During that same Fall, Patty Hearst, the newspaper heiress, was captured by FBI agents in San Francisco's Mission District after one of the longest and most bizarre flights from justice in law enforcement history. She had been kidnapped by the 'SLA' 19 months earlier. In a surprising and confusing twist, it appeared Miss Hearst had willfully become a 'soldier' in that extremist group's movement during her abduction. She went from being a victim to a fugitive.

In October, 1975 Japan's 74-year-old Emperor Hirohito was met at Los Angeles International Airport by California Governor Jerry Brown and Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley. After a gala reception at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at The Music Center The Emperor and his wife toured Disneyland.

On the same day as The Emperor's visit, across the nation in Washington, President Gerald Ford urged Congress to deregulate the US airline industry. HIs suggestion ultimately would change the airline business forever.

As these historical events took place, Amtrak, the country's 4 1/2-year-old national rail passenger network, introduced its very own network of toll-free '800' numbers for reservations and information. Along a similar vein, Amtrak also introduced a directory of local numbers across the country so customers could get exact train arrival and departure information. Passenger rail travel was stepping into the information age.

Amtrak was trying hard to innovate passenger rail in the United States. Having a toll free number made contacting Amtrak easy - and free. It was one of many innovations that Amtrak would adopt to make catching the train more appealing to a traveling public that had largely abandoned trains for cars and airliners. The toll-free reservation number was considered so important that it was heralded in a big spread on the first two pages inside the November, 1975 timetable.

The timetable included many other changes.

To Be Continued...

quote:

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Originally posted by Mr. Toy:
Wasn't Amtrak also the first transportation provider to offer a voice recognition phone system?

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I remember using a voice recognition system to get American Airlines flight arrival/departure information in the fall of 1999, which I think was before Amtrak introduced Julie. (I remember mainly because I was doing it from my cubicle at work, wondering if my co-workers were thinking I was strange because I was saying numbers and city names into the phone, very distinctly and seemingly randomly.)

In the original Star Trek TV show the crew used voice recognition commands all the time. But even though the show was aired in the past, it was set in the distant future. Now that's something to think about while staring at a lava lamp.

I wonder if Amtrak will evolve into Star Trak.

Dave

quote:

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Originally posted by dnsommer:
I wonder if Amtrak will evolve into Star Trak.

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Wide open space, the American Frontier
These are the voyages of the California Zephyr,
Its 2.5 day mission,
To explore unpaved worlds,
To seek out new companions and new lifestyles,
To boldly go where no frequent flier has gone before!

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Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth.
-Mr. Toy

The Del Monte Club Car