Leaving luggage during connection at Fort Worth

craigybagel · Dec 15, 2024

Hi,

I'm travelling Chicago - Fort Worth - Oklahoma City on Texas Eagle/Heartland Flyer in May, with around a 4 hour connection in Fort Worth (assuming the Texas Eagle is on time). Is there anywhere to leave my bags at the station in Fort Worth so I can explore the city for a bit whilst I wait, or will I have to keep them with me?

zephyr17 · Dec 15, 2024

FTW has checked baggage and baggage storage service, so you can day check your carry ons with them. There is a $10/bag charge for it.

amtkstn · Dec 15, 2024

Are you doing coach or sleeper?

craigybagel · Dec 16, 2024

Thank you both. I will be in sleeper.

amtkstn · Dec 16, 2024

When I did that connection back in July the agent stored our bags for free due to coming on in a sleeper.

zephyr17 · Dec 16, 2024

amtkstn said:
When I did that connection back in July the agent stored our bags for free due to coming on in a sleeper.

It's Amtrak, YMMV. Be prepared to pay the $10 charge and be happily surprised if you don't.

jazzharris · Tuesday at 11:46 AM

zephyr17 said:
It's Amtrak, YMMV. Be prepared to pay the $10 charge and be happily surprised if you don't.

FTW is one of the most customer-friendly stations I've encountered. One time when the 21 was 2 hours late, the agent suggested we go to Sundance Square on the trolley. I pointed to our luggage and told him we couldn't. He said no problem and stored it for us, for free, while we went and had a very nice steak, thank you. Another time when I had heard Amtrak was cracking down on the carryon restrictions, I went to pay for my third carryon. The lady smiled and waved me off, "It's okay don't worry about it, you're fine." FTW isn't the only station that has friendly employees but they've been consistently nice to us.

zephyr17 · Tuesday at 1:10 PM

jazzharris said:
Another time when I had heard Amtrak was cracking down on the carryon restrictions

Which never happened. It remains "if you can carry it, you can have it" in the field.

jazzharris · Tuesday at 1:22 PM

zephyr17 said:
Which never happened. It remains "if you can carry it, you can have it" in the field.

Oh I think it has happened. On a very recent trip, the agent asked me about my carryons. But the train had been cancelled and the bus driver waved it off, didn't care. The only time she was concerned was at a university pickup on a Friday afternoon, said I might have to stow something overhead but even that didn't happen.

Maybe the SCAs don't care, and the bustitute drivers don't but this agent did.

A couple of years ago an SCA out of Chicago was concerned and when she insisted on stowing the third carryon in the rack downstairs I had to prove to her I could stow it in my roomette out of her way.

Bob Dylan · Tuesday at 1:59 PM

jazzharris said:
FTW is one of the most customer-friendly stations I've encountered. One time when the 21 was 2 hours late, the agent suggested we go to Sundance Square on the trolley. I pointed to our luggage and told him we couldn't. He said no problem and stored it for us, for free, while we went and had a very nice steak, thank you. Another time when I had heard Amtrak was cracking down on the carryon restrictions, I went to pay for my third carryon. The lady smiled and waved me off, "It's okay don't worry about it, you're fine." FTW isn't the only station that has friendly employees but they've been consistently nice to us.

Austin is another one like this! Great Agents!

zephyr17 · Tuesday at 8:04 PM

jazzharris said:
Oh I think it has happened. On a very recent trip, the agent asked me about my carryons. But the train had been cancelled and the bus driver waved it off, didn't care. The only time she was concerned was at a university pickup on a Friday afternoon, said I might have to stow something overhead but even that didn't happen.

Maybe the SCAs don't care, and the bustitute drivers don't but this agent did.

A couple of years ago an SCA out of Chicago was concerned and when she insisted on stowing the third carryon in the rack downstairs I had to prove to her I could stow it in my roomette out of her way.

On a very recent trip, neither the gate dragons, nor the attendants, nor the Metropolitan Lounge staff at New York and Chicago blinked an eye at carry ons or checked anyone. Nor did the agents at Everett, WA.

Amtrak is very much YMMV and extremely inconsistent. There may be a policy change to put a priority on enforcement or that agent may have a little tin god complex and found a policy he could use to exercise it. Amtrak has no shortage of little tin gods on staff.

Unless and until there is a consistent pattern of enforcement of carry on policy being reported here,
the simplest explanation of isolated examples remains Amtrak's customary inconsistency. Their carry on policy has been in place for years, usually totally unenforced.

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