at Kankakee
Rolls along past houses, farms and fields
Passin' towns that have no names
Freight yards full of old black men
And the graveyards of the rusted automobiles

THAT is the romance of the rails.

YMMV
 
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Those problems are certainly fixable... but are they the reasons that most people don't ride Amtrak?

From reading complaints here, and complaint letters in general, people usually have one "major" complaint - a missed connection, late train, etc. That's the main reason for their anger, decision to never ride Amtrak again, etc. From there, they usually note every little thing that went wrong, often including bathrooms, customer service, food problems, etc., and those are (unfortunately) very easy to find.

So yes, I'd like to see those things get fixed. But Amtrak's biggest problems are that the trains are often late, or they don't go where you want them to go - major transportation issues. Since customers are often already unhappy about stuff like that, I'm not sure fixing the smaller problems will really make that much of a difference.

Until Amtrak can add more trains & get them to their destinations on time, trying to focus on the "little things" is like putting lipstick on a pig that's rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
 
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D.P. Roberts said:
Those problems are certainly fixable... but are they the reasons that most people don't ride Amtrak?
From reading complaints here, and complaint letters in general, people usually have one "major" complaint - a missed connection, late train, etc. That's the main reason for their anger, decision to never ride Amtrak again, etc. From there, they usually note every little thing that went wrong, often including bathrooms, customer service, food problems, etc., and those are (unfortunately) very easy to find.

So yes, I'd like to see those things get fixed. But Amtrak's biggest problems are that the trains are often late, or they don't go where you want them to go - major transportation issues. Since customers are often already unhappy about stuff like that, I'm not sure fixing the smaller problems will really make that much of a difference.

Until Amtrak can add more trains & get them to their destinations on time, trying to focus on the "little things" is like putting lipstick on a pig that's rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Click to expand...
But DP, if it cost next to nothing to apply lipstick, and I disagree with your opinion on how much of an impact it would have, AND Amtrak doesn't have access to capital to "fix" the BIG things, (OTP, routes, equipment), why NOT fix the "little things"?

Also, think how much of an impact service CAN have in your personal experience(s). Ever go to a restaurant, have less than great food, but been "wowed" by the server? See, you forgot about the crappy food already!
 
Opening multiple threads about the same issues (we get that you don't like lounge lizards) isn't going to fix things. Talking to the people who actually own and run Amtrak has a much better chance.

Write letters. Frequently. Make suggestions instead of just complaining. Customer relation teams get complaints all day every day; what they like to see is constructive criticism, like, "I'm not pleased with the way X is done. Perhaps it would be a better idea to do Y? This is what I propose to make Y possible and why I think Y would help Amtrak." Sometimes, the public suggests something, and it honestly does get implemented. My company makes changes all the time based on what the current customer needs are.
 
SarahZ said:
Opening multiple threads about the same issues (we get that you don't like lounge lizards) isn't going to fix things. Talking to the people who actually own and run Amtrak has a much better chance.
Write letters. Frequently. Make suggestions instead of just complaining. Customer relation teams get complaints all day every day; what they like to see is constructive criticism, like, "I'm not pleased with the way X is done. Perhaps it would be a better idea to do Y? This is what I propose to make Y possible and why I think Y would help Amtrak." Sometimes, the public suggests something, and it honestly does get implemented. My company makes changes all the time based on what the current customer needs are.
Click to expand...
most of us aren't children. most of us have written to amtrak, congress,etc. imho,based on my 62+ years of experience,my employment in government, large private companies and small business, amtrak has a larger portion of poor obs emplyees and apparently dysfunctional administration than any organization i have worked for or dealt with as a consumer. i love to ride the train and amtrak is the only long distance game in town but there are reasons for most of the critical posts on this board. most of them seem to come with people from some experience of the world and some expectations as customers/subsidizers of amtrak
 
I may be way off track--pun intended--and I'm sure I will hear it loud and clear but here goes. The problem, at least in part, is the "dumbing down" of American culture, for lack of a better term. Have you seen photos of the interior of pre-Amtrak long distance trains? Passengers were dressed to the nines, as if going to the opera (or at least the theater). Passengers dressed nicely and were treated to exemplary service. Compare to today's sloppily dressed Amtrak patrons. You might say they deserve exemplary service from Amtrak staff just because, but it doesn't necessarily follow--there are subliminal messages being sent. The same situation can be found on intercity buses and even airliners. Just a thought.
 
yarrow said:
SarahZ said:
Opening multiple threads about the same issues (we get that you don't like lounge lizards) isn't going to fix things. Talking to the people who actually own and run Amtrak has a much better chance.
Write letters. Frequently. Make suggestions instead of just complaining. Customer relation teams get complaints all day every day; what they like to see is constructive criticism, like, "I'm not pleased with the way X is done. Perhaps it would be a better idea to do Y? This is what I propose to make Y possible and why I think Y would help Amtrak." Sometimes, the public suggests something, and it honestly does get implemented. My company makes changes all the time based on what the current customer needs are.
Click to expand...
most of us aren't children. most of us have written to amtrak, congress,etc. imho,based on my 62+ years of experience,my employment in government, large private companies and small business, amtrak has a larger portion of poor obs emplyees and apparently dysfunctional administration than any organization i have worked for or dealt with as a consumer. i love to ride the train and amtrak is the only long distance game in town but there are reasons for most of the critical posts on this board. most of them seem to come with people from some experience of the world and some expectations as customers/subsidizers of amtrak
Click to expand...
Are you calling me a child with no experience in this world?

I've been a customer service supervisor for over 15 years, and I'm 36 years old. I travel frequently, and I understand what it means to provide AND receive good service. I was simply offering a suggestion to someone who is, obviously, extremely ticked-off with Amtrak for multiple reasons. I didn't realize I had to meet a particular age/experience requirement to offer a perfectly polite suggestion. I also understand that this forum is just that - a forum - and people can post/complain as much as they want; however, when someone complains over and over again, I feel the need to offer some kind advice, which is what I did, and hopefully help them solve their problem/concern.

Or am I too young and inexperienced to talk to the elders? Should I stay over there at the kids' table and stay out of the conversation?
 
billthebarn said:
In one of my first posts, I had mentioned I rode the Canadian many times and had never had a rude waitress or waiter. I believe a non-partial reader's next question should have been, "How do they (VIA) do it?"
Instead, I was asked the confrontational question "Does that mean you deny their (VIA rude employees) existence?"

Faulty logic to begin with...I've never had a heart attack but I certainly believe heart attacks exist.
Click to expand...
That's a wild misrepresentation of how that conversation happened. There were a great many posts between those two.
 
Sorcha, there's room at the kids table with me, an I've got nearly twenty years on you.

I don't THINK yarrow was singling anyone out, I read it more as a general statement....and I have to admit, every time I see a reference to "writing your elected official....." It makes me think, WHEN was the LAST TIME I fired off an email, or posted an envelope? Even though, like a LOT of pax rail fans, I've written hundreds of emails/letters/phone calls, testified b4 congessional committees (with MARP), and paid my NARP, and sometimes state (MARP, TexArp) dues.

It STILL makes me think, "Have I done enuff?" And it still PISSES ME OFF, that I even HAVE to go thru these exercises, but THAT is another thread.

I feel pax rail enthusiast, and some pretty important politicos over the years, have helped keep pax rail travel alive in these United States. (Outside of existing and emerging cooridors) Wish we DIDN 'T have to do it, but we do.

A lot if rail fans don't like to "call out" transgressions by Amtrak, whomever is to blame. Bad form IMHO.

Nothing ever changes in a vaccum, so I ask everyone reading this rant to continue to hold Amtrak's feet to the fire, be it equipment, scheduling, service, (lack thereof), or anything else. Communicate with your elected officials about funding.

When you do that, you'll have the warm fuzzies, even if there is another "train off" in your area.

Amtrak may have its "Hands Tied" in more ways than most transportation companies, or "any" company for that matter.

But that doesn't mean "fans" shold turn a blind eye, or say, "Well, that's all you can expect on Amtrak...." Criticizing Amtrak won't make it 'go away' faster....it means you care.....

All of us (even those of us remanded to the kids table) post a rant every now and then, mine's over for the day. :)
 
So my post got deleted from the thread? So folks are allowed to make offensive statements but we can't call them out on it?

I will reiterate that referring to all women as "girls" is, IMO, sexist and offensive. It's not 1963 and just so you know it was offensive then that people used to call female assistants their "girl" at the office.
 
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