Students organize letter-writing campaign to save

[Save Our Trains Michigan]

On his way back to Ann Arbor riding the train from his hometown of LaGrange, Ill. this past spring break, LSA sophomore Peter Hasiakos decided to start a letter-writing campaign opposing the Bush administration’s proposed funding cut to Amtrak. Noticing the support from both the train conductors and other student passengers, Hasiakos realized that he was not alone in his disapproval.

In response to the funding cuts to the Amtrak rail service, Hasiakos and his fellow student travelers gathered yesterday in the Shapiro Undergraduate Library to sign letters that Hasiakos wrote to both local and national representatives. The cuts, which would reduce the federal funding for Amtrak from $1.2 billion to zero, are a part of Bush’s budget proposal for the next fiscal year.

My Webpage

 

[rile42]

Great idea.

 

[jccollins]

It is great to hear other students organizing to save Amtrak, but it would be nice if Amtrak would return the favor to us (students) by fixing the Student Advantage/Amtrak Guest Rewards reservations computer glitch that has existed for SIX MONTHS now. I have sent Amtrak several letters and been in contact with them several times regarding the glitch and keep getting the run around that they are working on it. How hard can it really be? AAA, NARP, and Veterans Advantage members are still able to make reservations with their organization membership numbers and Amtrak Guest Rewards numbers and still receive automatic points credited to their Guest Rewards account. Is the programming for Student Advantage discounts really that different that they can't fix this longstanding problem. The old reservation system never had a problem with it.

Is anyone else on this board (Student Advantge members) affected by and frustrated with Amtrak's lack of response to fixing this glitch? It doesn't matter if reservations are booked online, with Julie, a telephone agent, or in station: the Guest Rewards points will not follow the reservation and post to the account with the Student Advantage number. Batt, Amfleet, Viewliner... ?