Stephen Gardner Appointed as Amtrak CEO

[Amtrak25]

Take a good look at this LIRR M-7 MU. A 6" wide stainless panel about 3' tall running up the side at each end and up the middle of the car to function as bumper guards in the East River tunnels when rocking and striking the benchwall. The C-3 bi-level cars also have them. The Metro North M-7A did not get built with them, nor are the brand new Kawaski M-9's.

 

[user 14106]

Most railfans (including myself) like timetables, but I'm not sure how important they are to the traveling public. I suspect that fewer and fewer people even know how to read timetables.

I would agree with this. I think a more productive effort would be on reducing the load on the call center by making improvements to the website. Another one that has always been a pet peeve of mine is station agents being unable to work with Amtrak Guest Rewards reservations. It’s a little ridiculous when in a major station like Moynihan or Washington and you have a need for a change that you end up being told you have to call the call center especially in the lounge where a large amount of patrons are AGR members and even the dedicated staff in the lounge cannot work with points. Station agents should be able to deal with all problems that the call center deals with. Improvements to the website, app, and station agents and kiosks being able to handle more issues would alleviate some of the pressure on the call center.

 

[jis]

I would agree with this. I think a more productive effort would be on reducing the load on the call center by making improvements to the website. Another one that has always been a pet peeve of mine is station agents being unable to work with Amtrak Guest Rewards reservations. It’s a little ridiculous when in a major station like Moynihan or Washington and you have a need for a change that you end up being told you have to call the call center especially in the lounge where a large amount of patrons are AGR members and even the dedicated staff in the lounge cannot work with points. Station agents should be able to deal with all problems that the call center deals with. Improvements to the website, app, and station agents and kiosks being able to handle more issues would alleviate some of the pressure on the call center.

That would indeed be a good area for Amtrak to emulate reputable airlines' practices, of those that have a credible frequent flyer program. Without that AGR is failing to live upto its original raison d'etre.

Historically Amtrak operations side was dead set against the AGR program and tried their level best to undermine it for many years. Maybe that DNA still lingers. Amtrak historically has been uniquely unable to bring any group within it with a spurious agenda to heel whether it be in the mechanical department, operations or anywhere else.

 

[Amtrakfflyer]

Agree totally. The website sucks. Just being able to select rooms when making online reservations would save me a call. Tomorrow’s Ful to Gbb cost us $2079 for that insane price I wanted to make sure I got the room I wanted.

I would agree with this. I think a more productive effort would be on reducing the load on the call center by making improvements to the website. Another one that has always been a pet peeve of mine is station agents being unable to work with Amtrak Guest Rewards reservations. It’s a little ridiculous when in a major station like Moynihan or Washington and you have a need for a change that you end up being told you have to call the call center especially in the lounge where a large amount of patrons are AGR members and even the dedicated staff in the lounge cannot work with points. Station agents should be able to deal with all problems that the call center deals with. Improvements to the website, app, and station agents and kiosks being able to handle more issues would alleviate some of the pressure on the call center.

 

[Amtrak25]

Any IT professional knows you don't throw away one system until you FULLY replace it with another.

I don't care what they do to the website, there's nothing that beats a 1 page, double-sided, color-coded pdf with much information, far more than a timecard. A train is not an airplane. Timetable illiteracy by some is a lame excuse for a dysfunctional and inept IT department and upper management. Get a W2 employee on repetitve 6 month contract who knows Adobe and get it done. If Amtrak can be handed $66 Billion, they can hire somebody for $30/hour.

 

[JWM]

Anderson was "interesting", as in the old curse, "May you live in interesting times."

Somebody had to tell Anderson that trains don't fly.

 

[neroden]

I get a question from a newbie which is answered by timetables, and only by timetables, approximately daily on the various fan Facebook groups. I think Amtrak underestimates the value of timetables because someone like me downloads the timetable once, then uses it to help 100 people plan trips before downloading a revised timetable. Since Amtrak management does not understand trains, they underestimate the value of the timetable by a factor of 100

 

[neroden]

It is precisely this failure to understand the passenger rail business which worries me about Gardner. I actually believe he wants robust national passenger train service; but I fear he is as incompetent as Tom Downs. Who also loved passenger trains and wanted more, but wrecked every agency he touched.

 

[jis]

Gardner's problem is that he is a creature of the beltway bubble with relatively little real operations experience, railways or otherwise. He is a poster child of what is wrong with the manager mystique in America today. I expect to see him operate fully upto what is to be expected from that. He will most likely leave a mess for someone else to clean up, while flying high during his term, somewhat like Jack Welch at GE.

 

[neroden]

Gardner's problem is that he is a creature of the beltway bubble with relatively little real operations experience, railways or otherwise. He is a poster child of what is wrong with the manager mystique in America today. I expect to see him operate fully upto what is to be expected from that. He will most likely leave a mess for someone else to clean up, while flying high during his term, somewhat like Jack Welch at GE.

If RPA and other advocates "ride herd" on him we may get better results. If he has developed the humility to listen to the passengers... then things might turn out OK. Some people with no background do great because they listen to the right people. Others with no background are arrogant asshats, and that always goes badly.

 

[jis]

I am hoping that in five years I am proved exceedingly wrong. Maybe he should take that up as a challenge to prove me wrong

 

[west point]

Gardner might have one way to improve Amtrak. That is require every supervisor no matter what department to ride both daily trains and overnight trains. Require them to talk to the operating crews to get suggestions for the problems that are occurring. Now do I think that will ever happen? Not one chance in a thousand.

 

[neroden]

Make 'em talk to the passengers too

Gardner might have one way to improve Amtrak. That is require every supervisor no matter what department to ride both daily trains and overnight trains. Require them to talk to the operating crews to get suggestions for the problems that are occurring. Now do I think that will ever happen? Not one chance in a thousand.

 

[johnmiller]

Amtrak press release:

So, if you think Amtrak sucks now, expect it to continue to suck? That's what it sounds like.

 

[TWA904]

Doesn't he have to be approved by the Senate.

 

[jis]

Doesn't he have to be approved by the Senate.

No. The CEO is appointed by the Board. The Senate or the President play no direct role in the appointment.