WHAT AMTRAK REALLY NEEDS

[Larry H.]

Sadly this is exactly why I have consistently tried to point out where Amtrak has let it self go so to speak. Its been a slow decent into lowered expectations, lowered standards, and higher prices for less in return. This in anything but a government run operation would spell disaster.

To those who keep acting like simply wanting clean cars, food actually made mostly on board, toilets that flush, Doors that don't rattle and bang, windows that are clean, seats that aren't torn and worn out, crews that act like you have paid for a trip, and when paying higher fares one might expect a setting commensurate with the additional fare, get real.. Pride in operation is something that has been thrown out the window in the name of "pay as we go", which is a oxymoron at best.

My guess from reading these post still is that most of the defenders of poor service and lack of equipment are from a generation of "everyones the same" and no one does better or worse teaching that pervades the schools and colleges today. Those of us who know what made a train a wonderful way to travel are mostly dismissed as unrealistic. Well it was the standard for service on the rails for most of railroading history, people from around the world should not be telling others how sad or system is. If that is the case, then it should be obvious to some of you that something is not right.

I am not condemning Amtrak, I like Amtrak. Its kind of like being a parent, you try to nudge children in the right direction because you have been there and know how the world works.

 

[Larry H.]

Sun Chaser,

Your point is the very one that is so aggravating.. And one which I wrote several times about to the Customer Service Rep. I met on board the Coast Starlight last year. My point was exactly your point, its one thing to have an issue present it self, its quite another to have the exact same issue present it self for over 10 or 20 years with seemingly no redress. Those toilets that don't work at high altitude were one of those pointed out. The dissatisfaction with the various role outs of substandard dining and food products, lack of lounges, were another. That is why I still feel it needs to be tacked from the top down.

 

[transit54]

Sadly this is exactly why I have consistently tried to point out where Amtrak has let it self go so to speak. Its been a slow decent into lowered expectations, lowered standards, and higher prices for less in return. This in anything but a government run operation would spell disaster.
To those who keep acting like simply wanting clean cars, food actually made mostly on board, toilets that flush, Doors that don't rattle and bang, windows that are clean, seats that aren't torn and worn out, crews that act like you have paid for a trip, and when paying higher fares one might expect a setting commensurate with the additional fare, get real.. Pride in operation is something that has been thrown out the window in the name of "pay as we go", which is a oxymoron at best.

My guess from reading these post still is that most of the defenders of poor service and lack of equipment are from a generation of "everyones the same" and no one does better or worse teaching that pervades the schools and colleges today. Those of us who know what made a train a wonderful way to travel are mostly dismissed as unrealistic. Well it was the standard for service on the rails for most of railroading history, people from around the world should not be telling others how sad or system is. If that is the case, then it should be obvious to some of you that something is not right.

I am not condemning Amtrak, I like Amtrak. Its kind of like being a parent, you try to nudge children in the right direction because you have been there and know how the world works.

I think there's a difference between having working equipment in good condition and advocating that Amtrak really needs to invest in a higher level of amenities. In fact, I worry that focusing on the little will serve as a distraction to the former (that being said, I think a MAJOR exception to this is food service). I think everyone agrees that Amtrak needs to bring its fleet back to a state of good repair. I'm hoping that the repairs coming out of Beach Grove will begin to help with this a little, freeing up strains on existing equipment that prevents it from being taken out of service for an overhaul at a regular interval.

I'm not sure whether the issue is the level of funding, the shortage of equipment or something else, but it absolutely needs to change. I don't get to get out on LD trains all that much, but the pictures that someone posted are pretty telling.

Really, I think Amtrak's short term focus needs to be something like this:

1) Bring its fleet to a state of good repair and cleanliness

2) Ensure an acceptable level of food service across all trains (including corridor service - it's absurd that I need to buy decent food in advance for an eight hour Vermonter ride and my father had similar complaints when we rode the Maple Leaf).

3) Roll out basic additional amenities that would attract large numbers of additional travelers. For instance, every seat should have a power outlet. There's no excuse for not having addressed this yet, especially without on board entertainment. Since I mostly ride in Amfleets, this is never a problem, but I would ride much less if the trains near me did not have a power outlet at every set of seats. I think on-board WiFi, especially in corridor settings, is another one of these.

This goes without even addressing the customer service issues, which I think need to come before everything. Now, I've never had a service issue on board Amtrak, but clearly plenty of people have. Amtrak needs to have a culture of customer service above all else, and actively weed out employees who don't meet that level. When I worked at JetBlue, the attitude was, "We aren't in the airline business. We're in the customer service business and we just happen to fly planes." How you develop that kind of culture within a preexisting organization, however, I don't know.

 

[sunchaser]

Sun Chaser,
Your point is the very one that is so aggravating.. And one which I wrote several times about to the Customer Service Rep. I met on board the Coast Starlight last year. My point was exactly your point, its one thing to have an issue present it self, its quite another to have the exact same issue present it self for over 10 or 20 years with seemingly no redress. Those toilets that don't work at high altitude were one of those pointed out. The dissatisfaction with the various role outs of substandard dining and food products, lack of lounges, were another. That is why I still feel it needs to be tacked from the top down.

I agree with you! Management must take the intiative to correct these issues. The staff on the train can help to correct cleanliness issues, & their attitudes should change if they see Management providing a safer, better work environment for them & passengers too.

I think it takes a special type of person to hear the same complaints, over & over from pax, & then see no improvements to not quit that job.

That's how I view the staff on the trains. They are on the front lines representing Amtrak. They usually hear it all firsthand. Not fun.