Chief #3 (passengers instructed to leave SSL after Fullerton)

[PVD]

The whole discussion points out one of the ongoing issues many have had. For many reasons, rules and standards are different in different areas and on different routes, and even in different directions. Many of them are state driven, some are operations driven, and some are made up by crews. Even reading a standards manual, where clear instructions are laid out , it moves on to the except for text.
Managing customer expectations is a big part of running a business, and letting passengers know (where possible, obviously unplanned events occur) what is offered and when, is an area of great potential improvement for Amtrak. What BC is or isn't is a common one. A grid chart could simply lay out what it means by route/train. Service hours for a specific train could be posted. They usually do a decent job with announcements, but they are not heard everywhere, and too many people tune them out where they can be heard. We all know en route management is virtually non existent when it come to things like crew occupying tables in the cafe cars. Having a very simple I'm sorry, on this train this is what the service is listing, would probably make life easier for crews, it would cut off many passengers who think something improper (from a standards viewpoint) is being done, when they are actually doing what is expected (by the company).

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Ok , maybe not being as familiar with everybody else but aren’t the trains cleaned once they are taken down to the yard why does the customers have to be push to read directed so the guys on the Train csnclean the train.. what’s the point of it being cleaned again... in the yard ?

I've seen station crews perform basic cleaning and maintenance of the Texas Eagle after hours here in San Antonio, but I'm unsure if that's typical at other stations.

Managing customer expectations is a big part of running a business, and letting passengers know (where possible, obviously unplanned events occur) what is offered and when, is an area of great potential improvement for Amtrak. What BC is or isn't is a common one. A grid chart could simply lay out what it means by route/train. Service hours for a specific train could be posted. They usually do a decent job with announcements, but they are not heard everywhere, and too many people tune them out where they can be heard. We all know en route management is virtually non existent when it come to things like crew occupying tables in the cafe cars. Having a very simple I'm sorry, on this train this is what the service is listing, would probably make life easier for crews, it would cut off many passengers who think something improper (from a standards viewpoint) is being done, when they are actually doing what is expected (by the company).

Publishing a nationwide service and amenity matrix would be great for folks who deal in operational minutia like us, but those details should also be posted as a prefiltered list on the train details page and boarding pass for new and infrequent travelers. Amtrak has done this sort of thing before, for instance the delayed disembarking benefit for Sunset Limited passengers was explained well, but these details need to be updated, clarified, and monitored. On a long haul flight if I have a dispute I can discuss my experience and concerns with the purser. There is no real equivalent on Amtrak but if there was it might do wonders for identifying problems and removing bad apples. Loudspeaker PA announcements interrupt everyone with functional hearing and a modicum of situational awareness. They should therefore be used when nearly everyone on the train has a need to know something that cannot be disseminated in any other fashion (extended delays, emergencies, missed connections, etc.) If Amtrak wasn't so insistent on using public address announcements for every little update and warning passengers would be less likely to tune them out.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

To the original poster.... I'm not sure what the complaint is. Fullerton is 30 miles form the terminal in LA. Closing the lounge at that point seems reasonable.

The lack of inconsistent services, especially business class, is one of the most annoying things to me with Amtrak. With Contemporary Dining, we now have even more differences in service.

 

[Rasputin]

To the original poster.... I'm not sure what the complaint is. Fullerton is 30 miles form the terminal in LA. Closing the lounge at that point seems reasonable.

I have no problem with closing the café at that point but I don't see any good reason for rushing passengers on the upper level of the sightseer lounge out of the lounge. Sometimes arriving at a large city can provide interesting and sometimes scenic views.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

I have no problem with closing the café at that point but I don't see any good reason for rushing passengers on the upper level of the sightseer lounge out of the lounge. Sometimes arriving at a large city can provide interesting and sometimes scenic views.

It makes sense to ask people to return to their seats or rooms at that point though. That way people are preparing to detrain and also not trying to walk through the cars to get back to their seats as people are standing up trying to exit.

I get the appeal of riding in the lounge and seeing the sights, but in this case it does make sense to me.

 

[ref5035]

What’s the difference of sitting in the seat in the sights your lounge or sitting in a seat in a coach car or your room....
Lot of us like to see the sights coming into our hometown that we never be able to see unless we rode on the train....
Again I understand the closing of food services and things like that for sitting in a chair Snd for other people to apply their own opinion is great, Remember they didn’t pay my fair

 

[crescent-zephyr]

What’s the difference of sitting in the seat in the sights your lounge or sitting in a seat in a coach car or your room....

Main difference is seeing out side both sides of the train. I get the appeal of riding in the lounge, but I also understand the crew closing the lounge 30 minutes before arriving at the terminal.

 

[PVD]

It's a discussion board. When people bring up most topics, opinions are exactly what you will see. All of us have an interest in these things, the fare only pays a portion of a trip on the SWC, the taxpayers pick up a large part.

 

[Rasputin]

I don't consider this a big deal. In my experience there usually aren't many people in the lounge near the end of the trip. About five minutes notice ought to be enough. I have never seen the crew doing anything in the upper level of the lounge at the end of the trip.

 

[basketmaker]

Realistically with 30 minutes to go, how many people are really going to want to pay amtrak prices for a drink and a microwaved snack when they can grab a drink and some real food around the station? So if you expect the lounge and cafe to remain open until arrival at the end station then you need to expect to pay for it in increased fares as Amtrak will need to cover the increased wage bill somehow.

Finally by making passengers return to their seats its also ensuring that passengers start packing their belongings up and are ready to deboard at the end, reducing left luggage and the hassle of returning it to passengers, reducing the oportunity of theft of belongings and limiting stragglers who will sit in the lounge right until the very end if they can then return to original seat only once the train is at a standstill then spend the next 10 minutes repacking their bags.

From a business perspective it makes absolute sense to close the lounge early, if it was communicated correctly and customers expectations managed (such as announcements 30 minutes before closure, signs on the walls of the lounge explaining that it closes at Fullerton and even notifications on the website etc then the vast majority of customers wouldnt have an issue and accept this as the norm.

Id go one further and advise all sleeper passengers that they need to vacate their rooms 30 minutes before arrival and offer them a seat in the diner, after all what other use will it have in 18 months?

Normally I always use a sleeper. At today's prices I certainly wouldn't vacate the room until we are stopped in the station. But I always clear out my personal items and stage them in the vestibule/baggage rack. I find him/her and tell them to prep the room for the next trip/leg at least an hour (usually more) prior to arrival but I will sit in the room until we're in the station. No use of any facilities/amenities in the room after he/she is done other than maybe my scrawny butt print in the seat. I do this also for any service point enroute in case of the room being booked beyond where I detrain.