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I just called Amtrak today and ordered an Amtrak national train timetable along with a Amtrak Travel planner for next year. and the Amtrak agent just told told me that they no longer have Amtrak travelplanners. could someone just find out about why Amtrak now no longer has travelplanners?
Mr. Toy Member # 311
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A cost-cutting measure, no doubt.
------------------ Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth. -Mr. Toy
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Who needs them anyway. The timetable covers the same information, just without the fancy photos.
dilly Member # 1427
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I like the Travel Planner. I hope they'll bring it back one day.
It contains tons of useful information about every route (photos, maps, onboard services, and cities served) and about Amtrak travel in general.
It's far easier and faster to use than the web site. Some stations still have a few copies, so grab one if you still can.
My only complaint is that the layout of the final issue is too chaotic. And the deliriously happy "passengers" in the photos all look uniformly prosperous, even when they're sitting in coach.
Nice clothes. Perfect white teeth. And there isn't a beer gut or baseball cap in sight.
Then again, maybe I've simply been riding on the wrong trains.
Mr. Toy Member # 311
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quote:And the deliriously happy "passengers" in the photos all look uniformly prosperous,
That's just standard travel brochure photography.
------------------ Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth. -Mr. Toy
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Yes, using models is a time-honored technique. I was joking.
But Amtrak's tendency to make rail travel look like an upscale party on wheels is misleading. And that's the quickest way to disappoint first-time passengers.
Those who control the Federal purse strings also see that material. I doubt that most take into consideration that it's merely a creative director's fantasy. It helps fuel the argument that long distance trains are simply tax-subsidized rail cruises for well-heeled vacationers.
Besides, Amtrak passengers are far more varied and interesting than the airbrushed models used in the promotional materials.
Why not show the sort of people I've met on recent trips: Amish farm kids, Stetson-wearing ranchers, tattooed and body-pierced musicians, sari-wearing grandmothers -- and even the guys with the beer guts, scanners, and railroad t-shirts.
Every train I've taken has been filled with a fascinating array of human beings. That's something Amtrak should celebrate.
[This message has been edited by dilly (edited 12-05-2002).]
daisybumble Member # 855
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quote:Originally posted by dilly: Yes, using models is a time-honored technique. I was joking.
But Amtrak's tendency to make rail travel look like an upscale party on wheels is misleading. And that's the quickest way to disappoint first-time passengers.
Those who control the Federal purse strings also see that material. I doubt that most take into consideration that it's merely a creative director's fantasy. It helps fuel the argument that long distance trains are simply tax-subsidized rail cruises for well-heeled vacationers.
Besides, Amtrak passengers are far more varied and interesting than the airbrushed models used in the promotional materials.
Why not show the sort of people I've met on recent trips: Amish farm kids, Stetson-wearing ranchers, tattooed and body-pierced musicians, sari-wearing grandmothers -- and even the guys with the beer guts, scanners, and railroad t-shirts.
I'm all for showing diversity in Amtrak advertising, but you don't want to scare people!
So I'm not the only one who notice how insanely happy the people in the travel planner appear. But I can see why Amtrak would want to make it look upscale. How about this theory...think about people in their 40s and up, who saw rail service decline in the 1950s and 1960s. In the 60s, my mother lived within walking distance of a Penn Central station, yet always took the bus to NYC. Why? The trains were unreliable, old, and dirty. Yes, this was commuter service, but it's the principle of the thing. She took the Silver Meteor to Florida in 1965, and was less than impressed by the experience. Many people in that era came to see rail travel as slow, old, and decrepit, especially when compared to jet travel. So Amtrak may feel the need to show train travel as best as possible to attract that age group, since young retirees have the money and time to travel. This is just a theory...if I am wrong, please correct me!
traveler Member # 1415
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I picked up a "TraveL Planner" at the Kansas City station a couple weeks ago.
dilly Member # 1427
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Good points, daisybumble. The drawback is that rail travel will always be too slow for most people (even older ones, who are now addicted to plane travel). And regardless of how much cash is pumped into Amtrak, some trains will still break down, have overflowing toilet tanks, leave certain cities "right on time" at 4 a.m., and arrive at others six hours late. That's simply the nature of railroading in a country this size.
Unfortunately, that leaves Amtrak with few real benefits that will attract those who are still "train shy." One of the biggest, however, is that rail travel allows you to see and meet folks from every walk of life.
Sure, it would be counterproductive to depict the Southwest Chief as a rolling freak show. But when they're approving casting and wardrobe choices for ad and promotional campaigns, ladder-climbing corporate execs (including Amtrak's) unfortunately tend to choose models who look and dress like idealized versions of themselves.
That's fine if you're pitching to a well-defined audience that fits that image. But just as a potential Mercedes buyer has to first visualize himself behind the wheel, potential rail travelers have to visualize themselves on a train before they'll give it a try. And Amtrak's audience is infinitely more varied.
Those clone-like "Suburbanites from Hell" who populate Amtrak's advertising are, in a way, the visual equivalent of the "Disneyland-style automated announcements" discussed elsewhere on this board.
But if Amtrak hopes to thrive, it needs to attract far more customers in every age, lifestyle, ethnic, and economic group -- and not just business travelers on the NEC, well-heeled retirees, and smiling family vacationers from a single, very narrow income and social bracket.
If Amtrak hopes to sell more train tickets, they've got to convince a wider audience that rail travel is for them.
[This message has been edited by dilly (edited 12-12-2002).]
CK Member # 589
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Dilly, I had to comment that after reading your line, "Sure, it would be counterproductive to depict the Southwest Chief as a rolling freak show", I almost fell off my chair laughing ! That said, I really do enjoy meeting all the varied people who ride Amtrak. Heck, I guess I might be part of that "freak show"! :-)
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