Rude Amtrak employees

[tjemartin]

Hello all

I just completed my first trip on am Amtrak train yesterday. I traveled aboard the Crescent train from Atlanta, GA to Wilmington, DE. While overall it was a very good experience, I did encounter some rude Amtrak employees. Is this common occurrence on Amtrak? While boarding the train, one employee asked where I'd be heading and I got directed to a specific car, where I sat near the front of the car, which was fine.

During other stops, the conductor (or other Amtrak employee), would announce the stop so everyone could clearly hear on the train, even near the front of the car where I was sitting, because it was hard to hear the usual arrival announcements. When we arrived in Wilmington, I couldn't make out the usual announcement over the PA and the conductor did not repeat that we had arrived in Wilmington. I almost missed my stop and I guess the conductor was not pleased that he had to direct me all the way to the back of the train so I that could step off the train. I was not rude, I simply told him that you can not hear the announcement clearly from where I was sitting and that they should somehow fix the problem, so more people don't miss their stops, but it seemed like he didn't care...

Has anyone else had this kind of problem before? Just curious. I'm very unsure if I will be taking Amtrak again in the future. As stated before this was my first Amtrak trip and am not sure if my situation is experienced by more passengers.

 

[greatcats]

Some crew members may leave something to be desired, it is true, but it sounds like you don't have too much to complain about and that your trip overall was pleasant. From an employee standpoint, it can be frustrating when things like PA systems do not work properly, but that does not justify being rude to the customer. From a passenger standpoint, I would suggest in the future that you make yourself more familiar with the operation of the train and the running times. Study the schedule in advance and that should make you aware that the previous stop was Baltimore and in an hour or so the next station stop would be yours in Wilmington. Happy travels.

 

[haolerider]

Hello all
I just completed my first trip on am Amtrak train yesterday. I traveled aboard the Crescent train from Atlanta, GA to Wilmington, DE. While overall it was a very good experience, I did encounter some rude Amtrak employees. Is this common occurrence on Amtrak? While boarding the train, one employee asked where I'd be heading and I got directed to a specific car, where I sat near the front of the car, which was fine.

During other stops, the conductor (or other Amtrak employee), would announce the stop so everyone could clearly hear on the train, even near the front of the car where I was sitting, because it was hard to hear the usual arrival announcements. When we arrived in Wilmington, I couldn't make out the usual announcement over the PA and the conductor did not repeat that we had arrived in Wilmington. I almost missed my stop and I guess the conductor was not pleased that he had to direct me all the way to the back of the train so I that could step off the train. I was not rude, I simply told him that you can not hear the announcement clearly from where I was sitting and that they should somehow fix the problem, so more people don't miss their stops, but it seemed like he didn't care...

Has anyone else had this kind of problem before? Just curious. I'm very unsure if I will be taking Amtrak again in the future. As stated before this was my first Amtrak trip and am not sure if my situation is experienced by more passengers.

I am surprised there was not a more clear annoucement into Wilmington, since there is massive construction/renovation going on at that station and passengers can get on and off the train in a very limited amount of space on the platform. Most of the platform has been blocked off due to the construction and therefore all doors cannot be used; however if the conductor was rude, that is not an accectable excuse.

 

[acelafan]

Hello all
I just completed my first trip on am Amtrak train yesterday. I traveled aboard the Crescent train from Atlanta, GA to Wilmington, DE. While overall it was a very good experience, I did encounter some rude Amtrak employees. Is this common occurrence on Amtrak? While boarding the train, one employee asked where I'd be heading and I got directed to a specific car, where I sat near the front of the car, which was fine.

During other stops, the conductor (or other Amtrak employee), would announce the stop so everyone could clearly hear on the train, even near the front of the car where I was sitting, because it was hard to hear the usual arrival announcements. When we arrived in Wilmington, I couldn't make out the usual announcement over the PA and the conductor did not repeat that we had arrived in Wilmington. I almost missed my stop and I guess the conductor was not pleased that he had to direct me all the way to the back of the train so I that could step off the train. I was not rude, I simply told him that you can not hear the announcement clearly from where I was sitting and that they should somehow fix the problem, so more people don't miss their stops, but it seemed like he didn't care...

Has anyone else had this kind of problem before? Just curious. I'm very unsure if I will be taking Amtrak again in the future. As stated before this was my first Amtrak trip and am not sure if my situation is experienced by more passengers.

Just like any organization there will be good employees and less-than-stellar employees. Conductors should not be rude to passengers and Amtrak needs to continue improvements in that area. But a large majority of the trips I took on Amtrak in the past year had very pleasant staff and actually many were a lot of fun to be around. So it can vary, to say the least.

 

[yarrow]

as the op notes, rude employees are few but those who don't seem to care are somewhat more prevalent. if the op feels there was a significant problem he can call (with his ticket stub in hand)1-800-usa-rail and ask for customer relations

 

[had8ley]

This is one time I'm going to take my licks for the train crew. When you work, day after day, with equipment that is not quite up to snuff you tend to become complacent. Amtrak used to have a "Right & ready" program some years ago. The shop crews were rewarded if trains went out without defects. It didn't last long as a lot of the equipment failures, such as your PA problem, could not be fixed at many outlying locations. The conductor's apparent rudeness was probably a result of his realizing that 1. The PA didn't work which isn't unusual~ many of the Viewliner cars PA's only work if the SCA gets on the PA in the car itself. 2. Unless someone informs him the conductor doesn't realize that all the pax did not hear the announcement. And last, but not least, I'm sure you weren't jumping for joy that you almost went on to the next station stop. Now, give me five minutes to put on my suit of armor !!!

 

[rrdude]

.............. From a passenger standpoint, I would suggest in the future that you make yourself more familiar with the operation of the train and the running times. Study the schedule in advance and that should make you aware that the previous stop was Baltimore and in an hour or so the next station stop would be yours in Wilmington. Happy travels.

So now the passengers have to "educate themselves"?

C'mon, this is just another example of the train-riding public, making excuses for Amtrak's shortcomings.

The thinking of "any train is better than no train, and I'll put up with, and make excuses for "any train"...." have got to end.

Our job as rail passenger advocates is to hold Amtrak's feet to fire, and make them run a railroad like we KNOW a railroad can be run.

I feel so sorry for all the AU members who never knew rail travel before Amtrak. I almost fall into that category, as my pre-Amtrak travel was at a very young age.

Amtrak defines mediocracy. Sure, there are those jewel of times when the train is only a few minutes late, the food is edible, and the staff is pleasant.

But Amtrak, with very little "investment", could be MUCH better. Imagine if the bulk of their employees were trained in the "Disney way of customer service". Hell, the train could be filthy, 6 hours late, and have run out of food, and you'd still think you had a good time..........

Making excuses for Amtrak is not in Amtrak's best interest. If you expect sub-par performance, then you will get sub-par performance.

 

[oldtimer]

This is one time I'm going to take my licks for the train crew. When you work, day after day, with equipment that is not quite up to snuff you tend to become complacent. Amtrak used to have a "Right & ready" program some years ago. The shop crews were rewarded if trains went out without defects. It didn't last long as a lot of the equipment failures, such as your PA problem, could not be fixed at many outlying locations. The conductor's apparent rudeness was probably a result of his realizing that 1. The PA didn't work which isn't unusual~ many of the Viewliner cars PA's only work if the SCA gets on the PA in the car itself. 2. Unless someone informs him the conductor doesn't realize that all the pax did not hear the announcement. And last, but not least, I'm sure you weren't jumping for joy that you almost went on to the next station stop. Now, give me five minutes to put on my suit of armor !!!

Had8ley,

First of all I don't know who told you that "The shop crews were rewarded if trains went out without defects." The only reward that I know of is that you would be screamed at belittled and berated by the supervision for 10 minutes instead of the daily 20 minute routine. Since the mid 80's mechanical forces have been undermanned and even yet had suffered force reductions. The true problem for trains dispatched with defects had many levels. The amount of time the mechanical crew has to repair the defect, remember that they must work under blue flag rules. Material control has reduced its inventory as items that sit on shelfs cost money and do not make money, thus many times material needed to repair the defects in not in stock. A lot of time is consumed by going to material control and waiting for your part even if it was in stock. The leadership has set some high standards as they have taken and put into company policy the amount of time needed to do running repair. These numbers may be able to happen with all the material there, your most experienced employees and finally the most optimal working conditions. Not -10 air temp, 30 mph winds driving rain or 30" of snow.

Yes, very recently Amtrak has started to address these problems with hiring and changes in material distribution. I think it is too late as of the knowledge is rapidly falling as more and more of the " Baby Boomer's" have retired or will very soon.

I hope you have had your 5 minutes to put your suit of armor on, and give me five to put on my fireproof Nomex suit from my racing days!

PS had8ley, you must be a lot older than me if you have a suit of armor! :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Bob Dylan]

This is one time I'm going to take my licks for the train crew. When you work, day after day, with equipment that is not quite up to snuff you tend to become complacent. Amtrak used to have a "Right & ready" program some years ago. The shop crews were rewarded if trains went out without defects. It didn't last long as a lot of the equipment failures, such as your PA problem, could not be fixed at many outlying locations. The conductor's apparent rudeness was probably a result of his realizing that 1. The PA didn't work which isn't unusual~ many of the Viewliner cars PA's only work if the SCA gets on the PA in the car itself. 2. Unless someone informs him the conductor doesn't realize that all the pax did not hear the announcement. And last, but not least, I'm sure you weren't jumping for joy that you almost went on to the next station stop. Now, give me five minutes to put on my suit of armor !!!

Here come the arrows and boiling oil, Duck! I think most of us understand your point but rudeness to paying (or freeloaders like some of our members,

no names mentioned!)is unexcusable! Yes human nature is what it is but when people sign on to work in a customer service job it is job #1 to be polite,

professional and do the job you agreed to do for the pay and benefits! As everyone generally says (generally is what Generals say/do! )most OBS are fairly civil and overall do a good job but SOME of the crew, especially conductors on certain routes can be rude and even profane!I am old enough to have ridden the trains back in the day when railroad folks took pride in their jobs,as the oldtimers retire/die out perhaps the next generation wont be as great but you do still run into newbies that remind you of the old days, just not enough!Better training,hands on management and customer feedback is needed to correct this problem with the crews, it's mostly a management fault IMO!

I urge all posters here, and other people I come into contact with to contact Amtrak CR and let them know about the good,bad and indifferent when they ride Amtrak trains! Different people have mentioned about crew bases where the less than friendly OBS operate out of (CHI is mentioned the most followed by NYP)and while that may generally be true, Ive run into some a**holes all over the Country, some even as bad as the French towards Americans! We foamers may be a little more tolerant than newbies and occasional riders but need not be apologists for less than professional and efficient service by Amtrak employees!Lets all get the lazy,unprofessional and uncaring off the trains, plenty of folks would love these jobs!

 

[amtrakwolverine]

if they hate there job so much why don't they quit or are they not allowed to quit. all you can do is take names and report. if enough reports against a certain employee are received then that person might get written up or dismissed.

 

[haolerider]

if they hate there job so much why don't they quit or are they not allowed to quit. all you can do is take names and report. if enough reports against a certain employee are received then that person might get written up or dismissed.

They don't want to quit, because they have a good thing going - good pay - little if any supervision - long hours, but lots of time off - good benefits and good retirement - - - - so what would make them want to quit? They also get very good protection from their union. You have to do something extremely serious to get fired and even then, you might get brought back by the union and a management that chooses not to fight to keep the non-preformers off the employment rolls. All in all, a pretty pathetic way to run a company.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

Some crew members may leave something to be desired, it is true, but it sounds like you don't have too much to complain about and that your trip overall was pleasant. From an employee standpoint, it can be frustrating when things like PA systems do not work properly, but that does not justify being rude to the customer. From a passenger standpoint, I would suggest in the future that you make yourself more familiar with the operation of the train and the running times. Study the schedule in advance and that should make you aware that the previous stop was Baltimore and in an hour or so the next station stop would be yours in Wilmington. Happy travels.

Yes to all the above.

But then there is this: the poster may have been reading the timetable showing a 12 noon stop at Wilmington. But he may well have not noticed that the train can be early from Alexandria consistently north to New York because it stops only to discharge passengers north of Alexandira, Va, not to receive thus there is nobody to wait for to board.

So perhaps he was not ready for it to be in Wilmington. The Crescent from New Orleans and Atlanta and trains from FLorida all stop only to discharge north from Alexandria to New York. Amtrak has tons of trains to capture the short distance leaving the long distance trains with room for longer haul passengers.

Such trains have been known to terminate in New York slightly more than an hour early.Of course this early running cannot be guaranteed, it is all subject to dispatcher control.But the timetable does note that the train can leave early.It shows a "D" note at those stops, meaning discharge only.

 

[Sue in KY]

I urge all posters here, and other people I come into contact with to contact Amtrak CR and let them know about the good,bad and indifferent when they ride Amtrak trains! Different people have mentioned about crew bases where the less than friendly OBS operate out of (CHI is mentioned the most followed by NYP)and while that may generally be true, Ive run into some a**holes all over the Country, some even as bad as the French towards Americans! We foamers may be a little more tolerant than newbies and occasional riders but need not be apologists for less than professional and efficient service by Amtrak employees!Lets all get the lazy,unprofessional and uncaring off the trains, plenty of folks would love these jobs!

Actually, we were assured by an Amtrak on-board CSR, who rode on our December trip back from California on the SW Chief, that Amtrak REALLY DOES want to hear, in as great detail as we can make it, how our trips go -- particularly if anything goes badly!

We both phoned and e-mailed Customer Service after we got home, and (although we told them we weren't interested in a voucher since we'd received a $500 one after our March trip) Amtrak sent us yet another one, this time for $450. (I'd rather they saved the money and spent their effort on making changes in training, etc. -- but I'm certainly not going to turn my nose up at this unexpected free travel!)

 

[had8ley]

This is one time I'm going to take my licks for the train crew. When you work, day after day, with equipment that is not quite up to snuff you tend to become complacent. Amtrak used to have a "Right & ready" program some years ago. The shop crews were rewarded if trains went out without defects. It didn't last long as a lot of the equipment failures, such as your PA problem, could not be fixed at many outlying locations. The conductor's apparent rudeness was probably a result of his realizing that 1. The PA didn't work which isn't unusual~ many of the Viewliner cars PA's only work if the SCA gets on the PA in the car itself. 2. Unless someone informs him the conductor doesn't realize that all the pax did not hear the announcement. And last, but not least, I'm sure you weren't jumping for joy that you almost went on to the next station stop. Now, give me five minutes to put on my suit of armor !!!

Had8ley,

First of all I don't know who told you that "The shop crews were rewarded if trains went out without defects." The only reward that I know of is that you would be screamed at belittled and berated by the supervision for 10 minutes instead of the daily 20 minute routine. Since the mid 80's mechanical forces have been undermanned and even yet had suffered force reductions. The true problem for trains dispatched with defects had many levels. The amount of time the mechanical crew has to repair the defect, remember that they must work under blue flag rules. Material control has reduced its inventory as items that sit on shelfs cost money and do not make money, thus many times material needed to repair the defects in not in stock. A lot of time is consumed by going to material control and waiting for your part even if it was in stock. The leadership has set some high standards as they have taken and put into company policy the amount of time needed to do running repair. These numbers may be able to happen with all the material there, your most experienced employees and finally the most optimal working conditions. Not -10 air temp, 30 mph winds driving rain or 30" of snow.

Yes, very recently Amtrak has started to address these problems with hiring and changes in material distribution. I think it is too late as of the knowledge is rapidly falling as more and more of the " Baby Boomer's" have retired or will very soon.

I hope you have had your 5 minutes to put your suit of armor on, and give me five to put on my fireproof Nomex suit from my racing days!

PS had8ley, you must be a lot older than me if you have a suit of armor! :lol: :lol: :lol:

If I hadn't seen the "Right & Ready" program for myself I would never have believed it. It DID exist in NOL but as management in other shops goes they may have decided not to institute it wherever you worked. Gotta keep that budget straight ! :huh:

 

[Chris J.]

I think the OP should write or call Amtrak to let them know. They may or may not do anything about it; but if you don't tell them they certainly aren't going to.

 

[Steve4031]

Maybe the employee could have been nicer. Asking the customer to be familiar with the schedule is asking a lot. First of all, in coach, there probably were not any available. The OP would have to know to get one in the station.

In my experience, I am one of few who really enjoy the intricacies of schedules. So the announcements do play an important role. Hopefully, in the future, Amtrak will do a better job with maintaining equipment with more funding. But asking the customer to do what was asked above is a bit unreasonable.

I prepare myself most of the time when I travel. But despite that, I sometimes lose track of where I am in unfamiliar areas such as Europe. So IMHO having advance knowledge does not replace the need for clear announcements.

 

[Big Iron]

.............. From a passenger standpoint, I would suggest in the future that you make yourself more familiar with the operation of the train and the running times. Study the schedule in advance and that should make you aware that the previous stop was Baltimore and in an hour or so the next station stop would be yours in Wilmington. Happy travels.

So now the passengers have to "educate themselves"?

C'mon, this is just another example of the train-riding public, making excuses for Amtrak's shortcomings.

The thinking of "any train is better than no train, and I'll put up with, and make excuses for "any train"...." have got to end.

Our job as rail passenger advocates is to hold Amtrak's feet to fire, and make them run a railroad like we KNOW a railroad can be run.

I feel so sorry for all the AU members who never knew rail travel before Amtrak. I almost fall into that category, as my pre-Amtrak travel was at a very young age.

Amtrak defines mediocracy. Sure, there are those jewel of times when the train is only a few minutes late, the food is edible, and the staff is pleasant.

But Amtrak, with very little "investment", could be MUCH better. Imagine if the bulk of their employees were trained in the "Disney way of customer service". Hell, the train could be filthy, 6 hours late, and have run out of food, and you'd still think you had a good time..........

Making excuses for Amtrak is not in Amtrak's best interest. If you expect sub-par performance, then you will get sub-par performance.

I tried to get an answer to what type of customer service traiing the OB crew received in a thread titile "Customer Service....Does Amtrak Do This." Whatever training Amtrak is using AIN'T working. I think the nice/good employees come by it naturally.

 

[Ryan]

So now the passengers have to "educate themselves"?
C'mon, this is just another example of the train-riding public, making excuses for Amtrak's shortcomings.

I disagree, I think that it's another example of people expecting others to exercise a little bit of personal responsibility and be aware of their surroundings. Whether I'm on a train, bus cab, I try to remain aware of where I am, and compare it to where I expect to be. It isn't asking the world of someone when taking a train to know what the stop before theirs is, and how long after that stop my stop will be. In the OP's case, it isn't that hard to know that after leaving Baltimore you've got about an hour to go, so when the train comes into a city and slows down after 50 minutes that it's time to get your gear together and be ready to move. Also, since someone usually comes around and collects seat checks 5 or 10 minutes before arriving at a station, that's another "heads up" that doesn't sound like happened (or was heeded), and an opportunity that I always personally take to verify "Is this door going to be opening?".

 

[daveyb99]

I am on the other side of this one, sorry. And NO, I am not 'defending AMTRAK' or any of the such.

Has anyone else had this kind of problem before? Just curious. I'm very unsure if I will be taking Amtrak again in the future. As stated before this was my first Amtrak trip and am not sure if my situation is experienced by more passengers.

What situation. I understand the announcement was hard to hear, but you had no awareness of your station stop upcoming? And what rudeness by which employees, as you indicate in your title. The conductor has a passenger running to get off the train and got short with you about it. So brush it off and move on.

They don't want to quit, because they have a good thing going - good pay - little if any supervision - long hours, but lots of time off - good benefits and good retirement - - - - so what would make them want to quit? They also get very good protection from their union. You have to do something extremely serious to get fired and even then, you might get brought back by the union and a management that chooses not to fight to keep the non-preformers off the employment rolls. All in all, a pretty pathetic way to run a company.

Sure, blame it on the Union. When an employee does well, I want that credited to the Union. Otherwise, the free-for-all at-will favoritism employment scheme used by many companies creates more disgruntled employees that union-shops ever will. Lay off the talking points.

Maybe the employee could have been nicer. Asking the customer to be familiar with the schedule is asking a lot.

Sarcasm. Love it. Passengers should know their stop and time. I can only imagine if this was a 0330 arrival and he had to be awaken from a sleeper because "no one told me we were there"

.............. From a passenger standpoint, I would suggest in the future that you make yourself more familiar with the operation of the train and the running times. Study the schedule in advance and that should make you aware that the previous stop was Baltimore and in an hour or so the next station stop would be yours in Wilmington. Happy travels.

So now the passengers have to "educate themselves"?

Uh, YES. I think it is only common sense to (1) know when you train departs, (2) know when you train arrives, and (3) know how to read a watch.

 

[dlagrua]

Overall we have experienced decent treatment by Amtrak onboard personnel but once we encountered a sleeping car porter who could care less about being accomodating. He was a lazy disinterested person who just did the bare minimum so after he put the beds down, we raided the linen closet downstairs and took what we needed for our bathing comfort which was just two additional towels. Most of the time we have met with helpful and cheerful Amtrak employees but there is a bad apple in every bunch.

 

[PetalumaLoco]

if they hate there job so much why don't they quit or are they not allowed to quit. all you can do is take names and report. if enough reports against a certain employee are received then that person might get written up or dismissed.

They don't want to quit, because they have a good thing going - good pay - little if any supervision - long hours, but lots of time off - good benefits and good retirement - - - - so what would make them want to quit? They also get very good protection from their union. You have to do something extremely serious to get fired and even then, you might get brought back by the union and a management that chooses not to fight to keep the non-preformers off the employment rolls. All in all, a pretty pathetic way to run a company.

We have to keep reviewing the union situation, people keep making stuff up.

Quoting post # 207461

Sorry, but you are wrong. I've been with Amtrak now for only 4 years. I have seen no less than around 15 OBS employees fired for various reasons. It's not impossible to fire union employees it simply must follow the rules and guidelines laid out to do so. Employees must be trained counseled and warned. Then discipline must be progressive and consistent with other disciplinary actions. As well there are time limits. If Amtrak management does it's job, documents and follows up then problem employees who have repeat offenses are fired and no amount of union involvement will get them un-fired.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

I still think it is plausable that, as I said earlier, he did know what time his stop came up.

But that he was not prepared for the early operation which sometimes happens in the "discharge only" zones.

 

[Karl1459]

I think that the conductor or car attendant should have reminded each passenger of their upcoming stop, I know on each of the trains I have had an intermediate stop I was reminded.

On the trips I have taken Amtrak staff has been seldom less than good, ocasionally great (Including one 2 hour late departure, CS wait, from LAX to ANA where the engineer allowed 4 kids to SAFELY share time with him in the cab car and take turns blowing the horn).

While the Union may be part of the problem in some areas with less than stellar service it will take strong leadership to bring Amtrak to uniformly great service. This leadership could come from within the Union, management, or even external (that means US!). Most likely to be sustained it will have to be from within the Union as management tends to have a more rapid turnover and be concerned with non direct service issues (budgets and making sure their is toilet paper available, etc). "We are ALWAYS polite and responsive on MY train" could easily become the mission of every Amtrak personal who deals with a passenger. This would be a clear long range benefit for both Amtrak and their unions as happy campers tell friends to ride trains, increasing ridership, and demand for additional services and funding in addition to the personal rewards of pride in providing truly great service. Would Amtrak have gotten as much stimilus money if Vice President Biden had dealt with a surly conductor each and every trip while he was a Senator. I think not.

Amtrak management and human resources has the opportunity in todays economic times to pick and choose those who have the leadership ability and people skills to create a great enviroment from the ground up.

 

[MikeM]

I think that the conductor or car attendant should have reminded each passenger of their upcoming stop, I know on each of the trains I have had an intermediate stop I was reminded.

Karl reminded me of my favorite Amtrak nightmare story. One time, the wife and I, and our two kids took the train from Hutchinson KS to Chicago and back. On the return leg, the train arrives into Hutchinson in the middle of the night. Anyhow, I'd mentioned to the car attendant three times that we were getting off at Hutchinson, and could someone wake us in Newton so we could have time to pack up and everything? Sure, no problem, the crew will handle it, happens all the time.

So, in the middle of a nice dream, I hear wild banging on the door of my economy sleeper. It's my wife, telling me that we are about to stop in Hutchinson. About, as in, we were in the Hutchinson yard and would stop in four minutes. We were in two economy bedrooms across from one another. So we're frantically jumping into clothes, my wife tucks her pajama's into pants, we shove suitcases closed, the conductor is yelling hurry and grabbing bags.... so we get off the train, dazed and confused.

:blink: So we get off, turn around and see the train starting off into the distance. Sally has a flannel pajama top half tucked into her jeans, I have a cowlick that makes me look like bad Elvis, my son's glasses are on crooked, and my daughter has her shoes on the wrong feet. We look around, it's the middle of the night, and we're the only souls awake at that time that we can see. I think it was this trip that Sally decided that I could ride the train alone in the future, while she'd fly and not have to speed dress.

But in any case, we still get a good laugh out of this experience, and Sally frequently reminds me of this incident whenever I go on too much about the luxury of rail travel and how relaxing it is...

 

[PaulM]

The introduction from a recent travelogue entitled A Lab Experiment.

You can't hang around the AU forum very long without noticing frequent threads that deal with complaints - long, unexplained delays, poor customer service, etc.. These always degenerate into two camps: those who say that a real business wouldn't get away with that, and those who say “You just don't understand” and besides your are a cry baby if you complain.
In my opinion, a much more important question is the frequently of these events; i.e., are you likely to experience such a problem; or are they rare events. A recent 2 ½ month, 8 train trip provided some help in answering the question. Although a statistician would call a sample of size 8 a small sample, nevertheless some conclusions can be drawn: sort of like a lab experiment.

If you want the results of the experiment, you will have to go to post #10 of

http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?showtopic=30951

I also developed the "Ma & Pa Kettle" theory of Amtrak. It may apply here; but it still doesn't justify rudeness.