Vehicle requirements on Auto Train

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MDRailfan

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I wanted to reconfirm my vehicle on AT. I spoke with a regular Amtrak agent as the AT rez was very busy.

Size is 56" height, 69" width, 5" ground clearance and 191 length.

The regular amtrak agent said it would have to be oversize not regular due to length even though its under the 65"height max for regular. As a double check I waited until I got a hold of the Auto Train Rez and she said it would be a regular due to its under 65 length does not matter. Now I'm confused as I got two different answers from Amtrak. Can anyone with knowledge of AT help me(Regular or oversize)

I took this car before and never had a problem as a regular vehicle but I heard that Amtrak received new car carriers, I wanted to check. Which agent is right? HELP!!
 
First, when you say that you spoke with the AT rez, does that mean that you called the 1-877-754-7495 Auto Train phone number?

If so, I'd trust them over the regular Amtrak agents at the normal 1-800-872-7245 (1-800-USA-RAIL) number. However you might still wish to call the AT number a second time and see if you get the same answer.

As for the new carriers, they actually make things far more flexible than the old ones. The old carriers were modified to fit today's larger vehicles and that caused some problems, not to mention that Amtrak had to control very tightly exactly how many oversized vehicles vs regular vehicles. The new carriers don't care what type of vehicle they carry, so things aren't quite as restrictive as they used to be.

So even if they do give you the wrong info, and I would take down the name of the person on the phone for proof, I would think that the worst that might happen is that Amtrak would force you to pay the extra charge for the oversize vehicle. But I don't think that they'd turn you away stating that they have no space for your car.
 
PRR 60 said:
The first one. Vehicles over 182 inches in length require an oversize vehicle reservation.
See the notes for the AutoTrain on the PDF schedule (bottom of page 6):

http://www.amtrak.com/timetable/jan08/T04.pdf
Click to expand...
I read it and it says "over 65 height AND(not OR) over 182 length" for oversize vehicle. The word "AND" to me means both conditions... not either condition, correct?

Mine is under 65" height so length should not matter as I read it.

I also booked my rez and was ticketed end of last Apr and agent asked me for my vehicle make and model at the time I booked. so since I was ticketed at regular vehicle then so why would you think they could they charge me more. Not my fault they got new car carriers after I was ticketed.

Does that make sense?
 
MDRailfan said:
PRR 60 said:
The first one. Vehicles over 182 inches in length require an oversize vehicle reservation.
See the notes for the AutoTrain on the PDF schedule (bottom of page 6):

http://www.amtrak.com/timetable/jan08/T04.pdf
Click to expand...
I read it and it says "over 65 height AND(not OR) over 182 length" for oversize vehicle. The word "AND" to me means both conditions... not either condition, correct?

Mine is under 65" height so length should not matter as I read it.

I also booked my rez and was ticketed end of last Apr and agent asked me for my vehicle make and model at the time I booked. so since I was ticketed at regular vehicle then so why would you think they could they charge me more. Not my fault they got new car carriers after I was ticketed.

Does that make sense?
Click to expand...
Also I just pulled out the Spring/Summer 2007 timetable when I booked it and it does not mention length only the height can not exceed 65 for regular vehicle.
 
MDRailfan said:
PRR 60 said:
The first one. Vehicles over 182 inches in length require an oversize vehicle reservation.
See the notes for the AutoTrain on the PDF schedule (bottom of page 6):

http://www.amtrak.com/timetable/jan08/T04.pdf
Click to expand...
I read it and it says "over 65 height AND(not OR) over 182 length" for oversize vehicle. The word "AND" to me means both conditions... not either condition, correct?

Mine is under 65" height so length should not matter as I read it.

I also booked my rez and was ticketed end of last Apr and agent asked me for my vehicle make and model at the time I booked. so since I was ticketed at regular vehicle then so why would you think they could they charge me more. Not my fault they got new car carriers after I was ticketed.

Does that make sense?
Click to expand...
Amtrak didn't get new car carriers after you were ticketed. The "new" carriers are now almost 3 years old, first entering serivce IIRC in July of 2005. So Amtrak didn't change the rules on you after your booking in April of '07. Now that's not to say that the first agent that you spoke to when making the reservation didn't realize that your car doesn't qualify for the car size price. That is certainly a possibility.

But again, I would definately call the AT number that I provided above and verify with them that things are ok. And get a name. It won't help at the time of travel if they decide that your car is too big, but it will help when you complain and ask to get some compensation if indeed they do charge you more at departure time.
 
Unfortunately, you could read the statement multiple ways. If a vehicle both exceeds 65 inches in height *and* exceeds 182 inches in length it is oversized; or, if a vehicle exceeds 65 inches in length it is oversized, and if a vehicle exceeds 182 inches in length, it is oversized; or (and this is the fun one), if the vehicle exceeds 65 inches in length and is exactly 182 inches in length, it is oversized. The fact of the matter is that you provided size information at booking, and Amtrak booked standard for you.

The new carriers are more flexible, not less. As Alan said, mostly likely, if they decide that your vehicle is oversized, then the worst that than can do charge you the additional amount; your vehicle will still be on the train.
 
sechs said:
Unfortunately, you could read the statement multiple ways. If a vehicle both exceeds 65 inches in height *and* exceeds 182 inches in length it is oversized; or, if a vehicle exceeds 65 inches in length it is oversized, and if a vehicle exceeds 182 inches in length, it is oversized; or (and this is the fun one), if the vehicle exceeds 65 inches in length and is exactly 182 inches in length, it is oversized. The fact of the matter is that you provided size information at booking, and Amtrak booked standard for you.
The new carriers are more flexible, not less. As Alan said, mostly likely, if they decide that your vehicle is oversized, then the worst that than can do charge you the additional amount; your vehicle will still be on the train.
Click to expand...
will get a second opinion from the 877 SKIP95 AT agent. There must have been only one AT agent at the 877 number because I kept getting her last night to get the second opinion. I'm not too overly far from Lorton and I may take the car there to get the "opinion". If the new car carrier is almost three years old and I took the car in question on the AT in 6/2006 at the regular vehicle rate(they did not question it at checkin), then why would it be an issue now..

Why did they add the "length" as a requirement because again

Alan, Amtrak did change the rules because, I still have the Summer/Spring 2007 system timetable(within the new car carriers age) and length was not mentioned and an issue only the ground & height.

I have a saturn LS 4 door sedan, not an SUV. Chevy Impala is longer than 182 as well as an Ford Taurus so are they oversized too?. That would leave a "commuter type car" as the regular vehicle and who travels with that. I say again I'm already have my tickets and just like the sleeper and rail went up , they can't charge me for the increase in that since i have my ticket, why could they charge me additional for the car when I provided the info and the agent ticketed me for a regular car? If the agent goofed, that Amtrak's problem, not mine. Believe me, I would argue the case and will bring the 2007 Spring/Summer timetable with me to prove my point.
 
Thats not oversized. Both of my cars are bigger than that and have been "standard" ('95 Mercedes E300 Diesel, '79 Mercedes 300SD Turbodiesel) Trust me, if my battleship-class 70s S-class doesn't qualify as oversized, nobody is gonna argue about your Opel Vectra/Saturn LS being oversized.
 
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The reality is this. When you pull in to the Auto Train station they aren't going to be busting out the tape measure to see how your car matches up. If you've provided Amtrak with the information they asked you for, and they booked you one way, that's it. If someone says they are going to have to charge you more, just explain to them what happened. If that fails to work, the words "May I speak with your Supervisor?" always come in handy.
 
As a followup and for those interested, I went to the Lorton AT station on my way to pick up my cruise docs with my car, I'm taking and IT IS A CAR not oversized. The AT agent said if its under 65in then length does not matter. :) Thanks to all that posted.
 
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