Late Train and Food

[Everydaymatters]

I have a relative who has been an attendant for many years. He said that when the train is super late and they run low on food, Amtrak arranges for a food pickup along the way. However, the additional food is never enough for all the passengers.

I was coming back from Texas 1st class on a very late train and only the 1st class passengers were served that extra meal in the dining car. I don't know how coach passengers did; whether or not the lounge car ran out of food.

Have any of you had an experience with the food/late train situation?

 

[Rafi]

I have a relative who has been an attendant for many years. He said that when the train is super late and they run low on food, Amtrak arranges for a food pickup along the way. However, the additional food is never enough for all the passengers.
I was coming back from Texas 1st class on a very late train and only the 1st class passengers were served that extra meal in the dining car. I don't know how coach passengers did; whether or not the lounge car ran out of food.

Have any of you had an experience with the food/late train situation?

I've had at least two such experiences, the most recent being this past March on the westbound Capitol Limited. It's a long story, but the short version is that NS derailed a freight train in front of us just prior to Pittsburgh and reportedly broke the rail. Freights were backed up behind us as well, meaning we couldn't reverse and switch to another track. At the same time, an elderly person on the train had a heart attack and had to be transported to a hospital. The fact that the ambulance couldn't find the access road complicated matters, too (the scanner was better entertainment than TV that night). So we were stuck all night for about 8 hours.

Suffice it to say, the dining car ran out of food after lunch the next day since the westbound Cap doesn't normally serve a lunch before Chicago. For lunch, we had beef tips in a stew (this is a "last meal available" staple on all Amtrak trains), which was free to sleeper pax first, and was then offered to coach pax at no charge.

Since our arrival time in Chicago wasn't expected until about 10 PM that night, our Customer Service agent on board arranged for Kentucky Fried Chicken meals to be delivered somewhere in Indiana, if I remember correctly. Each sleeper passenger basically got a breast, a drumstick, cole slaw, a biscuit, a soda, and a bag of chips. That was fine for me, but it was way, way too greasy for my wife, who still to this day hates Amtrak for selecting KFC. She has a point, in that we both wondered why Amtrak couldn't have just called up a Subway and ordered a number of party subs, one of which could be vegetarian. KFC, which was perfectly fine for some, can be a little embarrassing if that's Amtrak's way of showing that they're doing the best they can.

-Rafi

 

[had8ley]

I have a relative who has been an attendant for many years. He said that when the train is super late and they run low on food, Amtrak arranges for a food pickup along the way. However, the additional food is never enough for all the passengers.

I was coming back from Texas 1st class on a very late train and only the 1st class passengers were served that extra meal in the dining car. I don't know how coach passengers did; whether or not the lounge car ran out of food.

Have any of you had an experience with the food/late train situation?

I've had at least two such experiences, the most recent being this past March on the east bound Capitol Limited. It's a long story, but the short version is that NS derailed a freight train in front of us just prior to Pittsburgh and reportedly broke the rail. Freights were backed up behind us as well, meaning we couldn't reverse and switch to another track. At the same time, an elderly person on the train had a heart attack and had to be transported to a hospital. The fact that the ambulance couldn't find the access road complicated matters, too (the scanner was better entertainment than TV that night). So we were stuck all night for about 8 hours.

Suffice it to say, the dining car ran out of food after lunch the next day since the westbound Cap doesn't normally serve a lunch before Chicago. For lunch, we had beef tips in a stew (this is a "last meal available" staple on all Amtrak trains), which was free to sleeper pax first, and was then offered to coach pax at no charge.

Since our arrival time in Chicago wasn't expected until about 10 PM that night, our Customer Service agent on board arranged for Kentucky Fried Chicken meals to be delivered somewhere in Indiana, if I remember correctly. Each sleeper passenger basically got a breast, a drumstick, cole slaw, a biscuit, a soda, and a bag of chips. That was fine for me, but it was way, way too greasy for my wife, who still to this day hates Amtrak for selecting KFC. She has a point, in that we both wondered why Amtrak couldn't have just called up a Subway and ordered a number of party subs, one of which could be vegetarian. KFC, which was perfectly fine for some, can be a little embarrassing if that's Amtrak's way of showing that they're doing the best they can.

-Rafi

Rafi;

All Amtrak has to do is look at their own menu and see the vegetarian selections. Why force yard bird on a train load of people when there is a wide selection available at other fast food establishments?

 

[goodcow]

She has a point, in that we both wondered why Amtrak couldn't have just called up a Subway and ordered a number of party subs, one of which could be vegetarian. KFC, which was perfectly fine for some, can be a little embarrassing if that's Amtrak's way of showing that they're doing the best they can.

Is Amtrak under any obligation to provide special meals for those with dietary needs in the event food runs out on a train? (i.e. vegetarian or kosher food)

Because as a vegetarian myself, there's no way I'd be eating KFC or beef in an event such as the above.

 

[Guest]

Is Amtrak under any obligation to provide special meals for those with dietary needs in the event food runs out on a train? (i.e. vegetarian or kosher food)
Because as a vegetarian myself, there's no way I'd be eating KFC or beef in an event such as the above.

i can chime in here on this one. the answer is no, or rather, they won't provide any by default. we've had at least one situation where a station agent went out of their way to pick us up some fruit at a grocery store prior to our stop at their station on a very late train -- but it's only been the one time.

it may be possible to get a voucher out of customer service later, but that doesn't really help you when you're sitting in the middle of west virginia with nary a pretzel. if you have dietary requirements beyond most people, take some food to tide you over if you miss two meal periods. that's what we do.

-- eliyahu

waterbury, ct

 

[Rafi]

She has a point, in that we both wondered why Amtrak couldn't have just called up a Subway and ordered a number of party subs, one of which could be vegetarian. KFC, which was perfectly fine for some, can be a little embarrassing if that's Amtrak's way of showing that they're doing the best they can.

Is Amtrak under any obligation to provide special meals for those with dietary needs in the event food runs out on a train? (i.e. vegetarian or kosher food)

Because as a vegetarian myself, there's no way I'd be eating KFC or beef in an event such as the above.

Believe it or not, the KFC meal was a "surprise," with no prior request for "special needs." I don't blame the CS rep, who was doing the best he could, and was clearly under orders from Chicago's CS department (which has NEVER impressed me) to order the KFC food. In speaking to him later, I picked up that he was basically told to not approach pax beforehand and ask for special food requests because of the confusion and chaos that might ensue with everyone having "special needs." They were also clearly on a budget for the meal, and it was obvious that KFC had negotiated some flat rate for the "meals," so I'm sure that any variation would have raised the overall meal cost for the order.

That said, the only "vegetarian option" that my wife was given was to let me eat her chicken, and she could have the cole slaw, biscuit and soda (and chips, if so desired). Again, it was pretty embarrassing, and the best reason I could get for not calling subway instead of KFC was, "well, we usually just call KFC." <sigh>

-Rafi

 

[Guest]

Normally, special food requirements (low-salt, vegetarian/vegan, Kosher, Halal, etc.) are listed on the passenger manifest, and there is MORE than enough of each to allow for delays with extra meal service, PROVIDED that the passenger makes the request when booking their ticket.

 

[had8ley]

She has a point, in that we both wondered why Amtrak couldn't have just called up a Subway and ordered a number of party subs, one of which could be vegetarian. KFC, which was perfectly fine for some, can be a little embarrassing if that's Amtrak's way of showing that they're doing the best they can.

Is Amtrak under any obligation to provide special meals for those with dietary needs in the event food runs out on a train? (i.e. vegetarian or kosher food)

Because as a vegetarian myself, there's no way I'd be eating KFC or beef in an event such as the above.

Believe it or not, the KFC meal was a "surprise," with no prior request for "special needs." I don't blame the CS rep, who was doing the best he could, and was clearly under orders from Chicago's CS department (which has NEVER impressed me) to order the KFC food. In speaking to him later, I picked up that he was basically told to not approach pax beforehand and ask for special food requests because of the confusion and chaos that might ensue with everyone having "special needs." They were also clearly on a budget for the meal, and it was obvious that KFC had negotiated some flat rate for the "meals," so I'm sure that any variation would have raised the overall meal cost for the order.

That said, the only "vegetarian option" that my wife was given was to let me eat her chicken, and she could have the cole slaw, biscuit and soda (and chips, if so desired). Again, it was pretty embarrassing, and the best reason I could get for not calling subway instead of KFC was, "well, we usually just call KFC." <sigh>

-Rafi

Rafi;

Don't feel badly. Years ago the Missouri Pacific was notorious for not paying their bills. it was my understanding (and I'm sure George will supply the correct date) that they did not come out of the hands of the receivers until 1956. We used to take trains from New Orleans to DeQuincy, LA and deadhead back to New Orleans. That's where the fun started. There was a Trailways bus station in DeQuincy but it seems the Mighty MOP forgot to pay their bill for three years. Soooo...they called a cab, that cost $50 (which was a lot in the early 70's) and shipped us to the Greyhound station in Lake Charles. They would NOT let us ride the Sunset !#$%

 

[sechs]

Normally, special food requirements (low-salt, vegetarian/vegan, Kosher, Halal, etc.) are listed on the passenger manifest, and there is MORE than enough of each to allow for delays with extra meal service, PROVIDED that the passenger makes the request when booking their ticket.

I don't know about Kosher, etc., but Amtrak does not take vegetarian requests anymore, as there is always a "vegetarian" entre on the regular menu. So, there wouldn't be any type of notation for such passengers.

 

[Mark]

This is probably pretty naive but why do they EVER run out of food? These trains are pretty big, (not like an airplane or bus), and I doubt that the baggage cars, (or on Superliner equipped trains the Coach Baggage), are ever filled to capacity w/luggage. Why not put additonal dry food stores there, add a couple of large freezers and run them off the HEP. If its not needed, (ie the train is on time). Then transfer the goods to another outbound train when it arrives.

Or- at the longer scheduled stops have the crew ready with an inventory upon arrival, ('boy they sure are eating a lot of chicken this run'). That way a local purchase could be maid prior to arrival and uploaded as the baggage and passengers detrain. In the age of cell phones there just is no excuse for running out of food.

 

[Guest]

It's happened to us twice, and boy I never thought to complain about what I got. No offense, but my guess is if sandwiches came from Subway, someone would not like the meat, cheese or bread that was chosen either. You just can't please such a diverse crowd and in situations such as these, I think they do the best that they can. Most passengers were more concerned about the children and infants getting fed and someone was able to get formula to the train and many gave their meals to the young ones first.

If medical conditions exist, I do believe it is the passenger's responsibility to have things on hand in case of food shortages. When a relative with diabetes boarded the train, our family members always made sure he had the right nutritional snacks in case of an emergency.

 

[guest traveler]

It's happened to us twice, and boy I never thought to complain about what I got. No offense, but my guess is if sandwiches came from Subway, someone would not like the meat, cheese or bread that was chosen either. You just can't please such a diverse crowd and in situations such as these, I think they do the best that they can. Most passengers were more concerned about the children and infants getting fed and someone was able to get formula to the train and many gave their meals to the young ones first.
If medical conditions exist, I do believe it is the passenger's responsibility to have things on hand in case of food shortages. When a relative with diabetes boarded the train, our family members always made sure he had the right nutritional snacks in case of an emergency.

I have read these comments with interest, since I plan a rather long trip in Oct with a 30 day raill pass and have reserved a roomette for most of the trip. when planning the trip the agent told me when I mentioned that I was an insulin dependent diabetic, that I could carry a small cooler onboard for the insulin and snacks that I might need. She said in case the train was delayed and food ran out. So I got a small soft side cooler not much bigger that a small sholder bag that will hold a baggy of ice,insulin,small peanut butter, a couple of those small juice or soda cans.also a couple boiled eggs, and dry flake cereal. and dry skim milk that can be mix with cold water. to do breakfast. I am a surviver of the evac by bus from Galveston during Rita ( 36 hours none stop , I was the only one that though to bring food and water)and learned you do not assume that food and drink are available even when you are paying for it. I am looking forward to my amtrak trip and plan to use it to go to Vancouver via toronto,ont then back to Texas via seattle and LA. I traveled by train as a child in the late 40s and early 50s ( my dad was Reg Army 24years)

and am interested in the difference in the travel today as per then. I can remember the table setting and finger bowls when we had chicken then,NO KFC. on that train! People today seem to want instant everything and get their nose out of joint if thing are not just perfect. I am going on this trip for the fun of seeing the US and Canada from a train not for a four star menu tho. I hear that VIAERAIL serves up a sort of nice menu. And you can't beat a good seafood cafe in Victoria.BC.

 

[AmtrakFan]

I have a relative who has been an attendant for many years. He said that when the train is super late and they run low on food, Amtrak arranges for a food pickup along the way. However, the additional food is never enough for all the passengers.
I was coming back from Texas 1st class on a very late train and only the 1st class passengers were served that extra meal in the dining car. I don't know how coach passengers did; whether or not the lounge car ran out of food.

Have any of you had an experience with the food/late train situation?

When my Mom took a later than h*** EB, only Sleeping cars got Free Meals, they did have very little left in the Lounge.

 

[AlanB]

This is probably pretty naive but why do they EVER run out of food? These trains are pretty big, (not like an airplane or bus), and I doubt that the baggage cars, (or on Superliner equipped trains the Coach Baggage), are ever filled to capacity w/luggage. Why not put additonal dry food stores there, add a couple of large freezers and run them off the HEP. If its not needed, (ie the train is on time). Then transfer the goods to another outbound train when it arrives.
Or- at the longer scheduled stops have the crew ready with an inventory upon arrival, ('boy they sure are eating a lot of chicken this run'). That way a local purchase could be maid prior to arrival and uploaded as the baggage and passengers detrain. In the age of cell phones there just is no excuse for running out of food.

Because all food has a shelf life, beyond which one can't serve it or shouldn't serve it. Besides, who wants to waste the extra fuel hauling around that extra weight as well as for the HEP, for the few occasions where one might really need to dip into that freezer for extra food.

 

[Foodman53]

On our 9 hour late Empire Builder trip, we actually went into 2 extra meal periods before the train reached Seattle, both lunch and dinner!! At lunch, everyone was given a Subway sandwich, a drink , and a Otis Spunkmeyer cookie. For dinner, which was served about 4pm, we were given a choice of the sandwich(again), or a plate of "Dinty Moore" Beef Stew over rice. Since the trip was already resembling a camp-out, my wife and I opted for the stew!!

Now, we were in the sleepers, and the steward said that he was going to feed the coach passengers after us. We, naturally, ate free....but I'm not sure if coach pax paid or not(??) But, yes, for the EB, a definate attempt was made to feed everybody....whether or not that's the same policy system-wide, I don't know!!

From the Florida Funnel

Foodman53