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*I love AMTRAK and have been on many, many cross-country and to Vancouver, BC trips from Florida and New York BUT things better change soon or the American middle-class will not ride AMTRAK trains regularly! 1- Since many AMTRAK sations are in bad and unsafe neighborhoods (like Niagara Falls, NY and Palatka, FL) how about if the on-board personnel MAKE SURE to call ahead for taxis to be waiting at the station for the train's arrival so that passengers will not have to wait on a lonely platform for hours until a taxi comes! 2- AMTRAK must make sure that there are clean bathrooms with working toilets and door locks in every single car on every train and in every station. 3- Make sure every car attendant REMEMBERS to awake passengers before their station at which they are supposed to detrain. 4- Make sure that the air conditioning and heat works right in every car on every train. The middle-class will not ride regularly if these problems are not fixed right away. The passengers don't care about AMTRAK'S funding problems and mean bastards in congress and the White House who are unresponsive to AMTRAK's needs. They expect quality for their hard-earned money!
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Posts: 9 | From: Palatka, FL, USA | Registered: Aug 2003
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Steve, You bring up good points. The issue of item #1 is a real risk in some areas (who would ever think Niagara Falls is a "bad" area?). Right now they are probably unwilling to touch this one because Amtrak needs to stay on good terms with its cities. Oceanside, CA is "ok" but there are some questionable types who hang out at the station area at the burger place. Definitely not "middle class". Pomona, CA has improved its appearance a bit now that it's also a Metrolink stop, but Pomona itself has not been a "safe location" for years, especially at the times the Sunset rolls through.
The other issues you mention are also important, especially the one about bathrooms, but part of the blame for that rests with a few sloppy customers (guests?) that use the trains.
MP
Posts: 874 | From: South Bay (LA County), Calif, USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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The passengers don't care about AMTRAK'S funding problems
That is because they are not educated about the facts. Most of them do not know that the federal government has trust funds set up to support highways and airports, either. They most likely choose to be ignorant, in which case they will get what the government feeds them.
Also, some of them don't realize that "Amtrak" is not spelled in all-caps.
I have myself never been on an Amtrak train with a bad bathroom; however, I would advise all that complain about the bathrooms to search out accounts of the old airline PeoplExpress and their bathrooms, which did not have flushing toilets. Not a pleasant way to travel from Newark, NJ to London Gatwick.
[This message has been edited by irishchieftain (edited 09-04-2003).]
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I've been to NFL many times and there are always cabs waiting there for the arriving train. As for the bathrooms, i totally agree with you. On the contrary i feel, that it's sometimes the passengers that cause lavetory problems. I've seen trash stuck in the toilet before that Amtrak signs request specifically not to be put in there. As for the AC or the heat, the only problem there is it being set correctly. Either it's too hot or too cold
Posts: 115 | From: Buffalo, NY | Registered: Aug 2002
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As a card-carrying member of the middle class (maybe lower-middle class these days) I can assure you that the long-haul trains will be filled to the gills in coach whether Amtrak addresses your concerns or not.
Furthermore, I am convinced that the trains would be even more crowded if more people understood the infinite delights of travelling long distances by train. A few bad locks or screwed up toilets is not going to stop people from taking the train.
By now, the educated American public understands that the dismal condition of the trains is a direct result of its underfunding. Also, Americans in the know realize that the fact that Amtrak exists at all is a result of the resourcefulness and ingenuity of a government entity that can make a dollar go a long, long way.
Did you know that it costs Amtrak less money to run its 30,000 mile network than it takes San Francisco to run its 97 mile Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system?
As far as the bathrooms are concerned, I have noticed that they are quite clean at the beginning of the journey but get progressively trashed as the train approaches its destination. The few train attendants that Amtrak can afford are busy looking after your welfare and only have so much time to keep the bathrooms in good repair. It is definitely up the passengers to clean up after themselves.
I never knew it was the responsibility of the train attendant to babysit the riders and tell them when it is time to get off the train. As I recall, announcements are made regularly when the train is about to arrive at a station, except late at night when (thankfully) they don't interrupt our sleep with such an announcement.
Finally, as far as heating and air conditioning is concerned. I have never know a coach car that (no matter how old it was) had unbearable climate control. However, everybody has their own sense of what is an ideal temperature so its always a good idea to bring a change of lightweight clothes on board if you get hot, or a blanket if you get cold.
And oh yes, I do agree with you about the necessity of having a phone on board the train so that we can call people ahead of time and make arrangements for cabs or pickups. Some of the trains do have payphones, but I do believe they are an absolute necessity on *all* the long-hauls, for exactly the reasons you mention.
Posts: 324 | From: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA | Registered: Jan 2003
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One thing I have to say is alot of Amtrak stations in a matter of fact I would say maybe 70% are Ghetto..I live in Los Angeles and when you walk out the station there are Hobos everywhere near Olivera Street. Obviously if you know Los Angeles...Downtown is not exzactly the Beverly Hills...But obviously Los Angeles Union Statoin is always staffed 24/7 Because it is one of the most popular train destinations in the US. I do not think that Amtrak should be responsible to call a CAB prior to the Arrival of the Train if you dont want to wait there use a cell phone to call from the train...OR use the pay phone in the Lounge..if you dont have a credit card to do that..I suggest you use a normal payphone at another station..Alot of peopel do that because I understand the On-Board PAy Phones are a bit pricey..But if your getting off in the bad parts of town..Dont you live there so your use to the ghetto atmoshepere?--But its true that you could say that the train station is ghetto..Your house is 2 hours away..One other thing I couldnt agree more about what you said about the AMTRAK bathrooms..They are very dirty! I think that alot of un-Educated people are on AMTRAK...I think I've figured there are TWO kinds of peopel that take AMTRAK to middle to Upper class peopel that LOVE trains..and the lower class hitch hikers..That dont even say "thanks" when you let them pass in the isle of the trains..It really tears the shit out of you..How un-thankful some people are..SOrry for my language ---Tell me what ya think!
Anton L. pillsbury09@excite.com
Posts: 1082 | From: Los Angeles, CA. USA | Registered: Aug 2003
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Anton: There are lots of so-called "lower class hitch hikers" on this planet. They only have an effect on your life if you let them. Ignore them.
Accept the fact that low-lifes exist; don't let them "bring you down". Enjoy the fact that there are good people out there, too.
Ignore the losers. Write your congress critters and ask for better funding of Amtrak.
Posts: 1418 | From: Houston, Republic of Texas | Registered: Jan 2001
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ATTENTION: (especcially mikesmith) I appologize if I raised any question about what I ment when I used such words as "ghetto" and "Hitchhikers". I am not tryign to offend lower class citizens I was just explaining about the 2 different kinds of people that ride Amtrak and the local area of the AMTRAK stations that had been mentioned......If you have any other thoughts that I did not include here please post them or contact me at: pillsbury09@excite.com .... THANKS..Anton
Posts: 1082 | From: Los Angeles, CA. USA | Registered: Aug 2003
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---Tell me what ya think!
