EB Mess - 2

[JayPea]

Jim, so far no homes have burned and there was some cattle lost but no human injuries. Unfortunately it is also at 0% containment. Some rain is forecast for midweek. The UP only runs a few trains a day so shouldn't be that much of a problem. I did see that 28 left Portland on time though it somehow lost an hour between there and Vancouver. I'm sure if the BNSF line was shut down a bustitution would have occurred.

 

[JayPea]

28 last night and 27 this morning got through with no problems. Fire said to be 40% contained and officials are still looking for the likely suspects in this man-made fire, three morons who were shooting tanerite, an explosive.

 

[elliewen]

Good morning from the #7/27, currently on alternate (and more scenic) routing until Minot. The assistant conductor and SCA were not aware of any concerns due to the WA/OR fires thus far.

The biggest news from the train is the cutback of beverage service in the sleepers. Coffee and juice are only served 6a-11a and you are only supposed to get the two small bottles of water provided on arrival. Congrats, Amtrak - you did squeeze another $11 out of me in bottled water purchases, because I have a medical condition where I have to stay very hydrated. I would have loved to have known about this change before boarding!

 

[montana mike]

Good grief. When I fly coach on the airlines I can get as much water as I want (I can even get juice and soft drinks!!!). Amtrak--If ANYONE is reading these posts for heaven's sake you are doing the absolutely wrong things. Think carefully what you are doing!!!!

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Good grief. When I fly coach on the airlines I can get as much water as I want (I can even get juice and soft drinks!!!). Amtrak--If ANYONE is reading these posts for heaven's sake you are doing the absolutely wrong things. Think carefully what you are doing!!!!

And how long are you on the airplane compared to being on an LD train? Not being an apologist, just adding food for thought.

 

[user 1215]

Good morning from the #7/27, currently on alternate (and more scenic) routing until Minot. The assistant conductor and SCA were not aware of any concerns due to the WA/OR fires thus far.

The biggest news from the train is the cutback of beverage service in the sleepers. Coffee and juice are only served 6a-11a and you are only supposed to get the two small bottles of water provided on arrival. Congrats, Amtrak - you did squeeze another $11 out of me in bottled water purchases, because I have a medical condition where I have to stay very hydrated. I would have loved to have known about this change before boarding!

I don't recall that the water service was to be cut back per the service issues announcement that came out earlier this year. Unless they were announced as identified in this thread, I'd call Amtrak Customer Service and start complaining.

That being said, potable tap water (though icky as it may be, it's allegedly safe), is generally available, though that can run out, too...

Interestingly, that thread died out 6 weeks ago. Not even on the 12 active pages of this forum any more. I guess the outrage is over. I see that outrage on the Auto Train is still active, though.

 

[Ispolkom]

I don't recall that the water service was to be cut back per the service issues announcement that came out earlier this year. Unless they were announced as identified in this thread, I'd call Amtrak Customer Service and start complaining.

That being said, potable tap water (though icky as it may be, it's allegedly safe), is generally available, though that can run out, too...

Interestingly, that thread died out 6 weeks ago. Not even on the 12 active pages of this forum any more. I guess the outrage is over. I see that outrage on the Auto Train is still active, though.

FWIW, there was a case of water out on the 0730 sleeper on July 1. I had to ask the SCA for ice, though.

 

[elliewen]

To clarify/amplify: the SCA said they are still giving her 4 cases of water and she is happy to hand them out. She is just not allowed to leave the water out in the open, and she is not sure how much longer she will receive the 4-case allotments. She said this policy started a few weeks ago and was very apologetic. My fear, given my unique issue, is that the train will run out of bottled water, free or paid, and I will be left high and dry (forgive the pun). So I am headed to the cafe car to buy yet more $2.25 bottles!

 

[SarahZ]

To clarify/amplify: the SCA said they are still giving her 4 cases of water and she is happy to hand them out. She is just not allowed to leave the water out in the open, and she is not sure how much longer she will receive the 4-case allotments. She said this policy started a few weeks ago and was very apologetic. My fear, given my unique issue, is that the train will run out of bottled water, free or paid, and I will be left high and dry (forgive the pun). So I am headed to the cafe car to buy yet more $2.25 bottles!

If you're in a sleeper, you can order bottled water with dinner. You're allowed two refills, and I've never had an issue getting a beverage "to go" at the end of the meal. I bet you could ask for 1-2 bottles of water. That could save you some money, especially if you keep refilling them from the potable water spigot.

 

[JoeBas]

As anything else, YMMV applies when it comes to the beverage and ice situation in the sleepers.

FWIW anecdotally, my trips on 19/20 were the same as usual, sans the Cranberry juice - Apple, Orange, Water and Ice were left out and readily available for consumption on demand. On 1/2, the ice had to be obtained from the cafe car by the SCA on demand, as "Amtrak had taken away their coolers". Juice was left out and coffee available through the day, with water available on request from the SCA. Both SCAs did mention the "Only 2 bottles of water per sleeper cabin" restriction, but this was not enforced.

 

[Bob Dylan]

And the slippery slope continues to have more artificial ice ( pun untended!) added by the Cut Squad @/60 Mass headed by Moe, Curly and Larry!

Whats next? Coming soon to a Train near you, " No Outside Food or Drink Allowed!".

The Mico Managers on Capitol Hill want Amtrak to follow the Airline Model and cut as much as possible and start adding fees! Can't happen here! Just sit back and watch!

Get off my Lawn!!!!!!!

 

[AmtrakBlue]

To clarify/amplify: the SCA said they are still giving her 4 cases of water and she is happy to hand them out. She is just not allowed to leave the water out in the open, and she is not sure how much longer she will receive the 4-case allotments. She said this policy started a few weeks ago and was very apologetic. My fear, given my unique issue, is that the train will run out of bottled water, free or paid, and I will be left high and dry (forgive the pun). So I am headed to the cafe car to buy yet more $2.25 bottles!

If she has the bottles, why don't you just ask her for more as you need them?

 

[montana mike]

Actually, I would be OK if I got the SAME treatment as the airlines. I fly a lot as well and in First Class there is no such thing as one water per flight (I have access throughout the flight to a wide variety of beverages and snacks-on my last long flight the attendants brought around cookies, chips, pretzels, magazines, etc...), plus the attendants still do take care of you for not just meals but other "creature" comforts during the flights on many of the airlines, especially the longer flights. Look at what you now get on any transatlantic flights for example in First Class and compare this to what Amtrak has stripped away--there is now NO comparison between the two, sadly (the video and communication options alone on the airlines blow away what Amtrak offers and even the comfort of the fully reclining seats in First Class beats those 2" thick mattresses in the roomettes).......and ironically the fare differences are similar now!!

 

[jis]

On the LD trains we took over the last week, mostly 48/49 and 5/6, there was no noticeable water bottle restrictions in Sleeper. On each segment I consume three or more bottles of water, and had no difficulty getting more as I needed. Ice had to be obtained upon request from the SCA. But since I seldom use ice, that did not affect me at all. Coffee was available throughout the day as were orange and apple juice. After having read all the dire news here I was expecting much worse. But that did not materialize, thankfully. So now I plan to take such matters discussed here with a large dollop of salt, in a manner of speaking.

Actually, I would be OK if I got the SAME treatment as the airlines. I fly a lot as well and in First Class there is no such thing as one water per flight (I have access throughout the flight to a wide variety of beverages and snacks-on my last long flight the attendants brought around cookies, chips, pretzels, magazines, etc...), plus the attendants still do take care of you for not just meals but other "creature" comforts during the flights on many of the airlines, especially the longer flights. Look at what you now get on any transatlantic flights for example in First Class and compare this to what Amtrak has stripped away--there is now NO comparison between the two, sadly (the video and communication options alone on the airlines blow away what Amtrak offers and even the comfort of the fully reclining seats in First Class beats those 2" thick mattresses in the roomettes).......and ironically the fare differences are similar now!!

I really like the nice touch of freshly baked cookies on United domestic FC on trans-continental flights. I actually look forward to it. They have started doing that even in the Newark - Orlando sector, at least on the international 757 continuation flights, which I always make sure I am on. Afterall that is where you get the lie flat BF seats! In my opinion Intercontinental business class of the American carriers is these days is better than Amtrak LD in terms of overall service quality. But it is also a somewhat apples to oranges comparison. I think the hard product that Amtrak has is better. But the soft product provided by airlines is better than the Amtrak provided soft product both in quality and consistency.

 

[andersone]

leaving on the 6th and will provide the aqua update,,,

on a brighter note, NPR this morning said Glacier had more than 2 million visitors,,,

I wonder how many of them arrived on the EB?

 

[Ispolkom]

So now I plan to take such matters discussed here with a large dollop of salt, in a manner of speaking.

Amtrak on-board staff often justify their acts by saying that it's official policy, regardless of whether that's true or not. Like you, I've long since stopped believing that.

 

[jebr]

Yeah, I had no trouble getting juice, coffee, or water on either the Cardinal or the Crescent. On the Zephyr there wasn't any juice or water sitting out on the table in my car, but the next car over did have it and I saw it up top next to the coffee makers (but wasn't open, so I didn't open it on my 6-hour journey.)

I think they may be slightly rationing it, but it's more than the "two per room" rule that some SCA's are using as an excuse to not give out more water.

There is also plenty of potable water in the spigot on each train, and I would not worry about that running out (it's the same water as what the showers and sinks use, so a glass of water is very small compared to the other uses.)

 

[montana mike]

leaving on the 6th and will provide the aqua update,,,

on a brighter note, NPR this morning said Glacier had more than 2 million visitors,,,

I wonder how many of them arrived on the EB?

Good Question on how many arrive via Amtrak. I live in WFH and by far the most visitors to the Park arrive via their own cars. The next largest segment is via the airlines. Glacier Park Int'l airport (25 miles away) has between 14-18 flights each day from a variety of major hubs (SLC, SEA, MSP, ATL, CHI, LAX, LAS, etc..). Next would be Amtrak, with one eastbound and one westbound train each day. In the summer time on average, about 70-80 pax get off in WFH each day both ways (not all of these folks go to the Park). Perhaps 15-20 people get off at West Glacier and about 50 people on and off at east glacier.

 

[MrFSS]

leaving on the 6th and will provide the aqua update,,,

on a brighter note, NPR this morning said Glacier had more than 2 million visitors,,,

I wonder how many of them arrived on the EB?

Good Question on how many arrive via Amtrak. I live in WFH and by far the most visitors to the Park arrive via their own cars. The next largest segment is via the airlines. Glacier Park Int'l airport (25 miles away) has between 14-18 flights each day from a variety of major hubs (SLC, SEA, MSP, ATL, CHI, LAX, LAS, etc..). Next would be Amtrak, with one eastbound and one westbound train each day. In the summer time on average, about 70-80 pax get off in WFH each day both ways (not all of these folks go to the Park). Perhaps 15-20 people get off at West Glacier and about 50 people on and off at east glacier.

So, Amtrak is a drop in the bucket compared to the other modes of travel, I guess.

 

[montana mike]

Yup.

 

[CHamilton]

The politicians are concerned about agriculture, but not so much about passengers.

Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) ...earlier last week ... urged BNSF executives to continue relieving car backlogs on agriculture shipments prior to the fall harvest. BNSF has reduced past-due grain cars in North Dakota from about 8,000 earlier this year to 4,000, and plans to commit additional resources, such as spotting 450 cars per day to reduce the backlog to about 2,000 past-due cars before fall starts, said Hoeven. In addition, BNSF has committed to offering more shuttle trains this fall than it did in 2013.

Hoeven has asked railroad officials to come to North Dakota to hear directly from the state’s agriculture commodity groups, and he expects a meeting to take place within the first two weeks of August.

 

[SarahZ]

I was on the CONO, Crescent, and CL last week.

On every train, I had 2-3 bottles of water waiting for me in my roomette. The SCAs all said that they had more water bottles available and that I need only ask.

Ice was available on the Crescent. On the CONO, my SCA stopped by every so often to ask if I needed ice, as she would happily bring some from the cafe car if needed some.

Coffee was available all day on all three trains. Additionally, there was apple and orange juice on all three trains. I didn't check for cranberry, as I don't drink it.

On the CL, my roomette door broke and refused to open wider than 3", so I was moved into a sleeper that doubled as the crew dorm (regular sleeper, not a transdorm). My SCA mentioned that coffee was available in that car, but if I wanted juice, it was in the other car (he was working both). I was the only sleeper passenger in that car, so it made sense that they wouldn't have all of the beverages. It was no big deal to walk to the next car to get juice.

Honestly, I didn't notice any differences, since I've had to ask the SCA for water on busy trains in the past.

 

[user 1215]

To clarify/amplify: the SCA said they are still giving her 4 cases of water and she is happy to hand them out. She is just not allowed to leave the water out in the open, and she is not sure how much longer she will receive the 4-case allotments. She said this policy started a few weeks ago and was very apologetic. My fear, given my unique issue, is that the train will run out of bottled water, free or paid, and I will be left high and dry (forgive the pun). So I am headed to the cafe car to buy yet more $2.25 bottles!

Yeah, ya know what? Don't be paying for water. IF your attendant runs out, get it from the next car. Prove there is a demand. Don't allow them to just cut cut cut...

 

[Bob Dylan]

Sounds like top management issued a policy directive to the line managers for the OBS to cut the amount of water,coffee and juice to " save money" but that the OBS, the ones responsible for good customer service, are trying to maintain a higher quality of service that Sleeping Car Passengers actually pay for, expect and deserve!

Hopefully none of these good OBS will get in trouble with the bean counters because doing their jobs prevents the troops in the Muddle East from getting hot meals as some idiot Congress critter actually claimed!

Let them eat cake indeed!

 

[Ryan]

Sounds like top management issued a policy directive to the line managers for the OBS to cut the amount of water,coffee and juice to " save money" but that the OBS, the ones responsible for good customer service, are trying to maintain a higher quality of service that Sleeping Car Passengers actually pay for, expect and deserve!

Hopefully none of these good OBS will get in trouble with the bean counters because doing their jobs prevents the troops in the Muddle East from getting hot meals as some idiot Congress critter actually claimed!

Let them eat cake indeed!

One could also construct the alternative narrative that lazy SCAs aren't doing their jobs and placing the blame on management from the facts we have here.

"I'd love to help you, but I'm just not allowed to go get you some more water!"