Red Cap Situtation in Chicago

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We have a question for those of you who have recently passed through Chicago Union Station. Has the Red Cap situation improved since last summer? (When we were there in late June, there were only two (2) Red Caps with carts available at the Metropolitan Lounge to transport passengers to their trains.)

Eric & Pat
 
We were there in late October and early November (once in each direction) getting off the train with heavy luggage for two old people and she has knee problems. It would have been a LONG wait for redcap service and with other trains arriving shortly after we did, we knew that we'd never get a chance because others would jump on first. We ended up walking, (albeit very slowly with multiple stops to rest her knee) to get to a taxi from the trains.

Amtrak has NO SYSTEM to insure those in need get priority. Amtrak has NO SYSTEM to insure that those who have arrived and are waiting will get priority over those that just got off and first get to the redcap. Amtrak could care less about handicapped people. There are no local agents anywhere near train arrivals and the crew is just interested in getting people off quickly and getting out of there. Since Amtrak doesn't care, why would they put anything in their reservation system to help? Heck, they take out information they don't care about and continue to not include things that would help their agents reduce their workload.

The redcaps pull up to where the people from the station get off to board their car and immediately after those passengers for that car get off, others jump on so if you are not near the car where they first stop, you haven't got a chance in hell of avoiding waiting until everyone else has beaten you to the cart and gone and hoping the redcap will come back to that same location to pick you up and not deliver departing passengers to another track.

On the other hand, if you are waiting in the lounge to depart, a redcap will be called and you might get on the cart on the first trip since everyone is in the same place.
 
George said:
Does Amtrak provide for requesting boarding/offboarding assistance through their reservation system. like the airlines have? If not, why not?
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They do for handicapped fares, and I believe you can request it by phone otherwise. It doesn't seem to actually do anything, though.

I rode coach to Tampa with my mobility scooter in the wheelchair space. I patiently waited for everyone else to deboard, assuming the attendant would come and get me when the bridge plate was ready. After waiting a few more minutes, I walked out onto the vestibule and had to yell to get somebody's attention. The attendant said, "Oh, are you getting off here?" They were just about to start boarding passengers, but had to delay it until they got the bridge plate in place so I could get off.

I rode to NYP in a sleeper. The SCA did eventually find someone to operate the wheelchair lift. Then I was abandoned on the platform. I had to grab a passing redcap, who said he was helping another passenger go to the lounge. He said he would take my bag up the elevator, but no further, because he was going home after taking the other passenger to the lounge. I was also going to the lounge to hang out for a while, so it worked out in the end, but had I been going to the street, I would have been abandoned a 2nd time.
 
George said:
Does Amtrak provide for requesting boarding/offboarding assistance through their reservation system. like the airlines have? If not, why not?
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Anyone making a reservation can make a SSR (special service request) for redcap service. In the smaller stations it is usually monitored with staff aware. In larger stations, not so much...
 
In April, I will be connecting in Chicago from CZ to Cardinal. It is a scheduled 3 hours-five minutes layover. Although 81, I am able-bodied and will be able to get to the Cardinal by myself in that spread of time because I will be waiting in the Metropolitan Lounge. But what if the CZ is late, and we arrive with only minutes to spare for the connection? Might Cardinal passengers get some sort of priority when off-boarding the CZ? For instance, can we arrange something in advance with the CZ conductor?

Heaven help us if the CZ is more than 3 hours late. The next Cardinal doesn't leave until three days later. But that's a different problem, I suppose. 😟
 
George said:
In April, I will be connecting in Chicago from CZ to Cardinal. It is a scheduled 3 hours-five minutes layover. Although 81, I am able-bodied and will be able to get to the Cardinal by myself in that spread of time because I will be waiting in the Metropolitan Lounge. But what if the CZ is late, and we arrive with only minutes to spare for the connection? Might Cardinal passengers get some sort of priority when off-boarding the CZ? For instance, can we arrange something in advance with the CZ conductor?

Heaven help us if the CZ is more than 3 hours late. The next Cardinal doesn't leave until three days later. But that's a different problem, I suppose. 😟
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In the past George, when Western Trains were Very Late into Chicago, those connecting to the Cardinal have been bussed from Galesburg to Indianapolis to catch the Cardinal.

Also if the connection is tight, they may hold the Card to do a cross platform transfer @ Union Station.

Since it is a Guaranteed connection, Amtrak will do something to get you to your destination. They've been known to put people on the Cap Ltd and Lake Shore Ltd., with continuing connections on the NEC for those missing the Cardinal.( realize that Sleeping Car Space is tight and you may end up in Coach with a refund for the difference)

When you're aboard the Zephyr and you are very late with concerns for connections in Chicago, talk to the Conductor and your Car attendant, you probably aren't the only one with connections from the Zephyr.
 
Bob Dylan said:
In the past George, when Western Trains were Very Late into Chicago, those connecting to the Cardin al have been bussed from Galesburg to Indianapolis to catch the Cardinal.

Also if the connection is tight, they may hold the Card to do a cross platform transfer @ Union Station.

Since it is a Guaranteed connection, Amtrak will do something to get you to your destination. They've been known to put people on the Cap Ltd and Lake Shore Ltd., with continuing connections on the NEC for those missing the Cardinal.( realize that Sleeping Car Space is tight and you may end up in Coach with a refund for the difference)

When you're aboard the Zephyr and you are very late with concerns for connections in Chicago, talk to the Conductor and your Car attendant, you probably aren't the only one with connections from the Zephyr.
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Thank you, Mr. Dylan. That's good news to know. I'll keep my fingers crossed that I'll be able to enjoy the lounge in CUS.

Now, can you sing The Times They Are A-Changin' for us fans? (Sorry-couldn't resist :))
 
George said:
Thank you, Mr. Dylan. That's good news to know. I'll keep my fingers crossed that I'll be able to enjoy the lounge in CUS.

Now, can you sing The Times They Are A-Changin' for us fans? (Sorry-couldn't resist :))
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I sing even worse than the Real Life Bob Dylan!😄
 
George said:
In April, I will be connecting in Chicago from CZ to Cardinal. It is a scheduled 3 hours-five minutes layover. Although 81, I am able-bodied and will be able to get to the Cardinal by myself in that spread of time because I will be waiting in the Metropolitan Lounge. But what if the CZ is late, and we arrive with only minutes to spare for the connection? Might Cardinal passengers get some sort of priority when off-boarding the CZ? For instance, can we arrange something in advance with the CZ conductor?

Heaven help us if the CZ is more than 3 hours late. The next Cardinal doesn't leave until three days later. But that's a different problem, I suppose. 😟
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Something like that happened to me. Our westbound LSL was 5 hours late into Chicago due to a trespasser fatality incident. We were supposed to catch the SWC. It was scheduled to leave Chicago either about the same time we arrived or maybe a little before we arrived, but they held the SWC for us. I don't move very fast and an Amtrak employee was encouraging me "Hurry, hurry!" which I already was for me, but I can only go so fast due to not great health. Had to trot about 1/2-1 block toward the station, then 1 or 2 tracks away, back down about 1/2-1 block on another track. Bottom line, if the first train isn't terribly late, they'll hold the next train. I don't know what the cut-off is for "isn't terribly late" though.
 
Chicago Union Station: there currently is construction in the eastern side of the station, and Red Cap Service is now located in front of the Metropolitan Lounge. My question is: does Red Cap Service ever meet a passenger curbside? If so, where? And how does the passenger arrange this? Is there a phone number, or it it only by reservation at booking time?
 
Barb Stout said:
Something like that happened to me. Our westbound LSL was 5 hours late into Chicago due to a trespasser fatality incident. We were supposed to catch the SWC. It was scheduled to leave Chicago either about the same time we arrived or maybe a little before we arrived, but they held the SWC for us. I don't move very fast and an Amtrak employee was encouraging me "Hurry, hurry!" which I already was for me, but I can only go so fast due to not great health. Had to trot about 1/2-1 block toward the station, then 1 or 2 tracks away, back down about 1/2-1 block on another track. Bottom line, if the first train isn't terribly late, they'll hold the next train. I don't know what the cut-off is for "isn't terribly late" though.
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This is exactly this type of situation that, as seniors, we are most concerned about finding ourselves in. Is there some provision in place for the conductor of the delayed train to radio ahead and request that red caps with carts be waiting on the platform to assist seniors in making a tight connection?
 
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Eric in East County said:
It is exactly this type of situation that, as seniors, we are most concerned about finding ourselves in. Is there some provision in place for the conductor of the delayed train to radio ahead and request that red caps with carts be waiting on the platform to assist seniors in making a tight connection?
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Yes, you can ask the conductor to call ahead. Just make sure it’s the one who will be your conductor when you arrive at your destination. (Conductors do not work end-to-end on LD trains)
 
AmtrakBlue said:
Yes, you can ask the conductor to call ahead. Just make sure it’s the one who will be your conductor when you arrive at your destination. (Conductors do not work end-to-end on LD trains)
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I've experienced this happen, for instance, on a very late Lake Shore Limited arriving in the afternoon with passengers needing to make connections to the Empire Builder and other west coast bound trains, with red caps awaiting arrival on the platform to facilitate a fast transfer of passengers with mobility issues and luggage.

Or, similarly, on an especially late Empire Builder with passengers needing to make a tight connection to east coast trains.
 

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