Amtrak Survey

[hmy1]

I just took another Amtrak survey. This one was not specific to any of the trips I recently took, but asked me to compare travel by train versus taking a bus, flying, or driving based on several categories. What I thought was particularly interesting this time was this question and those that followed it:

Now thinking specifically about the past THREE months, which of the following destinations have you traveled to, if any?
Please select all that apply.
Albuquerque Area
Chicago Area
East Of L.A. Area
Flagstaff, AZ
Fort Madison, IA
Galesburg, IL
Gallup, NM
Kansas City Area
Kingman, AZ
Lajunta, CO
Las Vegas, NV
Needles, CA
Newton, KS
Raton, NM
Trinidad, CO
Victorville, CA
Winslow, AZ
None of these

 

[Asher]

Victorville Ca. Driving, on tbe way to Lucern Vally.

 

[Philly Amtrak Fan]

Are you sure it said Las Vegas, NV and not Las Vegas, NM? Why are they saying "East of" Los Angeles Area and not Los Angeles Area unlike they did for Albuquerque, Chicago, and Kansas City? This sounds like a SWC survey.

 

[niemi24s]

Interesting to me only in the sense that all but Las Vegas NV are on the route of the Southwest Chief (whereas Las Vegas NM is).

But I wonder if this survey was actually from Amtrak. Ticket sales should have all this information for all who rode the train.

Did this survey ask where you were travelling from?

 

[F900ElCapitan]

But I wonder if this survey was actually from Amtrak. Ticket sales should have all this information for all who rode the train.

Not trying to split hairs, but from the OP’s post it doesn’t sound like they were asking if one utilized Amtrak to these destinations, but merely traveled to them. Thus why they wouldn’t have this information already.

 

[niemi24s]

Not trying to split hairs, but from the OP’s post it doesn’t sound like they were asking if one utilized Amtrak to these destinations, but merely traveled to them.

Good job of hair splitting. My reading comprehension must be slipping.

 

[jis]

I bet Las Vegas NV in that list is a mistake. It was meant to be Las Vegas NM. There are plenty of geography illiterate people who cannot tell the difference between the two. Anyway Las Vegas NM is on the SWC route and Las Vegas NV isn't.

 

[jis]

I just took another Amtrak survey. This one was not specific to any of the trips I recently took, but asked me to compare travel by train versus taking a bus, flying, or driving based on several categories. What I thought was particularly interesting this time was this question and those that followed it:

Now thinking specifically about the past THREE months, which of the following destinations have you traveled to, if any?
Please select all that apply.
Albuquerque Area
Chicago Area
East Of L.A. Area
Flagstaff, AZ
Fort Madison, IA
Galesburg, IL
Gallup, NM
Kansas City Area
Kingman, AZ
Lajunta, CO
Las Vegas, NV
Needles, CA
Newton, KS
Raton, NM
Trinidad, CO
Victorville, CA
Winslow, AZ
None of these

Would it be possible for you to share information, like what categories were used, in the rest of the questionnaire. I am having a conversation with an RPA official on the subject of Amtrak surveys, and this additional information would be very useful. Thanks.

 

[niemi24s]

With this survey, could Amtrak be hoping to gather information supporting the SWC bus bridge notion?

 

[F900ElCapitan]

With this survey, could Amtrak be hoping to gather information supporting the SWC bus bridge notion?

Or the viability of the Southwest Chief as a whole.

 

[hmy1]

i copied and pasted that question directly from the survey. The survey was contracted to an outside firm and I was disappointed that they didn't proofread it well before releasing it. I wonder whether any of the results can be used given the Las Vegas, NV/NM mixup.

I am concerned for the SWC, which is why I originated this thread. I didn't copy and paste the questions that followed, but they were roughly along the lines of:

- How likely would you take Amtrak to East of L.A. Area, Victorville, Needles, CA, and Kingman, AZ?
- How likely would you take Amtrak to the cities listed, other than East of L.A. Area, Victorville, Needles, CA, and Kingman, AZ?

I didn't capture it in my paraphrasing above, but the tone of the questions were as if Amtrak service to these destinations currently doesn't exist.

This was a generic survey not related to any trip I've taken. I'm not sure how I was selected, but I do reside in southern California. The first question asked for my home zip code.

 

[hmy1]

@jis The survey asked me to rank on a scale of 0 to 10 my perception of travel by Amtrak versus taking a bus, flying, or driving in the following characteristics:

- Safety
- Security
- On time
- Comfort
- Value
- Fitting my needs
- Contemporary way to travel

I might have missed a few other characteristics. It also asked what social media platforms I used, whether I watch TV, listen to the radio, or stream media online, presumably for future advertising efforts.

At the end of the survey, like other surveys, they collected demographic data such as gender, age group, and income. However, unlike other surveys, there was no option to decline to answer. What really stood out was this question:

Are you of Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino origin?
Yes
No

This is a direct copy and paste. Immediately following this question was a generic race question with all of the standard groups. I don't want to start any political debates here, but why did they single out the first group? A good survey design would be to lump that together with all of the other groups in a single question, even if they only cared to single out that first group.

At the end, I was disappointed in the poor quality of the survey. Also, it never asked me whether I am an Amtrak rider, or rode it in the past, or am considering riding it in the future.

 

[Philly Amtrak Fan]

Seems like Anderson has it out for the SWC. I don't know why he has to single it out, it's not like its the only LD train that runs on non PTC compliant lines.

 

[dogbert617]

Seems like Anderson has it out for the SWC. I don't know why he has to single it out, it's not like its the only LD train that runs on non PTC compliant lines.

I've often quietly worried Anderson would also have the axe out for the two 3 day a week trains, as well(Cardinal, and Sunset Limited). Which is why I'm glad I decided to ride the Cardinal one way back in May, in case one day down the road by some weird chance that train is eliminated. I GREATLY, GREATLY hope it isn't cut, but can't help but worry it might someday. Also doesn't help that it looks like all the stations between Indianapolis and Charlottesville, VA(this is IF indeed the reports about Charleston, WV are true, hope they aren't but I worry it did indeed occur), are now unstaffed. Considering that Huntington, WV, and Prince, WV got unstaffed in the last few years. I can see why very strongly, Senator Manchin is trying as hard as he can to get Amtrak to maintain Charleston, WV as a staffed station.

 

[neroden]

Mr. Anderson appears to be the sort of stupid who ignores evidence and goes by his "gut feeling". Perhaps collecting faked-up evidence to support his "gut".

Frankly, asking about the last three months is going to give you a negative result for pretty much any location you ask about; the average person takes an intercity trip only once a year (partly thanks to workplaces offering no vacation time any more). That's plenty to fill the airlines and the trains and the roads, since there are a lot of people. But it means the survey question is garbage. There's a reason the standard survey question of that type asks "In the last year...."

 

[dogbert617]

Mr. Anderson appears to be the sort of stupid who ignores evidence and goes by his "gut feeling". Perhaps collecting faked-up evidence to support his "gut".

Frankly, asking about the last three months is going to give you a negative result for pretty much any location you ask about; the average person takes an intercity trip only once a year (partly thanks to workplaces offering no vacation time any more). That's plenty to fill the airlines and the trains and the roads, since there are a lot of people. But it means the survey question is garbage. There's a reason the standard survey question of that type asks "In the last year...."

Does the current Amtrak survey, really only ask if you traveled in the last 3 months? That's really crappy it only asks for 3 month info, when for sure it should word that question and ask if you've traveled within the past year?

I know another person or 2 somewhere(I think on this board AU?), complained when he/she got a link to that current Amtrak survey, and didn't find any questions with a text box, allowing for those taking the survey to fill in that question with an open ended answer of so many characters.

 

[niemi24s]

. . .the average person takes an intercity trip only once a year (partly thanks to workplaces offering no vacation time any more).

No vacation time? Could have sworn a friend of mine told me he got some just last month. But I'd better check with him. I could be mistaken.

 

[Big Iron]

Neroden is generally correct on a lot of things but I'd like to see a citation on workplaces offering "no vacation time any more." I'm hoping this is not some new trend in workforce benefits that will steamroll me. I currently enjoy 5 weeks of PTO after 36 years of hard labor. Some of which has been used for Amtrak travel within the last three months.

 

[Amtrakfflyer]

I ride the SWC often and have received the same survey. It’s poorly written and shows Anderson still wants to implement his bus plan. The survey could be skewed to show any result, anyone wanted.

 

[trainman74]

Neroden is generally correct on a lot of things but I'd like to see a citation on workplaces offering "no vacation time any more." I'm hoping this is not some new trend in workforce benefits that will steamroll me. I currently enjoy 5 weeks of PTO after 36 years of hard labor. Some of which has been used for Amtrak travel within the last three months.

"No vacation time any more" is an oversimplification, but there are a lot of people who are working full-time but are employed as contractors, which almost always means no paid vacation time -- I was in that boat until earlier this year (when my contract was not renewed, and now I'm not employed at all).

Many service jobs (restaurant/retail/etc.) also don't include paid vacation time.

 

[neroden]

I was exaggerating, but I know a lot of people with less than 2 weeks of (unpaid!) vacation time per year. There's just less and less vacation time available.

 

[neroden]

I'm really busy; could someone else alert the Rail Passengers Association to the fraudulent junk survey which Amtrak is conducting? They need to be attacking it even before the "results" come in because it's junk.

 

[jis]

I'm really busy; could someone else alert the Rail Passengers Association to the fraudulent junk survey which Amtrak is conducting? They need to be attacking it even before the "results" come in because it's junk.

I have informed Sean.

 

[dogbert617]

I have informed Sean.

Does Sean work for RPA/NARP? Sadly, it wouldn't surprise me if Anderson had some hidden plan, to attempt to do some secret cutting of some sort down the road. Like how he was caught, trying to cut SWC via that stupid bus bridge idea in the middle of the route.

 

[basketmaker]

I bet Las Vegas NV in that list is a mistake. It was meant to be Las Vegas NM. There are plenty of geography illiterate people who cannot tell the difference between the two. Anyway Las Vegas NM is on the SWC route and Las Vegas NV isn't.

Been to both via Amtrak. Las Vegas, NV on the Desert Wind (Chicago to Salt Lake City where they used to split to Los Angeles "Desert Wind", Oakland "California Zephyr" and Seattle "Pioneer") And Las Vegas, NM on the "Southwest Chief" to Los Angeles. Did win $0.75 on one trip but lost $18.00 on another at Las Vegas, NV. Loved the Harvey House and Las Vegas, NM station where the final battle scene in the original "Red Dawn" was filmed.