Dakota 400
Engineer
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2014
- Messages
- 3,741
The thread titled Suitcases in Chicago got me to thinking about my recent experience at CUS. It has been a few years, around or less than 7, since I have traveled through Chicago. I found my July experience de-training EB to be more stressful than I remember that it had been.
Is the re-modeling of the Station done? If so, it seems to me that Amtrak has made it less customer friendly.
I felt the Concourse level to be confining with better signage needed. The Baggage Claim area did seem somewhat familiar. The Baggage Check-in area, as was stated in the previous thread, is next to Baggage Claim, but seemed rather small and inadequate for the business that I would think it does. After claiming my luggage, where to go to get a taxi? I had to search for a sign and then discovered I needed to find an elevator. Poor signage, again, slowed me down. Once I found the elevator, I was surprised, very negatively, that the taxi stand was across the street from where I was. I was not a "happy camper" by that point in time. The on-duty Amtrak policewoman with whom I spoke at the side of the Station/street to which the elevator delivered me appeared to sense that I was stressed and unhappy. She did her job to insure that traffic would stop as I crossed the street dragging my luggage. Once getting to the taxi stand, the Taxi Dispatcher quickly got me into a taxi.
Red Cap service appeared minimal. When I traveled through CUS before, there appeared to be many more Red Caps available to service a LD train.
I think I remember a CUS during the mid-late 1950' and early 1960's where the Concourse area was open and spacious. I recall, accurately or not which I now wonder, that one could stand outside the Gates for the North side tracks and see the Gates for the South side tracks. There were kiosks for the Pullman Conductors to check-in Pullman guests in that area. And, there was some limited seating. If my memory is accurate, it surely is not so now! It appears to be a maze to get from one side to the other. That's making the interior environment of the Station customer friendly?
I'd appreciate learning other posters reactions to my experience. Is my memory faulty? If so, don't shy from saying so; I won't be offended.
What might I have done differently to make my transfer from train to taxi (or even taxi to train) a better experience?
Is the re-modeling of the Station done? If so, it seems to me that Amtrak has made it less customer friendly.
I felt the Concourse level to be confining with better signage needed. The Baggage Claim area did seem somewhat familiar. The Baggage Check-in area, as was stated in the previous thread, is next to Baggage Claim, but seemed rather small and inadequate for the business that I would think it does. After claiming my luggage, where to go to get a taxi? I had to search for a sign and then discovered I needed to find an elevator. Poor signage, again, slowed me down. Once I found the elevator, I was surprised, very negatively, that the taxi stand was across the street from where I was. I was not a "happy camper" by that point in time. The on-duty Amtrak policewoman with whom I spoke at the side of the Station/street to which the elevator delivered me appeared to sense that I was stressed and unhappy. She did her job to insure that traffic would stop as I crossed the street dragging my luggage. Once getting to the taxi stand, the Taxi Dispatcher quickly got me into a taxi.
Red Cap service appeared minimal. When I traveled through CUS before, there appeared to be many more Red Caps available to service a LD train.
I think I remember a CUS during the mid-late 1950' and early 1960's where the Concourse area was open and spacious. I recall, accurately or not which I now wonder, that one could stand outside the Gates for the North side tracks and see the Gates for the South side tracks. There were kiosks for the Pullman Conductors to check-in Pullman guests in that area. And, there was some limited seating. If my memory is accurate, it surely is not so now! It appears to be a maze to get from one side to the other. That's making the interior environment of the Station customer friendly?
I'd appreciate learning other posters reactions to my experience. Is my memory faulty? If so, don't shy from saying so; I won't be offended.
What might I have done differently to make my transfer from train to taxi (or even taxi to train) a better experience?