posted
on many trains (like the crescent) they bunch up all the passengers into two or three coaches and leave one completely empty. It makes each filled coach noisy and uncomfortable. You would think they would allow passengers into the empty coach, allowing everyone more room and a better train experience.
CG96 Member # 1408
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It could be that the train crew knows that the seats aboard the coach are already "spoken for' at some later point on down the line. The crew can't put people in that car because the seats have already been sold.
DeeCT Member # 3241
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I have seen this done on a long distance train. (Lake Shore Limited).The empty car was held for passengers getting on in the middle of the nite. I assume the theory is that it lessens the disturbing of already sleeping passengers.
MontanaJim Member # 2323
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well the car behind mine was empty all the way from birmingham to washington dc. My car was packed to the gills, and it was very easy to be disturbed by the crying babies, etc.
I was able to put up with it but just was annoyed that the car behind mine was completely empty.
D. David Member # 4055
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I thought it made sense. You get off in Albany, there's a car or two for people getting on in Albany. etc
sojourner Member # 3134
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Boarding or leaving in the middle of the night is one of the reasons. For instance, on the Florida trains that leave NYC/Philly/DC, people going to stops in the Carolinas are put in one or two cars; people going all the way to Florida are put in other cars. That way, those getting on or off in the middle of the night don't disturb those who are sleeping straight through.
Other reasons are station length, the number of doors that open, and the effort to make time spent at stops go more quickly. For instance, on the Adirondack heading south from Montreal, the train does not open all its doors at most of the in-between stops--the train is at a higher level than the station platform, and passengers leaving or boarding need conductor assistance, and there are only a handful of conductors, so the staff can only open one or two doors. Also, in some stops, the train is longer than the station, another reason that only some doors can open. Also, having passengers at the in-between stops get on and off the same one or two cars speeds things up. So, for all these reasons, the car near the snack bar is used for those getting on or off at the stops in between Montreal and NYC. Those boarding in Montreal and going all the way to NYC are put into one or two (more crowded) cars because that way the conductors don't have to run all over dealing with them. And once the train gets into Penn Station in NYC, all the cars open and people do not need conductor assistance to board and get off there; also, it doesn't matter how long they take to get off, since NYC is the end of the run.
When I took the Crescent from NYC to Atlanta, I seem to remember that one car was for people getting off or on in the middle of the night in the Carolinas, two cars were reserved for those boarding and leaving in or near Atlanta (a very busy stop), and some other cars were for those going further than Atlanta (Birmingham and New Orleans). At that time, before Hurricane Katrina, the train had a lot of travelers going between NYC/Newark/Philly/DC and Atlanta and also a lot of travelers going between Atlanta and New Orleans. So it made sense to have the people getting off in Atlanta vacate seats that the people getting on in Atlanta could then be assigned, all on two cars that would speed things up at the station (though Atlanta was a longer stop, it was still a busy, hectic station--seemed too small for the number of people, in fact! of course, keep in mind, I was traveling at peak time, around the holidays.) I don't know what the situation would be like now, but my guess is that you were on the car for people going "all the way" (DC/Newark/Philly/NYC) and the emptier cars were for people going in between--the number of whom may have diminished now that there isn't the crowd getting on in New Orleans bound for Atlanta--but if that is the case, it's also possible that Amtrak hasn't thought about how to make the seating policy changes for a temporary condition but instead has left the policy the way it was before Katrina, when there were lots more people getting on in New Orleans for Atlanta.
dilly Member # 1427
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Some conductors bunch passengers together for the reasons mentioned above. Often, it makes reasonably good sense.
However, on some trains (particularly on short and medium-distance routes with all-daylight runs), it's more likely due to the laziness of the crew. Especially when it doesn't occur with every crew every day.
Allowing passengers to comfortably spread out in two or three coaches (rather than cramming everybody into a single car) forces crew members to walk a little further to lift tickets, announce the next stop, etc.
It means more than one crew person has to actually lift themselves from a sitting position, whenever the train pulls into a station, to open more than one door.
And worst of all? All that extra work tends to seriously interrupt their marathon "coffee, newspaper, and bitching" sessions in the rear booth of the cafe car -- a relaxing pastime that some Amtrak employees have honed to a fine art.
I don't mean to sound overly harsh. But not everything that happens aboard every Amtrak train is done for logical or "official" reasons -- or to make passengers (i.e. paying customers) more comfortable.
Sometimes it's done simply for the comfort and convenience of a lazy crew.
---
graynt Member # 17
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I was riding in coach from New York to Florida. All the Fla passengers were bunched into two coaches and the restof the cars were empty for the longest time. I asked if I could sit in one of th empty seats after leaving Richmond. He said he ll need the seats in Jacksonville so I had several hours of comfort until I moved back. Ifyou ask a conductor I would imagine they would let ou do it.
On my recent trip on the LSLall the through passengers from New York to Chcagowere bunched in the last car furthest from the snack bar. There were no outlets at the seat and I was counting on AC power for my DVD player. I guess it depends on the train and the crew.I still don t like getting assigned seats on some trains,but I guess thats what has to be done
sojourner Member # 3134
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Dilly, oh, I agree, that is another factor!!! In fact, it's even sometimes hard to know where speed and convenience let off and sloth begins. . . .
One time I was going coach to Charleston, picked up the Silver Meteor to NYC. The conductor jammed everyone into the seats in the rear of the Charleston car--doubling up strangers--with the front of the car empty. Very officious. So me and the (very large) lady sitting next to me asked him why, and he said a lot of families were getting on in DC and Virginia, and they would be sitting together. So we said, since we got on first and had the longest to travel, why couldn't we have a seat to ourselves at least until DC, after all, it was over 3 hours away? And he said OK but we'd have to move back when those families got on.
This of course was not moving to another car, we still remained in the Charleston car. But I've moved to another car on occasion too. Sometimes, however, the problem is, if you leave the car where all your fellow passengers bound for the same stop are sitting, you may not get a reminder from the conductor or cabin attendant to get off at the stop. So if you are dozing or unfamiliar with the terrain or otherwise not paying attention, you could miss your stop. This is unlikely to happen to a train buff, who usually follows the stops--but dozing is always a possibility!
dilly Member # 1427
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quote:Originally posted by sojourner: The conductor jammed everyone into the seats in the rear of the Charleston car--doubling up strangers--with the front of the car empty. Very officious. So me and the (very large) lady sitting next to me asked him why, and he said a lot of families were getting on in DC and Virginia, and they would be sitting together.
"We have a lot of families getting on in [ Insert City of Your Choice ]" is a response I've heard many conductors use on passengers who, not unreasonably, want to know why they can't move to a less populated, if not totally empty Coach.
I suspect that it's Standard Excuse #337 in the Amtrak Conductors Handbook.
Of course, the anticipated "families" often do board the train further along the route. But just as often, they never do. The empty Coaches stay empty (or nearly so) all the way to the end of the line -- and a lot of miserable passengers remain bunched together in one or two crowded cars.
When the screeching kids, cell phone shouters, and fried chicken odors become a total drag, I always gather my belongings, take my seat check, and move to the empty car anyway. (An exception: on my recent trip aboard the Cardinal, every Coach was filled to capacity, so there was nowhere to run).
No crew member has ever challenged me about moving (in fact, one of them usually passes through and tells me when we're about to reach my destination). Strangely, no other passenger has ever followed my example and joined me.
As for the dangers of dozing off. . . When I ride in Coach, I'm either headed for a destination with a reasonably civilized arrival time, or traveling to the end of the line. So for me, falling asleep (and missing my stop in the middle of the night) isn't an issue.
Then again, I've seen wide awake passengers (often in a stupified trance as they listen to their iPod) miss their stop even when sitting in the "correct" car. Most Conductors simply stroll down the aisle once or twice and announce the next station. Very few will physically shake sleeping passengers, or stand there for five minutes to make sure the passenger actually does fully wake up. If a traveler drifts back to sleep, or fails to hear (or ignores) the announcement. . . tough luck. I've yet to see a Conductor who's sympathetic.
CHATTER Member # 1185
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This thread is a great advertisement for sleeper cars!
DeeCT Member # 3241
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I am a firm believer in sleeper cars !! However sometimes it is NOT cost effective. One trip I make frequently is from Springfield,MA to Cleveland, OH.The Lake Shore Limited leaves Springfield at 3:25 in the afternoon. Then leaves Albany at 6:50 pm --- this is first and only opportunity to eat a meal in the dining car since the Boston to Albany section of this train has only a cafe car on it.(Only the NY through section has a dining car.) I arrive in Cleveland at 3:12 am (one of the worst cities for arrival and departure times.) For 1 meal and about 4 hours of sleep Amtrak wants $95. My Scot blood rebels at that --- and so it is coach for me on that trip.
notelvis Member # 3071
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quote:Originally posted by DeeCT: I am a firm believer in sleeper cars !! However sometimes it is NOT cost effective. One trip I make frequently is from Springfield,MA to Cleveland, OH.The Lake Shore Limited leaves Springfield at 3:25 in the afternoon. Then leaves Albany at 6:50 pm --- this is first and only opportunity to eat a meal in the dining car since the Boston to Albany section of this train has only a cafe car on it.(Only the NY through section has a dining car.) I arrive in Cleveland at 3:12 am (one of the worst cities for arrival and departure times.) For 1 meal and about 4 hours of sleep Amtrak wants $95. My Scot blood rebels at that --- and so it is coach for me on that trip.
I wouldn't squander guest reward points on a sleeping car room either if I was getting off the train in the middle of the night!
Next time though you might want to look into a last minute upgrade. Sometimes they will sell an otherwise unoccupied room for a reduced price rather than let it go empty.
About three or four years ago I traveled on the CZ round-trip from Salt Lake City to Sacramento. I booked the now-named 'roomette' westbound but booked coach for my eastbound return since I would be scheduled to leave the train around 3:00am give or take.
About a week before my trip I had a phone call from Amtrak reservations. A number of sleeper rooms were not to be occupied at all until Denver the day of my eastbound trip. They had noticed that I had booked sleeper westbound and wondered if I would be interested in upgrading to a room for just $100.00.
As this was about half the going rate for the room when I had originally booked my trip (and figuring that I'd be spending about $40.00 in the diner anyway), I said sure.
I've since managed two other last-minute upgrades to sleeper for a fraction of the original cost. Most notably two summers ago I upgraded to roomette in the New Orleans station just an hour before departure. I paid $62.00 to occupy a room north to Carbondale, IL. Again, I had originally booked coach because I would be getting off the train in th middle of the night.
CHATTER Member # 1185
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quote:For 1 meal and about 4 hours of sleep Amtrak wants $95. My Scot blood rebels at that --- and so it is coach for me on that trip.
I do not see it that way. I see it as $95 for twelve hours in a sleeper compartment, which includes dinner. That does not sound unreasonable to me at all, given the prices of sleepers on other routes, for just a few hours more.
TwinStarRocket Member # 2142
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I have noticed recently that on some dates, 7 days prior to departure, reduced fare roomettes show up on the Amtrak website. Example: Minneapolis-Seattle for $158 additional. Don't tell anyone. I have noticed the same procedure on the SWC, but not quite that good a deal.
Kairho Member # 1567
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"For $95 ....." So this is one time you hope your train is very late so that you get your money's worth.
RailWarrior Member # 4130
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It is common practice to keep one car locked and empty (usually the cab car) on the Pacific Surfliners... and it really annoys me.
On the last trip I took from IRV-SAN, two cars on the five-car train were locked and empty while there was barely a spare seat in the rest of the train. No groups boarded all the way to SAN.
Seems like on this route, it's usually just an issue of poor customer service and laziness on the part of the crew. That way they have one less car to walk though collecting tickets. Meanwhile, the paying passengers are crammed like sardines in the the remaining seats.
I supposed you could argue it's a "security" measure as well, to make sure the crew can keep an eye on the passengers, but I suspect pure laziness is really at the root of the issue.
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