Has Amtrak considered showers for coach passengers?

[BCL]

Just wondering since there's been talk of bedrooms, roomettes, etc and I understand that they at least have access to shared shower facilities if not their own bathrooms.

I'm just thinking of what one is going to be like after a few days on a cross-country trip riding in coach. I do remember what it was like after a backpacking trip and just itching to take a shower. I had to pay for one when backpacking and often when camping, but that was a small expense compared to what I might have paid to stay in a hotel room.

Would it be feasible to provide shower rooms for coach passengers? Maybe make them coin or token operated?

 

[the Other Mike]

Where would you put them ? I don't see retro-fitting cars as an expense Amtrak would even consider, nor adding special "shower cars".

Maybe a hose down area in the baggage car ?

Besides I pay extra to not ride with the great unwashed or brats.

< flame shields UP >

 

[MARC Rider]

Just wondering since there's been talk of bedrooms, roomettes, etc and I understand that they at least have access to shared shower facilities if not their own bathrooms.
I'm just thinking of what one is going to be like after a few days on a cross-country trip riding in coach. I do remember what it was like after a backpacking trip and just itching to take a shower. I had to pay for one when backpacking and often when camping, but that was a small expense compared to what I might have paid to stay in a hotel room.

Would it be feasible to provide shower rooms for coach passengers? Maybe make them coin or token operated?

A sleeper has a capacity of some 30-odd people in the roomettes, and gets by with one shower. I would think you'd need to have at least 2 showers for each coach, and I'n not sure there's enough space for them. even on the Superliners.Thus, you'd need to cut into revenue space for them. Now you might figure that a larger percentage of coach passengers on LD trains aren't traveling overnight as compared to the sleepers, so maybe they don't need quite as many showers in the coach.

I've ridden coach on an overnight trip, and I didn't find myself to grungy. I was able to wash up in the morning and brush my teeth. Of course, on arrival, I checked into my hotel and was able to shower there. What might be more useful for coach passengers might be shower facilities at the larger terminals, so they can freshen up on arrival. Chicago would be an obious first place for that. It could also include a gym, etc., so people could work out while waiting for their connections.

 

[Ryan]

The difference between backpacking and train riding is that you're sitting in a climate controlled box, not physically exerting yourself.

Current cars certainly won't be retrofitted. There just isn't the money, and if there were money it could be better put to use on things that will increase revenue.

The only way you're going to see it in new cars is if it comes at the expense of seats - since that'll decrease the potential revenue, I don't see that happening either.

 

[BCL]

The difference between backpacking and train riding is that you're sitting in a climate controlled box, not physically exerting yourself.

Oh - it was climate controlled all right. 40 deg F overnight temps with Mother Nature setting the thermostat. However, I was sponging myself off with antibacterial wipes. I may not have smelled that bad, but after a while the residue from that stuff doesn't feel so great and I wanted a shower to wash off everything.

And personally I've seen passengers on Amtrak who look like they came off a backpacking trip and smelled like it too. You can see people who haven't washed up in days, may be sunburnt, and look like they came out of a disaster area. Of course they could also be within the posted rules that passengers may be denied boarding or set off if their "personal hygiene makes them offensive".

 

[NE933]

Good idea / Bad idea. Passengers have bathing access, but can you see the hoarding with this? How would a waiting line be established? Or if the changing area would be stay decent, or would it get, you know, nasty?

 

[crescent2]

The first Amtrak trip I took, along with my kids and a friend and her kids, was in coach. On that trip the coach cars seemed to be segregated according to how grungy and ill-mannered the passengers were. Fortunately we were seated in the "neat" car. The passengers in the worst car looked as though they'd been held captive for days and days. Many would have benefited from a shower. We did not, however, notice any convicts struggling to write their names. Maybe they were in the sleepers?

I've never seen that again, so it must've been a freak coincidence. We even nicknamed the cars and thought it was funny. Had we been seated in the "sloucher" car, we would not have been so amused, however.

I think a shower that is available for LD coach passengers would be a good idea, but like others, I don't see it happening due to lack of resources. For only a couple of days, it's probably not a big problem anyway. People can wash up a little in the restrooms.

 

[BCL]

Good idea / Bad idea. Passengers have bathing access, but can you see the hoarding with this? How would a waiting line be established? Or if the changing area would be stay decent, or would it get, you know, nasty?

Well - I have experience camping where finding a pay shower (if it isn't included like at a typical KOA) is common, so here goes.

There is of course the facility open to just about anyone for a price. One may be asked to show a receipt, but other than than there is nobody timing how long each person showers. This is the case at Curry Village in Yosemite, where the showers are considered included for guests and others (mostly campers and backpackers) may pay a daily fee for access to these showers.

Then I've seen pay showers for a nominal cost. I've seen one (now closed) that charged 25 cents for what someone described to me as "possibly lukewarm water for 7 minutes". Now the low cost possibly might prompt some people who like extra long showers to pay the tiny cost for an additional shower. Once I found a place that had 50 cent showers for 4 minutes. I was actually on a day trip and heading home when I saw it, but for any future visits I was thinking of bringing along a towel/fresh clothes and getting a shower after a busy day hiking.

I've been to some that aren't priced too high but where the timer is over in a flash. One campground I've been to in Tahoe has a 75 cent price for 3 minutes. I managed to complete a shower in those 3 minutes but I had an extra stack of quarters just in case I ran out of time.

I've been to one that was pretty pricey for a coin-op shower. Lodgepole Market (not at the campground) at Sequoia NP has a coin-op shower that charges a base rate of $3.50 for 5 minutes and a quarter for an additional minute. One simply feeds additional quarters before the time runs out to add a minute, or else it resets and you can only restart by inserting the base price. The kicker is that there is no indicator for when the time has run out, and it's some sort of mechanical timing mechanism that has the timing accuracy of one of those old-fashioned mechanical parking meters.

Here's a typical shower coin-box:

 

[NE933]

For only a couple of days, it's probably not a big problem anyway. People can wash up a little in the restrooms.

I don't know, a person can get ripe after two nights. Once when i had the flu and could'nt shower for two days, my nose picked up scents that weren't pretty. And some people get that way much sooner...

But then again Amtrak has lots of nice, natural scents in the cars that mask the bad stuff, unless it's a bathroom. And going thru a tunnel can get you the aromatic incense of locomotive diesel fumes.

Yeah, I'm a tad strange..

 

[BCL]

But then again Amtrak has lots of nice, natural scents in the cars that mask the bad stuff, unless it's a bathroom. And going thru a tunnel can get you the aromatic incense of locomotive diesel fumes.
Yeah, I'm a tad strange..

As a kid I use to enjoy that diesel aroma from the GM New Look buses. Nothing today smells quite like I remembered. I did a little research into what it was, and apparently they were two-stroke engines from Detroit Diesel. Did those (or similar engines) end up in locomotive applications? Come to think of it, those were too small for railroad engines, but I suppose the basics could have been used in a large locomotive engine.

 

[user 1215]

This topic popped up several years ago, and my thought is that private companies should offer pay showers at major stations and terminii. Whereas this wouldn't help much for a person travelling from LAX to CHI via the SWC, imagine with the long layover such a facility at SAN for the TE & SL.

In most cases, there should be enough time if such a facility existed, to get a quick shower in at LAX, CHI, WAS or NYP - all major hubs.

$10 for a 10 minute shower? I'd pay if I were saving $400-$1000 by riding coach!

 

[OBS]

I am suprised no one mentioned that approx 15-20 years ago, Amtrak experimented with shower rooms at CHI. I t was in a lower level area behind the great hall and lasted for maybe a year or so. As with any great idea, problems arose with people having luggage/belongings stolen while they were showering as well as homeless sneaking in the facility to use it as well. Soon after, was shut down.

 

[jis]

In my poorer student days when I traveled extensively by coach cross country many times, I used to indulge in a somewhat extensive sponge wipe down in the available restrooms in Coaches in the middle of the night and felt as good as new for another 24 hours. This was just a continuation of a habit that I formed during my train travels in India before I came to this country. I still do so when I travel LD in coach fpr more than a day, which is admittedly very rare these days.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

This thread does show up ever once in a while.

Thank you OBS, I too recall the shower in Chicago.

If your traveling about (non-Amtrak) and need a shower, stop at any truck stop. For 10-12 usd you can have a unlimited shower, hot water is sometimes warm, but unlimited.

Before Amtrak, shower for passenger sleepers and coach (?) was limited to a few trains. The shower was located in the barber shop. For a fee you get a shower.

Today's America we need to take a shower twice a day, this is a newer thing. The first few Superliners Sleepers did not have a public shower as built.

While upgrade the coach to have a shower is a huge expense, upgrade the lounge car to have a shower is something that could be done, and will have a return on investment. Fee for shower.

I never hear of the person who made the change to the Superliners, but I would buy them dinner.

 

[user 1215]

The lower level restroom in the Cafe car would be a great place to convert to a shower. Let the Cafe attendant keep it clean and handle the revenue. However, the holding tanks would have to be much larger, and I'm actually afraid that the demand would be such that maintenance would be difficult.

 

[sitzplatz17]

I know that many train stations throughout Europe have showers, I'm surprised that as system like that couldn't be implemented here.

Then again, most stations in Europe also charge a fee just to use the restroom anyway, so adding showers isn't too hard.

 

[FriskyFL]

And who would be responsible for keeping the shower clean? The coach attendent? Fellow passengers? Anyone unfortunate enough to experience a poorly maintained coach restroom would shudder at the thought of similarity wretched conditions.

 

[BCL]

And who would be responsible for keeping the shower clean? The coach attendent? Fellow passengers? Anyone unfortunate enough to experience a poorly maintained coach restroom would shudder at the thought of similarity wretched conditions.

Some of the pay showers I've seen were in pretty poor condition between cleanings and probably even immediately after being cleaned. However, these were mostly campground shower rooms with locked doors. The primary issue was from the slightly wet floor coupled with people walking in shoes. However, someone mentioned stuff being stolen, and these rooms were typically single occupancy with a locked door. Some were bathroom stalls. I suppose someone determined might steal stuff hanging from a coat hook or on a bench. This could be remedied with taller stalls and ones that are really high. I've seen such bathroom stalls in a coed college dorm bathroom area. The stalls were really tall and went all the way down to the floor without any cracks. They were designed to prevent peeping Toms from looking into bathroom stalls. However, their shower stalls were all inside doors that locked.

 

[the Other Mike]

I know that many train stations throughout Europe have showers, I'm surprised that as system like that couldn't be implemented here.
Then again, most stations in Europe also charge a fee just to use the restroom anyway, so adding showers isn't too hard.

I remember seeing something on a news show years ago that was basically a restroom / shower "pod" type thing. I thought it was in Sweden ? Can't remember. But it was a system that once it was used, it cleaned itself ( much like the inside of a dishwasher ) and a germ killing spray after the washdown. I don't remember how expensive it was to use but our ( maybe 60 minutes) scoffed at the idea of public showers. What a shame. I think things like this in bus and train stations might get alot of use.

 

[BCL]

I know that many train stations throughout Europe have showers, I'm surprised that as system like that couldn't be implemented here.
Then again, most stations in Europe also charge a fee just to use the restroom anyway, so adding showers isn't too hard.

I remember seeing something on a news show years ago that was basically a restroom / shower "pod" type thing. I thought it was in Sweden ? Can't remember. But it was a system that once it was used, it cleaned itself ( much like the inside of a dishwasher ) and a germ killing spray after the washdown. I don't remember how expensive it was to use but our ( maybe 60 minutes) scoffed at the idea of public showers. What a shame. I think things like this in bus and train stations might get alot of use.

The French company JCDecaux has installed complicated pay toilets in San Francisco and San Jose. Originally they either charged a quarter or accepted a token (these were given to the homeless at various homeless services providers). Now I think they're all free. They have steel plate floors (they feel loose) and a self-cleaning cycle after every use. At least in San Francisco they were provided without extra charge to the city in exchange for advertising kiosks where the company makes its money. They at the very least have a patent on similar technology for showers, although I don't know if they've actually produced any for the marketplace.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

There are showers in airports in other parts of the world that are cheap, clean, and available to anyone. I love using them after a long flight and thank my lucky stars every time I see one. That being said, I I'm tempted to agree with those who point out that if we attempted anything like that in US train stations it would be a complete and total failure. We're far too clueless and inept to figure out something this simple. We may be able to put a man on the moon but we still can't figure out how to get him clean here on the surface. We're kind of like the idiot savant of industrialized nations.

 

[zephyr17]

Yep, us Amuricains shore ar dum. Trash talk us some more.

 

[June the Coach Rider]

I enjoy traveling by coach and take a container of either baby wipes or a washcloth in a zip-loc bag and small travel size body wash. Then I take a sponge bath each morning and use dry shampoo to freshen up my hair. New clothes and deoderant, etc. and I am all set for the day. It really is not too hard to keep yourself clean in coach, unless you are running up and down the stairs or back and forth from the lounge car, what are you really doing to get that dirty? Cleaning up in the bathroom is usually sufficient and then the longest you are on the train even if you go from end ot end is the TE from LAX to CHI or visa versa. Then you can shower when you get where you are going.

Having a shower in coach would be a scary thought with how filthy the restrooms can get, I do not want to think what a shower would look like, people do not clean up after themselves in the restroom, why would someone expect them to in the shower.

 

[Karl1459]

Showers would be nice and are on my wish list... But they might end up costing Amtrak money! The tipping point for my wife between coach/sleeper is her morning shower. For me, if I were do be planning on doing something during the day a shower would be important.

The previous comments indicate some of the logistical challanges for on board coach showers. Having a shower available at or close to stations might work. I have used truck stop showers which consisted of a toilet and small sink and a small shower and were fully functional though not much larger than most rest rooms. They had a towel deposit and the clerk gave you the key.

Dear Santa...

 

[Ryan]

Yep, us Amuricains shore ar dum. Trash talk us some more.

He's got a valid point - we're certainly as exceptional as we think we are, just not always in a good way.