It appears by the many postings of late that there appears a great deal of poor service, attitude problems and the like, which frankly makes future trips questionable. I have tickets already for a trip this coming Christmas to DC and back to Fullerton and am thinking of cancelling. Stopped up toilets, dirty bed linen and vanishing attendants does not say, Come Ride with Me.... Had an almost pleasant trip last Christmas to NYP with exception of long delay in Albany...no food..no service, got a bag of potatoe chips for dinner...Never complained, just wrote it off to the Holidays, etc. With exception of bad rails and sparse attendant attention, the trip was fun. Question is, how has service improved overall in the past thirty days or not? How many of you are planning a long cross country and hoping for the best? Is this the best we can hope for?
Posted by Tigger (Member # 2455) on :
As others have said, riding Amtrak should be viewed as an adventure. But you are right, the experience I, for one, had on a recent Amtrak trip did not say Come Ride with Me. What it strongly suggested to me was a lack of supervision of individual employees, especially as it was so inconsistent. I think it's also a lead-pipe cinch that employee morale is low at this point, as well. My trip was still fun, however, and I am glad I went. Just to look out the window as we travelled thorugh Washington State was an experience I'll never forget.
Posted by Kairho (Member # 1567) on :
Is anyone else of the opinion that elimination of the Chief of Onboard Services position had a lot to do with the downward spiral?
Posted by CK (Member # 589) on :
Kairho, I believe the elimination of the position has contributed to the problem. Unless the employees are self-motivated, without direct supervision some do tend to take advantage of the system and become lazy and, at times, even rude. Although, in my experience, most employees do a very good job.
Posted by Charles Reuben (Member # 2263) on :
It pains me to read the words of people who are less than satisfied with Amtrak. However, unlike most people on this board, a medical condition makes it impossible for me to fly, so my options are somewhat limited.
Nevertheless, even if I could fly, I would still take the train because I am convinced that it makes me a better person. Not only does travelling by train give me the opportunity to practice my social skills, but it gives me a rare opportunity to reflect and do some serious thinking.
I don't deny that the Southwest Chief does get progressively nastier the further it roams from its starting point, but that is one of the reasons I travel by coach. Since I don't make a huge investment in a ticket, my expectations are somewhat lower that somebody who spends a ton of money on a sleeper.
Furthermore, with Amtrak in desperate shape, now is the time that we should be rallying behind the cause of passenger train travel, not spreading dissent. Now is the time to gird our loins and meet diversity with a cheerful countenance. If you are concerned that the diner will run out of food (which it probably won't), then pack some sandwiches and some drinks in a cooler.
Think creatively. The bathrooms always get nasty, but since we're stuck with old Superliners, go to Home Depot and buy some of those disposable booties to put around your shoes to keep the coodies off of them. Wear a nightmasque and earplugs to ward off bright light and noise and get a prescription for good sleeping pills to knock you out so you can get a good night's rest.
Amtrak is all us Americans got and, for the time being, we have to make the best of it. For all its problems, the view out the window of the Southwest Chief is still quite splendid. When things go wrong, that's when we get some insight into the sort of people we really are, deep down.
I don't know about the way things used to be on the trains. I only seriously started travelling by Amtrak about five years ago and in that time I have probably logged over 20,000 miles. I have seen delays and I have tasted food of questionable preparation.
But I have also arrived at my destination on time and sometime an hour ahead of time. I have eaten gourmet quality food delivered to me in an elegant and courteous fashion.
I have noticed that the trains can be understaffed and the workers can be haggard, but I have noticed that when I treat these people with courtesy and a modicum of respect they reciprocate, even in the worst of times, with excellent service.
So that's my two cents of the current situation. For the record, I can not wait to climb aboard the train for my next railroad adventure.
[This message has been edited by Chucky (edited 07-21-2003).]
Posted by Charles Reuben (Member # 2263) on :
My friend thinks I was a little long-winded in my response.
He suggests that my response should have been, "What do you think this is, the Orient Express?"
If it was the Orient Express, my friend says it would have cost five times as much and you would have had to book it six months in advance.
In short, it's Amtrak, folks!
[This message has been edited by Chucky (edited 07-21-2003).]
Posted by Geoff Mayo (Member # 153) on :
That's a good point. After all, few bus drivers give you outstanding service, so why should Amtrak when they're in a similar league? Even first class sleeper service is not really all that it's cracked up to be. I consider it merely a place to sleep at night and if the attendant gives good service, then that's a bonus. I've had surly service from flight attendants in first class aircraft cabins before (from earning points rather than spending money!) so it really is down to the people on the day.