John Webb
Train Attendant
Based on my experiences riding Amtrak to/from Rail Passengers Association Spring DC Conference, and the conference itself, here is what I communicated to my Congressional delegation:
Dear Senator Padilla, Senator Feinstein, Rep. Huffman
I recently completed a transcontinental round-trip on Amtrak to attend the Spring Conference of the Rail Passenger's Association (RPA) in Washington DC. I live in Trinidad, CA in Humboldt County and I am a constituent of yours.
I would like to thank you for your ongoing support of improvements and expansion passenger trail transportation by Amtrak and other rail agencies. Your support has resulted, for the first time in it's 51 year history, a situation in which Amtrak's management now has sufficient funding to plan for significant improvement and expansion of it's skeletal long distance network. Should it choose to do so.
Now that I have completed my Amtrak journey (which was comprised of end-to-end travel on 4 long distance trains), I would like to make some observations of the quality of Amtrak's management of those trains. While traveling I saw numerous defects related to the quality of service. Many of the problems I saw could have been easily solved with a minor managerial effort. Yet, Amtrak's management refuses to take simple, inexpensive steps to remedy the serious problems that effect the quality of service.
In fact, based on what I observed (and anecdotal accounts I have seen that seem match my personal experiences), I cannot help but come the conclusion that Amtrak's current executive management is not interested in making the needed improvements to Long Distance trains. I know that, officially, Amtrak's management says it will honor Congress' recently passed legislation requiring a new focus on Long Distance rail service. However, on my trip I did not personally experience that stated commitment by Amtrak.
I could talk of many things but, in the interests of brevity and focus, I will concentrate on one issue that illustrates my point.
Immediately prior to departing Los Angeles on Amtrak's eastbound Southwest Chief on March 20, 2022 I observed that the train was sold out in the only two coach cars on the train. Additional coaches were immediately available to be potentially added to the train. Amtrak had sufficient advance knowledge of sold out conditions to accomplish this.
Sold out coaches at the originating station meant Amtrak could not earn additional revenue by selling tickets at stations further down the route. Passengers were, in this time of covid, packed in uncomfortably, sardine-like conditions with each other. It also meant that passengers wanting to travel/from down-line stations were frustrated in using this train for their traveling needs.
As I continued my trip and saw a similar situation on other trains I traveled, This seems to be Amtrak's operating philosophy for this time of year, traditionally the Spring "off season". It may have been a historically low season of travel, but Amtrak is artificially creating low numbers of travelers on long distance trains by refusing to provided additional available capacity.
While at our RPA conference I had the opportunity to discuss this problem with Mr. Nick Genevish, Amtrak's Director of Long Distance Services. I questioned him as to why Amtrak could not display more operational flexibility and his answer was that if they were to add one coach to accommodate increased passenger demand on that one day of the train's departure they would be obligated (for some unexplained reason) to add coaches to every departure that week. This does not make any logical sense. Amtrak's management is so inflexible that it would rather inconvenience passengers and leave additional revenue behind than think out of the narrow box in which they have placed themselves.
Again, this is only one of numerous failures I witnessed on Amtrak management's part. Others concern cleanliness of trains, inequality in providing food services, failure to maintain elderly equipment and more.
This all begs the question: why is Amtrak's management doing this?
I think it may have to do with the new realities facing management. They now have more funding than ever and, after years of parsimonious managing of dwindling resources they are not capable of functioning efficiently in an era of plenty, despite the charge from Congress that they do so. Under current Amtrak President Stephen Gardner they are not truly committed to an aggressive rapid expansion and improvement of long-distance services. It seems that they are philosophically more inclined, and experienced in, cutting costs and services. Rather than think creatively out of the box it would be easier for Amtrak management to portray it's long distance trains as hopeless failures. Amtrak needs a management that is whole-heartedly supportive of Congress' intention to operate a successful long distance network.
A new Amtrak Board of Directors needs to be impaneled. A new Board that can hire a new effective management that will accomplish needed improvements. This is possible because there are currently numerous vacancies on the Board. I know that some good people have been proposed for President Biden to appoint, but there are some procedural issues holding up the appointments.
I urge you ask Amtrak management some of the difficult questions I have raised and I urge you to investigate the delays to the installation of the new Amtrak Board of Directors.
Dear Senator Padilla, Senator Feinstein, Rep. Huffman
I recently completed a transcontinental round-trip on Amtrak to attend the Spring Conference of the Rail Passenger's Association (RPA) in Washington DC. I live in Trinidad, CA in Humboldt County and I am a constituent of yours.
I would like to thank you for your ongoing support of improvements and expansion passenger trail transportation by Amtrak and other rail agencies. Your support has resulted, for the first time in it's 51 year history, a situation in which Amtrak's management now has sufficient funding to plan for significant improvement and expansion of it's skeletal long distance network. Should it choose to do so.
Now that I have completed my Amtrak journey (which was comprised of end-to-end travel on 4 long distance trains), I would like to make some observations of the quality of Amtrak's management of those trains. While traveling I saw numerous defects related to the quality of service. Many of the problems I saw could have been easily solved with a minor managerial effort. Yet, Amtrak's management refuses to take simple, inexpensive steps to remedy the serious problems that effect the quality of service.
In fact, based on what I observed (and anecdotal accounts I have seen that seem match my personal experiences), I cannot help but come the conclusion that Amtrak's current executive management is not interested in making the needed improvements to Long Distance trains. I know that, officially, Amtrak's management says it will honor Congress' recently passed legislation requiring a new focus on Long Distance rail service. However, on my trip I did not personally experience that stated commitment by Amtrak.
I could talk of many things but, in the interests of brevity and focus, I will concentrate on one issue that illustrates my point.
Immediately prior to departing Los Angeles on Amtrak's eastbound Southwest Chief on March 20, 2022 I observed that the train was sold out in the only two coach cars on the train. Additional coaches were immediately available to be potentially added to the train. Amtrak had sufficient advance knowledge of sold out conditions to accomplish this.
Sold out coaches at the originating station meant Amtrak could not earn additional revenue by selling tickets at stations further down the route. Passengers were, in this time of covid, packed in uncomfortably, sardine-like conditions with each other. It also meant that passengers wanting to travel/from down-line stations were frustrated in using this train for their traveling needs.
As I continued my trip and saw a similar situation on other trains I traveled, This seems to be Amtrak's operating philosophy for this time of year, traditionally the Spring "off season". It may have been a historically low season of travel, but Amtrak is artificially creating low numbers of travelers on long distance trains by refusing to provided additional available capacity.
While at our RPA conference I had the opportunity to discuss this problem with Mr. Nick Genevish, Amtrak's Director of Long Distance Services. I questioned him as to why Amtrak could not display more operational flexibility and his answer was that if they were to add one coach to accommodate increased passenger demand on that one day of the train's departure they would be obligated (for some unexplained reason) to add coaches to every departure that week. This does not make any logical sense. Amtrak's management is so inflexible that it would rather inconvenience passengers and leave additional revenue behind than think out of the narrow box in which they have placed themselves.
Again, this is only one of numerous failures I witnessed on Amtrak management's part. Others concern cleanliness of trains, inequality in providing food services, failure to maintain elderly equipment and more.
This all begs the question: why is Amtrak's management doing this?
I think it may have to do with the new realities facing management. They now have more funding than ever and, after years of parsimonious managing of dwindling resources they are not capable of functioning efficiently in an era of plenty, despite the charge from Congress that they do so. Under current Amtrak President Stephen Gardner they are not truly committed to an aggressive rapid expansion and improvement of long-distance services. It seems that they are philosophically more inclined, and experienced in, cutting costs and services. Rather than think creatively out of the box it would be easier for Amtrak management to portray it's long distance trains as hopeless failures. Amtrak needs a management that is whole-heartedly supportive of Congress' intention to operate a successful long distance network.
A new Amtrak Board of Directors needs to be impaneled. A new Board that can hire a new effective management that will accomplish needed improvements. This is possible because there are currently numerous vacancies on the Board. I know that some good people have been proposed for President Biden to appoint, but there are some procedural issues holding up the appointments.
I urge you ask Amtrak management some of the difficult questions I have raised and I urge you to investigate the delays to the installation of the new Amtrak Board of Directors.
