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[quote user="henry6"] [quote user="Sam1"] [quote user="CMStPnP"] Note the difference in labor costs in the below article as well: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/08/20/post-office-vs-amtrak-which-one-is-more-wasteful/ [/quote] On my last trip to Dallas, the Texas Eagle had an engineer, a conductor, and a trainman. The conductor and trainman spent most of their time in the dining car whilst the train was moving. The dining car (cross country cafe car) had three servers and the cook. Or maybe we should call him the heater upper. The lounge car had an attendant. The three coaches had two coach attendants, and the sleeping car had an attendant.   The boarding process at Temple is labor intensive.  The station agent opens the gate and makes sure that everyone in line has a ticket. The conductor or trainman inspects the ticket (now read with a scanner) and points the passenger to his or her car. The car attendant marks the passenger's destination on a seat check and hands it to him or her. Once on the train the conductor and/or trainman has a quick look at the seat checks to see who is getting off at the next stop and, then as far as I can tell, heads to the dinner. Or sometimes they camp out in the lounge car. The on-board service personnel stay on the train from end point to end point.  But the operating crews change out five or six times between San Antonio and Chicago.  The best is the engineer from San Antonio to Austin or vice versa. He or she brings the train from San Antonio to Austin or vice versa. That's roughly 2.5 hours northbound; 3.5 hours southbound, although it seldom takes 3.5 hours to run from Austin to San Antonio. Then he or she spends the day in a nice hotel in Austin or is driven back to San Antonio or vice versa. How or why this arrangement was worked out is unclear, but it does not seem to be very efficient.   No wonder Amtrak needs more than 20,000 employees! Or does it?    <div style="clear:both;"></div> [/quote] I take it, Sam, you are objecting to so many people: ticket gent, trainman, car attendent, conductor/trainman.  Or is it that when finished their work they sit in the lounge?  Efficiency and service are served with the number of jobs...the system of selling tickets and opening the gate followed by ticket check and direction to car, then direction to seat, then collection of tickets and checking for next stops, etc. seems to make the boarding and ticket cheking work well and gives the customer the feeling of being cared for.  As for sitting in the lounge or the diner when not checking tickets, etc., where would you have them go or sit?  Can't sit in people's laps; going to visit the engineer can't be done regularly or often safely; no baggage car to run to; only officials ride in office cars; and thre is no caboose on a passenger train.  In the course of a day, how much just standing at attention do you expect them to do?  We in America have to come to terms with labor: it is needed to get jobs done; each job is different; each job adds to the service or quality of service; each job is for the benifet of the customer.   Jobs are not created to take money away from bottom liners. [/quote] Amtrak is a failed business model for a variety of reasons. Near the top is a bloated labor force.  If one thinks that Amtrak is a public welfare agency, whose primary mission is to created jobs, they see nothing wrong with the staffing levels on the Texas Eagle.  I disagree.  I would not have a conductor and a trainman.  One or the other.  And I would have him or her walk the train and attend to customer needs or at least give the appearance of doing so.
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