Small improvements to Amtrak

[Bjartmarr]

There's already a topic about what sweeping, expensive, grandiose changes we want to make to Amtrak. I want to talk about small improvements, that only cost a little bit of money (compared to, say, adding more trains), that might be achievable in a relatively short time frame.

So what little improvements would you make to Amtrak? No detail is too small. I'll get us started:

(1) Rebuild the Arrow back-end. The goal should be that when a customer asks for a trip, Arrow should provide the customer with a reasonable number of reasonable itineraries. Arrow should never tell the customer that no routes exist. This probably means that connections between trains will have to be automatically generated, rather than manually entered on a city-pair by city-pair basis as they are now. Reasonable routes that include forced overnights should be included as well. If Arrow is being crippled in order to limit abusive AGR redemptions, then AGR redemptions should be restricted to only a subset of published routes.

(2) Along the same lines, overhaul AGR redemptions with the goals of making them easier to book, and of allowing the passenger to choose a slightly different route as long as that route doesn't cost Amtrak more money. I should be able to travel between any city pair on a single redemption. Get rid of the circle-trip rule and instead allow trips that cross a zone boundary twice as a 3-zone redemption. Allow multiple-segment online redemptions (this should save on customer service costs). When a trip involves a bus but can be easily completed on a train, allow the passenger to wait around for the next train if they choose. (CS->Cascades to VAC is a great example of this.)

(3) Publish the location of the bike racks. I shouldn't have to wait until the train arrives and then run door-to-door peering into the cars looking for the bike storage area. A mention on the webpage would be great, but a little sign in the platform area would be sufficient.

(4) Refills on coffee. I'll pay $2 for a little cup of coffee, but if the price with refills is $4 or $6 or $8, I'm bringing a thermos. Don't be stingy, coffee grounds cost pennies. Coffee shops charge 50 cents for a refill; Amtrak should too.

(5) Amtrak's beer menu is straight out of the 1980's: light lagers, with maybe an IPA thrown in. Good beer costs about the same as mediocre beer, and it's not like it's going to spoil if it doesn't all sell on one trip. How about a Belgian dubbel? A bock? A marzenbier? A sour? And you might want to consider dropping the price just a bit in the cafe car. $7 is fine if you are getting table service and a nice glass, but it's a little ridiculous when you're getting a cardboard tray and a frat cup.

(7) And speaking of the cafe car, could they do a little better than Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sandwich and Sara Lee Cinnamon Roll and a microwaved hamburger in a sticky, soggy bun? It's the 2010's now and there are plenty of microwaveable foods that taste a lot better and are a lot better for you than that industrial stuff. Amtrak California has some good selections (at reasonable prices) on their short-haul trains, and the national system should copy them.

 

[lyke99]

I absolutely agree with you on the coffee refills. I fear the worries about food and beverage losses will make any idea about reducing prices a non-starter. Of course, lower prices often drive people to buy enough to increase overall sales.

As a beer guy, I agree that the beer selection of Miller Lite, Bud, Heineken, and maybe something regional (usually an IPA) leaves much to be desired. I'd love a sour or a dubbel on-board, but cold storage is in short supply so I doubt it would happen. That being said, I think offering a bock or a marzen, an approachable IPA, and a nice porter would up their beer game. I also think the reducing the prices from $5-7 ($8 for Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA) to $4-5 would double sales. To address the cold storage space issue, all of the on-board beers should be canned - lots of great beers are being canned these days.

 

[TinCan782]

There's already a topic about what sweeping, expensive, grandiose changes we want to make to Amtrak. I want to talk about small improvements, that only cost a little bit of money (compared to, say, adding more trains), that might be achievable in a relatively short time frame.

So what little improvements would you make to Amtrak? No detail is too small. I'll get us started:

(1) Rebuild the Arrow back-end. The goal should be that when a customer asks for a trip, Arrow should provide the customer with a reasonable number of reasonable itineraries. Arrow should never tell the customer that no routes exist. This probably means that connections between trains will have to be automatically generated, rather than manually entered on a city-pair by city-pair basis as they are now. Reasonable routes that include forced overnights should be included as well. If Arrow is being crippled in order to limit abusive AGR redemptions, then AGR redemptions should be restricted to only a subset of published routes.

(2) Along the same lines, overhaul AGR redemptions with the goals of making them easier to book, and of allowing the passenger to choose a slightly different route as long as that route doesn't cost Amtrak more money. I should be able to travel between any city pair on a single redemption. Get rid of the circle-trip rule and instead allow trips that cross a zone boundary twice as a 3-zone redemption. Allow multiple-segment online redemptions (this should save on customer service costs). When a trip involves a bus but can be easily completed on a train, allow the passenger to wait around for the next train if they choose. (CS->Cascades to VAC is a great example of this.)

On the subject of Arrow...being able to view a phone reservation/ticket (including AGR) on line and via the phone app would be nice.

 

[jebr]

Even some way to save a trip in the app after looking it up (via the trip lookup tool) would be nice. (It'd be even nicer if it could sync to the account, but just being able to save it to the current phone's storage would be nice.)

 

[neroden]

Fix the totally obnoxious lights in the "refurbished Superliner I" roomettes -- they *don't turn off at night*, requiring copious amounts of duct tape.

I encountered this monstrosity for the first time on my most recent trip. The Viewliners, Superliner IIs, and original Superliner Is are all fine, but whoever redesigned the Superliner I interiors is an idiot.

 

[tomfuller]

How about a vent fan in the shower room on the Viewliner sleepers? It could be wired to the lock button for the little light that indicates the room is occupied.

I'm hoping no one is in the shower when the engineer does an emergency stop

 

[rrdude]

I'd bet doing ANYthing to ARROW would be costly, and almost a non-starter.

 

[Paulus]

Amtrak is already working on an ARROW overhaul/replacement to be rolled out in a few years.

 

[willem]

(2) Along the same lines, overhaul AGR redemptions with the goals of making them easier to book, and of allowing the passenger to choose a slightly different route as long as that route doesn't cost Amtrak more money. I should be able to travel between any city pair on a single redemption. Get rid of the circle-trip rule and instead allow trips that cross a zone boundary twice as a 3-zone redemption. Allow multiple-segment online redemptions (this should save on customer service costs). When a trip involves a bus but can be easily completed on a train, allow the passenger to wait around for the next train if they choose. (CS->Cascades to VAC is a great example of this.)

How linked are Amtrak and Amtrak Guest Rewards? Is changing an AGR policy something that we might reasonably expect Amtrak to be able to do?

In another thread, I commented on the CHI-PDX-LAX-NOL-WAS (actually all the way to NYP) itinerary that Arrow offers. AGR said it could not be booked because of the circle-trip rule, and furthermore CHI-PDX-LAX-ELP plus ELP-NOL-WAS could not be booked because they are not both published routes. This seems a lot like a catch-22. (Note the break at ELP results in two 2-zone treks. The AGR solution was to break the trip at LAX, following published routes, and results in a 2-zone and a 3-zone trip.)

Not long ago, I took a trip to Florida, with an overnight in Chicago on my dime because Empire Builder to Capitol Limited is not a guaranteed connection. I called AGR to ask about connecting from the Empire Builder to the Lake Shore Limited, spending the night in New York, and then taking the Silver Star from New York. If all went according to this plan, I would have arrived in Florida (Winter Haven) less than an hour earlier. The advantage to me is that there would be no possibility of missing the connection in Washington. No, I was told, that's not a published route. But spending a night in Chicago was not a published route; Arrow simply says there is no way to get from Minnesota to Florida, period. AGR would allow one deviation but not another.

As suggested by the OP, I would like to see some flexibility for deviations from published routes. The two examples above (break the big trip at ELP and break the trip to Florida at NYP rather than CHI) both seem completely reasonable, and AGR agents in both cases agreed it was reasonable, just not possible under the current rules.

That was a long-winded way to say that I support the OP's suggestion but I ask if this is an Amtrak or an AGR issue, and what is the practical difference for someone (me) sitting on the sidelines and wishing?

 

[Dakota 400]

If possible, improve the PA system in the Superliner sleepers. I don't know which versions, but in some of my Roomettes, the audio was weak and not clear. In others, the sound was OK. The volume knob seemed not to function. The Viewliner's Roomette PA worked well and clearly.

 

[Seaboard92]

Something the Russians claim to have. A key card that unlocks your sleeper door. I would love to have that. The attendant keeps them when there are no passengers.

 

[DryCreek]

Something the Russians claim to have. A key card that unlocks your sleeper door. I would love to have that. The attendant keeps them when there are no passengers.

What happens when you lose HEP, even temporarily - like during switching? Oh, never mind - I guess they are like the hotel locks that use a battery. Silly me.

 

[ABQFloridian]

Number one for me is the service in the "Café". As it stands, a better name would be commissary, considering it sells no meals of any kind, only snacks and dry goods. (I'm sorry, but a reheated hot dog does not count). I think it would be quite easy to fix this, particularly on the single-level café cars, which are already used for diner-lite. Couldn't they just sell the same reheated meals as for dinner-lite to coach passengers? When delivered by a waiter and passed off as a proper meal, the diner-lite fare looks pretty crappy, but as a counter service meal, I think it would be acceptable and miles ahead of what is there now.

The tricky part would be instituting something like this in the Superliner café, which has no convection oven. Ideally, they could be remodeled, but even if not, they could upgrade the selection of cold salads and sandwiches. I don't see any reason why some of these can't be prepared and boxed on board in the diner kitchen for freshness.

A pilot they could try (I mean they found the money to build the CCC) is to abandon the café concept in the SSL, and to just make it a commissary. Then half of the diner could be remodeled as the café - guests buy their meals at a counter, but eat at tables. The other half could:

A) Remain the same as now and provide sit-down service for sleeper pax.

B) Be also remodeled, but as a bar. The sleeper pax can either get a voucher for counter service or in-room service via the SCA. This would be more easily managed on less popular routes, but wouldn't be impossible on any superliner route. While there is one benefit in terms of streamlined service, the bar itself seems like the biggest moneymaker. A properly stocked bar that can handle cocktails and mixed drinks, with a friendly bartender, can keep customers entertained for hours, and extract plenty of money from them, too. And there has been a sharp increase in the availability of liquor in plastic bottles over the past few years.

You could even get bars on viewliners by going half kitchen/half bar instead of half kitchen/half dining room. Sleepers still get room service, counter service diner-lite meals in the cafe for coach.

Anything would be better than the current café offerings.

 

[neroden]

I have heard tell that there were problems the last time counter service was tried on Amtrak, but I've never heard an accurate description of what went wrong.

I would be fine with "counter service" dining cars. Some of the Temoinsa rebuilds seem to have been designed for that, but not used for it.

 

[SteveSFL]

I don't want to generalize, but I'd be concerned that offering a larger selection of alcohol at reasonable prices could exacerbate the problem of public drunkenness on the trains. I don't know how many times I've heard "Conductor to the lower level lounge" on my trips, and that often means problems with a passenger and probably alcohol-related.

Sleeper PAX can already bring their own selection, and I think they are more likely to be responsible since they have a lot bigger financial loss if they get kicked off the train at the next stop.

 

[ABQFloridian]

I don't want to generalize, but I'd be concerned that offering a larger selection of alcohol at reasonable prices could exacerbate the problem of public drunkenness on the trains. I don't know how many times I've heard "Conductor to the lower level lounge" on my trips, and that often means problems with a passenger and probably alcohol-related.

Two possible ways to minimize the problem:

1. Keep the prices high enough that most people won't be able to sit there and get schnockered (they wouldn't have to overcharge, just carry a more premium selection). If by chance a wealthy alcoholic stops in, just kick him off; he can just buy another ticket home with his platinum card.

2.You could train the bartenders to be responsible and monitor their customers consumption, as most bartenders do when not on trains.

Anyhow, I have definitely heard that announcement, and reminders about the alcohol policies, so I know it's a problem. I just see it as such a small number of people that cause problems that the potential financial benefit outweighs the risk of exacerbating the problem.

 

[Dakota 400]

Maybe there there are local or Union prohibitions that would allow this, but increasing revenue from the Cafe and Lounge Cars would be possible, based upon my observations, if they were kept open during the entire time the train is in service.

As an example: The southbound Crescent arrives in Washington near the time when I am ready for Happy Hour. The Lounge closes. I have to wait----along with many other guests---until we are across the Potamac and into Alexandria. Then, a long line develops for service and it takes quote some time for that one attendant to fulfill the guest's request. I end up with a very, and not very satisfactory, appreviated Happy Hour prior to my dinner. Had the service time been longer, I would probably have had another drink. Thus, lost revenue for Amtrak.

I understand that the assigned Lounge Car personnel need "relief/meal time". But, creative personnel management solutions involving the adjoining Dining Car and the Lounge Car might solve this issue.

 

[lyke99]

I don't want to generalize, but I'd be concerned that offering a larger selection of alcohol at reasonable prices could exacerbate the problem of public drunkenness on the trains. I don't know how many times I've heard "Conductor to the lower level lounge" on my trips, and that often means problems with a passenger and probably alcohol-related.

Sleeper PAX can already bring their own selection, and I think they are more likely to be responsible since they have a lot bigger financial loss if they get kicked off the train at the next stop.

The concern from Congress is food and beverage losses. One way to eliminate the loss is to increase sales. I do believe that the practice of pricing beer and other alcohol as high as Amtrak does drives some patrons to forego the alcohol purchase entirely or to carry their own (both in sleepers and in coach). I struggle to understand how a wider selection of beverages would lead to more public drunkenness. When I go into a bar, I have a couple of beers (regardless of how many beers the place keeps in stock). I don't think I am unusual in that practice.

 

[Dakota 400]

I did not find the prices Amtrak charged for alcoholic beverages on my recent 3 trips to be out of line with what I would have to pay for such beverages in a regular restaurant.

As I have said before, to increase sales, the Lounge Cars need to be open longer hours and eliminate the "down time" because the crew member needs a "break".

There were too many times when I, and others, wanted to spend some money in the Lounge Cars and there was no one present to serve us.

 

[twa904]

What about an option in the res system to display menus for which ever train you are booking on

so that you can order meals while making you reservation. I realize if you are booking months ahead of time that you may not know what you would want for dinner. In this case, either 48 or 72 hours before departure, Amtrak sends you an e-mail about ordering meals at which time you do so. If you do not order at this time, then you take what ever is available. This should help to make sure there are plenty of a particular meal choice and reduce waste of having to many of another selection. Even coach passengers can order meals when they book a seat and pay in advance

so there would not have to be money exchanging with the crew on board during service. All the info about you pre-ordered meal could be printed on the boarding pass.

 

[KmH]

A coach fare that includes dining car meals was an idea I recently heard that I thought had merit.

I also like the idea I heard of sleepers/coach seats priced to include 1, 2 or 3 meals.

Here at home, we pretty much only eat 2 meals a day and in between snack on fruit, nuts, granola, dry cereal.

 

[Bradenmeridian]

I did not find the prices Amtrak charged for alcoholic beverages on my recent 3 trips to be out of line with what I would have to pay for such beverages in a regular restaurant.

As I have said before, to increase sales, the Lounge Cars need to be open longer hours and eliminate the "down time" because the crew member needs a "break".

There were too many times when I, and others, wanted to spend some money in the Lounge Cars and there was no one present to serve us.

Over the years I've always been surprised when the cafe car would close, which it does as a matter of course, with no warning to the passengers. If they said, "The cafe car will close for a half hour while we...etc." about a half hour before it goes into effect, you'd get a lot of business from people getting in under the wire. Instead, you show up, they tell you they're closed, you get pissed, and they look at you like you're the jerk for wishing someone had told you before the fact.

There are so many ways this could be improved. If it really is necessary - which I can understand - then it could even be listed in the printed schedule. Or the conductor could announce at key stations along the trip when the closings will be. Or there could be sign in the cafe car saying "The cafe car will be closed at the following points along the trip:"