Winona, MN to become unstaffed soon

[TraneMan]

Talking to one of the EB crew member has hear a rumor that they may change this and keep WIN as a staffed station.

That would be great. Lots of college students in Winona - many from the greater Chicago area and use the train to get back and forth.

Also, from what I was told, with this as a crew change stop, they need to get track reports, and turn in the money from tickets sales on the train. If this stays open, they may pull the staff from LSE (LaCrosse).

 

[NorthShore]

It is important to remember that baggage cars carry shipments for Amtrak express service as well as just baggage. This is a revenue generating service that does a surprising amount of business.

I wonder how much this part of the business might actually be a greater variable, over passenger checked baggage, in determining the value of having a staffed station with baggage service.

Greyhound has been closing an increasing number of intermediate stations that aren't the big city terminals. Those that retain at least rationalized arrival/departure schedules often appear to be doing decent business in parcel shipments.

 

[NW cannonball]

I don't know -- if choosing which station keeps staff. LSE vs WIN. Both are college towns, less than 50 miles apart. Similar passenger numbers. Very similar river towns.

If I had to choose? Keep both staffed. Either city could afford to pay a half-timer to attend the station. How that might work, Don't know.

 

[Thirdrail7]

Talking to one of the EB crew member has hear a rumor that they may change this and keep WIN as a staffed station.

It looks like time has run out...unless something dramatic occurs.

 

[TraneMan]

I've seen some blueprint at work, and they are bidding on doing a station remodel. I see the ticket counter is still in the plans with new cabinet/desk for that area, and get the restroom up to ADA code. So I am guessing they ticket agent may stay if that is happening.

 

[Montreal Ltd]

Winona does get some Mayo Clinic traffic (otherwise a long bus ride from MSP), so that might be the reason for remodelling and getting the facilities up to ADA code. There is a shuttle that meets the trains.

 

[Lonestar648]

Could the city(s) be negotiating with Amtrak to keep the station staffed, maybe share the cost to make this happen?

 

[TraneMan]

Winona does get some Mayo Clinic traffic (otherwise a long bus ride from MSP), so that might be the reason for remodelling and getting the facilities up to ADA code. There is a shuttle that meets the trains.

Yep, I agree, there Mayo traffic, and should be ready for them when DMC really takes off here in Rochester.

 

[Thirdrail7]

I've seen some blueprint at work, and they are bidding on doing a station remodel. I see the ticket counter is still in the plans with new cabinet/desk for that area, and get the restroom up to ADA code. So I am guessing they ticket agent may stay if that is happening.

It doesn't look good for the ticket agent.

http://www.postbulletin.com/news/local/amtrak-to-keep-winona-ticket-agent-until-end-of-year/article_73fbbf1e-fc66-5951-8b87-ad836f500c84.html

Please allow a brief fair use quote:

Amtrak is stepping back from a plan to leave the Winona depot unmanned.

During Monday's Winona City Council meeting, Mayor Mark Peterson said Amtrak had originally planned to remove the ticket agent staffing the stop by the end of August.

The decision was made as Amtrak reduces staff nationwide and more people utilize online options to buy tickets and check train schedules.

But Amtrak will now keep the agent at the station until the end of the year, Peterson said. After that, the stop will remain staffed, he said, but not with a ticket agent. And there won't be help for passengers' luggage. The depot will also get a ticket machine so customers can make purchases.Peterson said he was notified of the change after representatives from Amtrak met recently with city officials. They promised to keep Winona as a stop, he said, and also announced they would be adding $700,000 in improvements to make the Winona depot handicap-accessible and in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Perhaps the area is for the caretaker. This article makes it seems are the area may be for a part time employee:

In August, Amtrak officials laid plans to eliminate staffing at the Winona station. Under that plan, workers would still open, close, and clean the station, but there would be no option for buying tickets at the station, no checked luggage, and no helpful station agent. Because Winona is a shift-change stop for Amtrak conductors and engineers, a pair of train operators waiting to board the incoming train come to the station a couple hours before train arrival times. These conductors and engineers could answer customers' questions about when the train would arrive, Amtrak officials explained. As for tickets, most customers buy tickets online, anyway, they added. Amtrak allows a lot of carry-on luggage and passengers who needed to check luggage could go to the La Crosse station. "So we have to make a business decision, and the right business decision is to not have agents two stations in a row in both La Crosse and Winona," Magliari said.



Enter Mayor Mark Peterson. After being urged by citizens, Peterson called on Amtrak to keep Winona's station agent, and he enlisted staff from the offices of U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Al Franken, and Representative Tim Walz to help. Amtrak is a key form of transportation for Winona, both for Winonans themselves and because of the outside traffic it brings to town, Peterson said. The station agent is really important to Amtrak customers and if Winona loses its station agent, fewer people will come to Winona, he stated. Among Minnesota stops, the ridership in Winona is second only to St. Paul and only slightly less than the ridership in La Crosse, Klobuchar, Franken, and Walz pointed out in letters to Amtrak. Cutting back on service in Winona will hurt Minnesota rail riders, they said.



So Amtrak leaders delayed the staffing change — they had planned to relocate Frey in September — and considered the pushback they were getting.After a meeting with Peterson, Congressional staffers, and Winona rail supporters this month, Amtrak leaders decided on a new plan. They would still eliminate the Winona station agent position, but they would replace it with a part-time station worker and they would provide a ticket kiosk at the station. In an interview last week, Magliari explained the part-timer would not be a mere caretaker. "A caretaker is just there to empty the wastebasket, but this is going to be doing more than emptying wastebaskets," he said. In addition to care-taking duties, the part-time station worker will be assigned to be at the station a few hours before train arrival times and one of his or her primary duties will be welcoming passengers and letting them know when the train will arrive. "In some cases, the caretaker is more a custodian than someone who is there to help passengers, but in this case they will help passengers. They will be required to help passengers," Magliari stated. Magliari also pointed out that Amtrak train attendants will still be there with the train to help people with their baggage. Like the previous plan, Amtrak's new plan would eliminate checked baggage service at the Winona station. Amtrak allows a lot of carry-on baggage — two bags 50 pounds or less plus two bags 25 pounds or less — but customers will not be able to board the train in Winona with extra-heavy or oversized items.

I'd keep an eye on the website for updates.

 

[TraneMan]

How did I miss that articial?

 

[BCL]

I believe this is the full article.

https://www.winonapost.com/Article/ArticleID/46676/Amtrak-Winona-plan-part-timer

I hope nobody takes the bit about "personal items" without looking up the size restrictions. While it is 25 lbs, it's a lot smaller than the typical airline carry on size, which is typically a 25 lb limit.

 

[Ryan]

"Personal item" is not the same thing as "carry on". You're allowed on carry on and one personal item on an airplane.

 

[BCL]

"Personal item" is not the same thing as "carry on". You're allowed on carry on and one personal item on an airplane.

Sure. However, the reporter said it was 50 lbs and 25 lbs without specifying size limits. On Amtrak the latter is 14"x11"x7" and will likely be less than 25 lbs. A lightly loaded oversized piece (75 linear inches) would probably exceed the carry on size limits, but would be acceptable for Amtrak check in.

 

[Thirdrail7]

Ultimately, this may be one of the stations that will allow the train side luggage check in.

 

[neroden]

That would be good. Train side luggage check in seems like a program which should be expanded at lower-ridership stations.

 

[TraneMan]

That would be good. Train side luggage check in seems like a program which should be expanded at lower-ridership stations.

I agree with that..

 

[fillyjonk]

"Personal item" is not the same thing as "carry on". You're allowed on carry on and one personal item on an airplane.

Sure. However, the reporter said it was 50 lbs and 25 lbs without specifying size limits. On Amtrak the latter is 14"x11"x7" and will likely be less than 25 lbs. A lightly loaded oversized piece (75 linear inches) would probably exceed the carry on size limits, but would be acceptable for Amtrak check in.

I think the news releases, or how newspapers wrote them up at first, was unclear - I know my mom called me to 'warn' me I was only allowed 25 pound carry ons and I was like HOW WILL I TAKE CLOTHING FOR A THREE WEEK TRIP THEN? (I get on at an unstaffed station, so no checked baggage).

Later I came to find out the policy really hadn't changed, but the fact that they are enforcing it has, and I can still bring two carry ons up to 50 pounds plus my purse.

I figure if I can't lift the luggage, I have no business taking it. (I can easily lift 30-40 pounds)

That said, I've never seen anyone checking on anyone's luggage.

However, I would use train-side checked luggage check-in, if it existed - I have one carry on of "needed on trip" stuff and another carry on of stuff I don't need until my destination. However, I wonder if trainside checkin could potentially lead to security concerns?

 

[PaulM]

That would be good. Train side luggage check in seems like a program which should be expanded at lower-ridership stations.

Wouldn't be a bad idea at medium ridership stations either.

 

[BCL]

That would be good. Train side luggage check in seems like a program which should be expanded at lower-ridership stations.

I'm just curious as to the mechanics. Obviously there are scales and measuring devices at staffed stations. Will they need portable scales or will they just make a guess by lifting.

 

[PaulM]

I'm just curious as to the mechanics. Obviously there are scales and measuring devices at staffed stations. Will they need portable scales or will they just make a guess by lifting.

So far this option is only offered at stations that are staffed 5 days a week except during the agent's vacation. So there will be a scale.

In side the station there is a sign with an easily understood set of instructions. Basically, you pick up two versions of a baggage tag, enter the station code for your destination on one and attach it to your bag, keep the other as a claim check, proceed to a sign on the platform where you hand the luggage to a staff member when the train arrives. It works like a charm.

I've not had to claim luggage at a station like this, but I would simply ask the conductor what to do when you approach your destination.

 

[jebr]

I'm just curious as to the mechanics. Obviously there are scales and measuring devices at staffed stations. Will they need portable scales or will they just make a guess by lifting.

So far this option is only offered at stations that are staffed 5 days a week except during the agent's vacation. So there will be a scale.

In side the station there is a sign with an easily understood set of instructions. Basically, you pick up two versions of a baggage tag, enter the station code for your destination on one and attach it to your bag, keep the other as a claim check, proceed to a sign on the platform where you hand the luggage to a staff member when the train arrives. It works like a charm.

I've not had to claim luggage at a station like this, but I would simply ask the conductor what to do when you approach your destination.

Bags are simply claimed trainside at the baggage car. I think you had to present your baggage claim card, but otherwise it was grab the bags and go. We once did this at MTP and it worked very well. No complaints here.

 

[BCL]

Bags are simply claimed trainside at the baggage car. I think you had to present your baggage claim card, but otherwise it was grab the bags and go. We once did this at MTP and it worked very well. No complaints here.

Doesn't seem all that different than the way I picked up baggage at Emeryville, except that I had to wait for the baggage cart.

 

[neroden]

That would be good. Train side luggage check in seems like a program which should be expanded at lower-ridership stations.

Wouldn't be a bad idea at medium ridership stations either.

I'm not sure what your definition of medium ridership is, but by the time you get to stations with ridership like Syracuse NY, the sheer quantity of baggage demands a full-time station agent to handle the baggage.

 

[Eric S]

That actually gets to a good question - what level of ridership (per train, I suppose) warrants full checked baggage service, and what level should have the trainside luggage check?

If I'm not mistaken, so far the trainside luggage check has been offered at a few stations with ridership in the 15,000-20,000 per year range.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

"Personal item" is not the same thing as "carry on". You're allowed on carry on and one personal item on an airplane.

I believe what you're describing is the maximum possible allowance by the FAA for flights to/from/in the US. So far as I am aware airlines can further limit the allocation and total allowance as they please. On the other hand due to staff reductions and budget cutbacks there are fewer staff and fewer interactions that could potentially expose you to strict enforcement. If you have upper tier status or a premium cabin ticket luggage rules are rarely enforced anyhow.