How to transfer at Chicago Union Station; traveling with firearm

[zephyr17]

No. That is "No sooner."

Remember, this is Amtrak which uses "government speak," not plain English.

How about taking the 24 hours out, use 5 minutes instead, substitute "no sooner" for "no later", and make it arriving at the station and seeing how it sounds.

"Passengers should arrive at the station no sooner than than 5 minutes before the train's departure time."

Versus

"Passengers should arrive at the station no later than 5 minutes before the trains departure time."

It may be just be me, but I think the first would lead to a lot if people missing their trains.

Note I used 5 minutes as an extreme to demonstrate my point. Amtrak's actually guidance is 30 minutes before departure if not checking bags.

 

[zephyr17]

3rd try on the 800 number - Guy was very nice and went and got a supervisor because he said the it was weird that it kept coming back with an error that Shelby Station Checked luggage was closed or not accepting any check in's. Sounded a little strange but I think he was referring to the "special area" for firearm baggage.

I called the Rewards 800 number and talked to a lady there and at first she said that it was coming up with an error and maybe it was because I was taking 2 firearms. After getting her supervisor and talking with them, she said that Shelby was not accepting offers for firearm check in. She wasn't sure what that meant so she couldn't expand on it.

I think at this point, I have to throw the towel in and not take them on my trip this time.

I think you delved enough to get the actual answer, the problem appears to be Shelby, not the train's firearms locker being full, or my suppostion about train numbers.

Speculating, it could be that Shelby isn't equipped with secure storage for firearms in their baggage room (assuming that's required). Shelby lost its agent for awhile when Anderson cut a bunch of then, and it only got its agent back after Congree specifically directed Amtrak to restore them. It is possible that the firearms control part of the system was never updated to reflect Shelby's status as being able to handle firearms again. It would not be the first time such things have happened. ARROW, the reservations system, is a relic of the late 1970s and allowing/disallowing firearms was not part of it. However they are handling it, it is some kind of bolted on kludge.

I'd accept that answer, as you have done. But I'd also politely ask the agent at Shelby upon arrival about why they cannot handle firearms there. If anyone knows the actual reason, they would. If it turns out that it is a system glitch or lack of update, they could start the wheels turning to get it corrected.

 

[ptf18]

Boy... with all that you are going thru to accomplish the mission at hand, I'd be very leary of shipping anything via Amtrak

 

[Devil's Advocate]

"No later than 24 hours" to me means between 0-24 hours before departure.

Let's take a look at the terms and conditions...

There is no conceivable way that means anything other than 24 or more hours before departure. If we interpreted it your way Amtrak would be fine with people showing up with guns ten minutes before departure and we all know that won't fly. My guess is that lack of secure in-station storage is the issue. Since left luggage is a potential issue abandoned guns need a safe place to be stored.

 

[joelkfla]

Boy... with all that you are going thru to accomplish the mission at hand, I'd be very leary of shipping anything via Amtrak

Amtrak Express shipping service has been "suspended until further notice" since Oct. 2020, and there's been no indication that it will ever return.

 

[bthomas67wagon]

Zephyr17 - I did call the station directly and left a message, but no call back yet.

The guy I talked to on the 3rd call, he mentioned that Whitefish MT was showing availability for Firearm Check In RSVP, but that is a little farther then I want to go and since I already had all my bus tickets setup and picking me up in Shelby, it was too late in the game to change the plan. Maybe next time.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

The guy I talked to on the 3rd call, he mentioned that Whitefish MT was showing availability for Firearm Check In RSVP, but that is a little farther then I want to go and since I already had all my bus tickets setup and picking me up in Shelby, it was too late in the game to change the plan. Maybe next time.

Although this attempt was a mess of endless confusion I hope things work out better next time. Even if the policy is unworkable Amtrak should be able to explain the issue at the time of booking without suggesting you wait for a better answer.

 

[zephyr17]

Zephyr17 - I did call the station directly and left a message, but no call back yet.

The guy I talked to on the 3rd call, he mentioned that Whitefish MT was showing availability for Firearm Check In RSVP, but that is a little farther then I want to go and since I already had all my bus tickets setup and picking me up in Shelby, it was too late in the game to change the plan. Maybe next time.

I'd still talk to the agent at Shelby on arrival and ask what's going on. Amtrak itself doesn't provide local station numbers, other sources can be hit or miss.

Whitefish never lost their agents, BTW. Shelby did.

 

[bthomas67wagon]

UPDATE: A lady from Shelby called me and explained that Shelby MT is not a "ticketing station", therefor they can not check firearms. She confirmed that Whitefish would be the next station that would allow me to bring firearms. (she said as weird as it sounds, stations that are not setup for selling tickets, can't be a check in/out firearm station) As a first time Amtrak rider, its the small things you learn as you go!!