I'm currently sitting on the westbound California Zephyr, about 30 miles east of Reno. We're already 4 hours late, and have been stopped a good half an hour now with no explanation from the crew (mechanical issues? Slow UP freight? Rockslide? Who knows?). The EB Zephyr we met yesterday in Denver was a full 12 hours delayed.
I'm not surprised by any of this, of course. While our particular train has not had any specific (or, more accurately, perhaps, direct) weather-related delays, this is railroading (and notorious Amtrak) in winter - stuff happens.
However, there is no decent excuse for the lousy customer service I have received - and seen others as the recipients of - since I started this misguided sojourn in Boston on Tuesday. Simply put: there is a clear underlying classist-based tension between the crew and the sleeping car passengers on my California Zephyr and Lakeshore Limited. I've seen it time and again over the last 3 days - from eyerolls, to barely-audible comments, to nasty little attempts to 'squash' customers who were expecting something slightly more from their thousand(s)-worth railroading experience.
The dining car running out of food options; the chintzy, dated (bordering on dilapidated) state of the Superliner equipment; the lousy general integration of Amtrak and U.S. railroads - these are all a general and probably incurable disorder native to the sorry arrangement that Amtrak has persisted under since its inception.
But lousy customer service? And sleeping/dining attendants who appear to be innately hostile towards the clientele whom they are employed to serve? Get the hell out of here with THAT crap. This is my last American train ride.
Well poor customer service is unacceptable. Have you ever considered that some/many of your fellow sleeping car passengers possibly may act very entitled and condescending to the crew as though it were still 1920? If so, their reactive behavior generalizes over to you.
charlie hebdo Well poor customer service is unacceptable. Have you ever considered that some/many of your fellow sleeping car passengers possibly may act very entitled and condescending to the crew as though it were still 1920? If so, their reactive behavior generalizes over to you.
I can only speak in general terms, but I think when someone pays 900 USD to upwards of several thousands (for the bedrooms), they probably do have an expectation of first-class service. It's the same as with any expensive hotel or restaurant.
Shrike Arghast
There are issues on the former D&RGW track in Granby, Co. Amtrak says debris on the track has halted train movement in both directions and both California Zephyrs (East and Westbound) are halted short of that point. Have no idea if that impacts you in RENO, NV or if there is a ripple effect on the line. Got the info from Amtrak Twitter Alerts.
Rough guess is UP halted traffic over Donner Pass over similar concerns.
Rock slides can be caused by either a sudden temperature change causing water in cracks of rocks to freeze and fracture them OR excessive moisture / rain.
Shrike ArghastI can only speak in general terms, but I think when someone pays 900 USD to upwards of several thousands (for the bedrooms), they probably do have an expectation of first-class service. It's the same as with any expensive hotel or restaurant.
Agree with you totally here. At a min the Amtrak employees should be the most cheerful of anyone on the train and should be finding solutions around the issues vs sitting on their butts and doing nothing. The Conductor has wide authority over the train and should be the go to person for lack of food or some sort of mechanical failure. If your sitting in the RENO station, they should order food for the passengers such as subs or some other replacement from a local restaurant and hold the train until the food arrives if they need to.
I believe I posted about the bad-to-hostile "service" we were subjected to on the Cardinal in June.
And no, we did not condescend. We did not act entitled. We were friendly, and in several cases were treated rudely.
Amtrak has too many sub-par staff. Are the service employees unionized? Some sure act like they are immune from being fired. The woman who ran our sleeper was a self-important battle-axe. (BTW, I am not anti-union.)
I'll still ride Amtrak again, because I love riding the rails. But I'll know not to expect too much when it comes to service. It's sad, really.
Still in training.
Lithonia Operator I believe I posted about the bad-to-hostile "service" we were subjected to on the Cardinal in June. And no, we did not condescend. We did not act entitled. We were friendly, and in several cases were treated rudely. Amtrak has too many sub-par staff. Are the service employees unionized? Some sure act like they are immune from being fired. The woman who ran our sleeper was a self-important battle-axe. (BTW, I am not anti-union.) I'll still ride Amtrak again, because I love riding the rails. But I'll know not to expect too much when it comes to service. It's sad, really.
I overheard our car attendant boasting to another passenger that she "hadn't gotten a vaccine since she was 12." Setting aside the politics of that choice, it's more than a little hypocritical for Amtrak to keep such a person on the payroll, making and breaking down beds every night, delivering food, cleaning bathrooms etc. when the company screams bloody murder if you step outside your roomette without a mask.
I mean, seriously: what are we even doing anymore?
Shrike ArghastI overheard our car attendant boasting to another passenger that she "hadn't gotten a vaccine since she was 12." Setting aside the politics of that choice, it's more than a little hypocritical for Amtrak to keep such a person on the payroll, making and breaking down beds every night, delivering food, cleaning bathrooms etc. when the company screams bloody murder if you step outside your roomette without a mask.
/s
I'm in complete sympathy with Mr. Arghast. Been there.
I'd be interested in an essay written by a crew member as to what it's like dealing with a car or train full of late, unhappy, hungry and dissatisfied customers/passengers, who like our correspondent, paid hundreds or even thousands of dollars only to have a bad experience.
What an awful situation for everyone involved.
I am of the opinion that Amtrak should suspend running their long-distance trains in the winter and run them as tourist trains, with all the attendant amenities of the days of yore, in the better weather.
There are whole Web pages devoted to lousy Amtrak experiences.
I have in fact seen some online discussions by Amtrak personnel, including a couple of feisty discussions why there are problems with the toilets so often.
I'm going to make a very, very broad assumption that Amtrak personnel are super-secure in their jobs and can't be fired unless caught in a criminal act.
Not quite like the private sector where if you're a constant foul-up and liability to the company and your co-workers you're shown the door.
Forget it. If I'm heading someplace in the future I'm driving. The car's comfy, I can come and go as I please and where I please. It's cheaper anyway.
Flintlock76Not quite like the private sector where if you're a constant foul-up and liability to the company and your co-workers you're shown the door.
Unless their uncle is the manager.
It's been fun. But it isn't much fun anymore. Signing off for now.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any
Ehhhhh, depends. I saw plenty of incompetent managers at Phone Companies, Power Companies, and Insurance Companies..............all those companies had one thing in common. Steady stream of income regardless of what they would do.
CMStPnP Flintlock76 Not quite like the private sector where if you're a constant foul-up and liability to the company and your co-workers you're shown the door. Ehhhhh, depends. I saw plenty of incompetent managers at Phone Companies, Power Companies, and Insurance Companies..............all those companies had one thing in common. Steady stream of income regardless of what they would do.
Flintlock76 Not quite like the private sector where if you're a constant foul-up and liability to the company and your co-workers you're shown the door.
Maybe I was pretty lucky, my managers were just fine, in fact the day I retired I told one he was the best boss I had in a 40 year working life. He blushed!
Mind you, I'm speaking of the local level. Up at corporate they were in their own world. But we know how that goes.
However, I still stand by my statement that people secure in their jobs no matter what they do will frequently fail to give their best. Human nature folks, there's no getting away from it.
Flintlock76However, I still stand by my statement that people secure in their jobs no matter what they do will frequently fail to give their best. Human nature folks, there's no getting away from it.
I don't buy that.
Ive seen plenty of people in secure jobs that always did their best, and plenty of people in fly-by-night outfits that gave minimal.
I think it's more about the person than the job.
zugmann Flintlock76 Not quite like the private sector where if you're a constant foul-up and liability to the company and your co-workers you're shown the door. Unless their uncle is the manager.
Nepotism's as old as time. Must of us don't have that advantage.
However, make "uncle" look bad often enough and watch what happens.
Flintlock76However, make "uncle" look bad often enough and watch what happens.
He gets promoted?
zugmann Flintlock76 However, make "uncle" look bad often enough and watch what happens. He gets promoted?
Flintlock76 However, make "uncle" look bad often enough and watch what happens.
Damn Zug, NS must be a bigger mess than we think it is!
zugmannI don't buy that.
We'll just have to disagree without being disagreeable, I've seen plenty of the opposite.
And I'll agree, sometimes it is more about the person than the job, but not always.
Flintlock76 CMStPnP Flintlock76 Not quite like the private sector where if you're a constant foul-up and liability to the company and your co-workers you're shown the door. Ehhhhh, depends. I saw plenty of incompetent managers at Phone Companies, Power Companies, and Insurance Companies..............all those companies had one thing in common. Steady stream of income regardless of what they would do. Maybe I was pretty lucky, my managers were just fine, in fact the day I retired I told one he was the best boss I had in a 40 year working life. He blushed! Mind you, I'm speaking of the local level. Up at corporate they were in their own world. But we know how that goes. However, I still stand by my statement that people secure in their jobs no matter what they do will frequently fail to give their best. Human nature folks, there's no getting away from it.
I'm secure in my job, maybe I should try less. They certainly don't appreciate me, like everyone else I'm just a warm body in a chair.
Seriously though, ever had a bad experience at an airline, restaurant, car dealership, or any other private business?
It depends on the person and corporate culture, not the business or position.
From what I've heard Amtrak management isn't exactly easy on their employees either.
I get it, bashing lazy union and/or government employees feels very satisfying and is an easy target, especially if you fall on the political right. But that doesn't make it true.
In the freight Class I world competence has nothing to do with employment certainty. I've seen good managers fired or demoted because they were "too friendly with the men", and others have been retained or promoted because of who they knew.
The guy who did this (despite being warned by his employees not to take so many cars) was a good friend of Hunter Harrison. He was moved around and promoted at CN after this incident, and is currently a VP at CSX.
http://tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/rail/2007/r07v0213/r07v0213.html
https://www.csx.com/index.cfm/about-us/company-overview/csx-leadership/jamie-boychuk-biography/
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
Zugman and SD70 guy are right. Private sector, non-union, job security culture does not correlate highly with better service nor does the converse correlate with bad service. It depends more on the individual and the outfit and how managers on various levels treat subordinates.
So Shrike Arghast, What was going on outside of your train, and how late was your arrival? UP got Amtrak to Emeryville I presume. Asmtransitdocs indicates its arrival at Emeryville at 9:30. All in all, it was NOT your worst trip I hope?
In the olden days, my wife and I would go on cruises, occasionally. The cruise lines were Crystal and Silversea. We had really good accomodations.
The staff was great. Absolutely professional, appropriately friendly, with a good attitude. This included everyone, including the people who made up our room every day. On one line (I forget which), we even had a butler.
As far as I saw, our fellow passengers were pretty well behaved. I expect the crew was well trained on how to deal with bad attitudes.
Not once did I notice the crew being "jerky". Nor, for that matter, the passengers. A little clueless sometimes, but they're paying customers and get to be.
Wonderful lines; we had a GREAT time. Always.
I get the feeling that management on those lines valued their workers greatly, and tried to support them doing their jobs.
I talked my wife into going on Amtrak from Oakland to Chicago. She says she'll never do THAT again.
Ed
Overmod There are whole Web pages devoted to lousy Amtrak experiences. I have in fact seen some online discussions by Amtrak personnel, including a couple of feisty discussions why there are problems with the toilets so often.
I noticed a significant difference in the performance of the 'blue water' toilets on the the LSL, and the airliner clones on the Zephyr. Suffice it to say, many of the cans were clogged on the eastern train after barely 15 hours, whereas I never noticed any issues in the Superliners, in spite of the latter's advanced age. It's silly as hell that Amtrak can't get this right in the low-level equipment.
Electroliner 1935 So Shrike Arghast, What was going on outside of your train, and how late was your arrival? UP got Amtrak to Emeryville I presume. Asmtransitdocs indicates its arrival at Emeryville at 9:30. All in all, it was NOT your worst trip I hope?
Not much was happening outside. Our two short stops due to natural causes were once west of Granby for a frozen switch, and once in Glenwood Springs Canyon for a cooler-sized rock. Together, they slowed us maybe 30 minutes total. As far as I could tell, every single other delay was in some way associated with UP and their insistence on siding us for a freight to either pass against or overtake us. At least one of these stops was over 90 minutes. Another was due to (according to Amtrak personnel) a UP crew-change winding up a man short.
Flintlock76Up at corporate they were in their own world. But we know how that goes.
When I was a IBM Consultant, I had a conversation with the CEO of a major food Distributing Company. I asked him about his IT network and if he thought he was set for future needs. His response back to me which still brings a smirk to my face today......"We got a lot of stuff"....."Some of it is good stuff too". Prior to the meeting I had various employees asking me to convince him of this or that because they all thought the company was far behind in technology and they had issues keeping it working.
Then in walks the head of IT in what looked like a $200 Sears and Roebuck suit, who bragged about being a former Sears employee that worked in the Sears Tower in Chicago (a long time ago). He told us he was responsible for what the company had and that he worked closely with the CEO to make sure they had everything they needed.
In the car on the way back to the airport the Senior Consultant with me was saying.......there is no way in hell IBM is going to sell them anything within their budget constraints and if IBM was able to......there was no way in hell they would understand what they were buying.
.........And no I am not partly responsible for the pandemic food shortages...
Right now Amtrak may have to worry about the great resignation? There IMO needs a restoration of good employee performance on both sides of the employment fence. That includes getting along with all persons when working.
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