Progressive Railroading: Amtrak's New Customer Focus

JoeG wrote:A lot of what I wrote is based on Don Phillips' recent columns in Trains. It appears that, because of staffing cuts, they have destroyed the dining car experience.
Also, the alleged commitment to "optimize" train consists does not seem worth much. In particular, look at the Adirondack. It tends to be sold out in August because of the Saratoga racing season. From what I can see, a car may have been added sometimes but not every day. One of the advantages of trains is their consist flexibility but in recent years Amtrak has done this very little. Are there no extra coaches? Is Amtrak sacrificing revenue to save switching costs?
Amtrak's ontime performance on its own tracks is mediocre. Why? They own and dispatch the NEC except for the MN piece.
Amtrak's performance outside of its own tracks is, of course, terrible. A lot of this is freight congestion, but part of the problem is Amtrak's apparent inability to negotiate better handling with the Class I's.
I see that Amtrak management is talking about being nimble and optimizing its resources. I see no evidence of any changes for the better. I just see the usual bureaucratic blather.
They need another David Gunn.

Well, I don't have the benefit of Don Phillips' observations, but I would note the following:

• I believe Amtrak cut staffing in the dining car in order to reduce costs in the face of a hostile Congress. It is not my impression that Amtrak enjoys much political flexibility in this matter and what political capital it has it has chosen to spend on ridership growth and rolling stock acquisition.
• I think you underrate the difficulties created by the Metro-North. It owns and dispatches New York-New Haven (I believe) and I've encountered frequent delays there, ranging from commuter train interference to bridge problems. These are outside Amtrak's control. If you examine Amtrak's OTP information for the Northeast Regional and Acela Express the delays caused by the MNRR are out of proportion to size of that route. There's also the current track work between New York and Washington, and the unreliability of the HHP-8s (being replaced).
• Yes, Amtrak is short on equipment. That's a frequent topic of discussion here. The new bilevels on order for the Midwest and California will go a long way toward addressing that, as will the Viewliner II order. Amtrak already returned many Amfleets to service using ARRA funds.
• If switching costs would exceed revenue, then it is entirely reasonable for Amtrak to make that sacrifice. Absent specific numbers and examples it's impossible to say.
• Amtrak has no political nor financial leverage with the Class Is. I don't see how a new CEO would alter that equation. What did you have in mind?

Ridership is up. Losses are down. OTP is also down, for reasons mostly beyond Amtrak's control. The average age of rolling stock is starting to drop.

JoeG wrote:A lot of what I wrote is based on Don Phillips' recent columns in Trains. It appears that, because of staffing cuts, they have destroyed the dining car experience.
Also, the alleged commitment to "optimize" train consists does not seem worth much. In particular, look at the Adirondack. It tends to be sold out in August because of the Saratoga racing season. From what I can see, a car may have been added sometimes but not every day. One of the advantages of trains is their consist flexibility but in recent years Amtrak has done this very little. Are there no extra coaches? Is Amtrak sacrificing revenue to save switching costs?
Amtrak's ontime performance on its own tracks is mediocre. Why? They own and dispatch the NEC except for the MN piece.
Amtrak's performance outside of its own tracks is, of course, terrible. A lot of this is freight congestion, but part of the problem is Amtrak's apparent inability to negotiate better handling with the Class I's.
I see that Amtrak management is talking about being nimble and optimizing its resources. I see no evidence of any changes for the better. I just see the usual bureaucratic blather.
They need another David Gunn.

I have seen Don Phillips' columns as well. Lately I have had to take his writing with a grain of salt. I'm a little surprised that you don't acknowledge the progress that has been made on improving Amtrak's financial performance. Amtrak's requirement for an annual operating subsidy has been reduced by several hundred million dollars even while ridership is at all time highs. As others have mentioned there are in fact very few, if any extra coaches and they are largely dedicated to meeting excess demand on the NEC. Saratoga might be a nice place to send extra capacity but I would imagine having extra capacity on the NEC between BOS and WAS (or points in VA) is not only more important but also more profitable.

As Amtrak continues to improve their financial performance I think you will in fact see continued increases in rolling stock and capacity. That's good news for all of us whether you're getting off in Saratoga or taking a train to Chicago.

gokeefe wrote:
I have seen Don Phillips' columns as well. Lately I have had to take his writing with a grain of salt.

Well said. Don't quote Don Phillips to railroad management, they think he's an idiot. Phillips preaches from an idealist bubble.

Part of my problem is that I don't see the advantage to reducing the deficit. No country's passenger railroad service breaks even. Why should ours? I would like to see Amtrak get to a state of good repair and have adequate rolling stock and crews. We have gotten to accept very bad things from Amtrak service. For example, on many routes, the cars are a mess and toilets are often unusable by the end of the run. Why? Because years ago they eliminated coach attendants. And the surly onboard crews often encountered could be fixed with better supervision, but onboard service chiefs were eliminated a long time ago. Likewise, crew shortages on LD routes can mean that when a crew outlaws, it can take hours to get a relief crew on board. Boardman should be working to get more staff instead of reducing staff and degrading service in the futile and unproductive goal of eliminating Amtrak's need for subsidies.
I understand that various Congresscritters want to eliminate the Amtrak subsidies. OK, this is just one of many bad ideas these folks have.
Although the highway trust fund is supposed to be self-sustaining, it isn't and Congress manages to keep it funded. Same should be true for Amtrak.

JoeG wrote:Part of my problem is that I don't see the advantage to reducing the deficit. No country's passenger railroad service breaks even. Why should ours? I would like to see Amtrak get to a state of good repair and have adequate rolling stock and crews. ...

The advantage to Amtrak is that by reducing the operating deficit, they have increased the amount of funds available for capital projects and spending. Even though Congress provides annual funding split into operating subsidy, capital grants, the political reality is that most of them just look at the total amount going to Amtrak. By reducing the total operating deficit and the annual debt payments (thanks to funds for early buy-outs of expensive Warrington era equipment leases), they have been able to shift funds to the capital grant category. Which means more money for equipment overhauls, buying the 130 Viewliner IIs, NEC infrastructure projects, upgrading station, facilities and the system support structure.

The NEC still needs a lot of money for modernization, capacity expansion (far more for the commuter railroads than for Amtrak), replacing 100+ year old bridges and tunnels, and getting to a true state of good repair. Amtrak still needs significant capital funds to replace the Amfleet IIs and Superliners for the LD fleet, the P-42 locomotives, and a financing arrangement to replace the Amfleet Is. However, the HSIPR grants for the orders of the Siemens Charger diesel locomotives and Nippon-Sharyo corridor bi-levels offer opportunities for incremental follow-on orders by Amtrak to replace parts of the fleet. Right now, the plan for the next equipment replacement order is Acela replacements for 28 off the shelf HSR trainsets with 425 to 450 seats each. The Acela service generates enough revenue and operating surplus that the 28 new HSR trainsets will pay for themselves, even if Congress does not provide funding to pay for part of the costs.

JoeG wrote:. For example, on many routes, the cars are a mess and toilets are often unusable by the end of the run. Why? Because years ago they eliminated coach attendants. And the surly onboard crews often encountered could be fixed with better supervision, but onboard service chiefs were eliminated a long time ago.

I don't know that you can properly correlate these two issues. The cars were in much worse shape during the overstaffed rainbow era than they are today. I can't say I'm thrilled with the condition of the restrooms, but it's never a glaring problem for me and I take ~1/year LD trip and travel maybe monhtly on corridor trains.

SouthernRailway wrote:[Based on my last trip on the Crescent (4 or 5 years ago), having dealt with surly staff with attitude, staffing cuts could help the dining car experience. ... Amtrak should pair staff reductions with investments in technology in order to enhance the customer experience.

^^ This. 15 years ago, Hertz invented "Hertz Gold" where customers could skip the rental counter and walk right to their car. This both decreased labor costs *and* improved customer throughput and satisfaction (which is why it's been copied across the industry). Yes, there was still a human at a counter but there needed to be way fewer of them, and most people were happier handing themselves the keys to their car.

Empowering customers to shape & control their own journey can be good for both costs and customers.

Arlington wrote:

SouthernRailway wrote:[Based on my last trip on the Crescent (4 or 5 years ago), having dealt with surly staff with attitude, staffing cuts could help the dining car experience. ... Amtrak should pair staff reductions with investments in technology in order to enhance the customer experience.

^^ This. 15 years ago, Hertz invented "Hertz Gold" where customers could skip the rental counter and walk right to their car. This both decreased labor costs *and* improved customer throughput and satisfaction (which is why it's been copied across the industry). Yes, there was still a human at a counter but there needed to be way fewer of them, and most people were happier handing themselves the keys to their car.

Empowering customers to shape & control their own journey can be good for both costs and customers.

Yes and no. I mean Amtrak has done this quite well with the Quik-Traks.

But for dinner, I want interaction, I want a human. And I must say my experience on the Silver Star was the complete opposite. My car attendant went out of this way to make sure we got lunch before we got off at Orlando and was cheerful about it. It made the experience that much more pleasurable.

I do think more of Amtrak's OBS folks do need better training however. Some are clearly only in it for their pension. Or at least that's their attitude.

Personal preferences differ; some may prefer human interaction, and some may not. If Amtrak cuts staff and increases investments in iPads and other technology, however, both types of customers can be satisfied. There should still be dining car staff for people who prefer human interaction, and iPads for those who prefer technological efficiency.

National Car Rental also has a program like Hertz #1 Gold (Emerald Club); I use it regularly and love it because I just walk onto the lot from the airport, pick any car I want, stop at the exit gate to show my driver's license and credit card and drive off. It's so easy, and there's no line or surly staff (people at National are nice anyway). Panera, Applebee's, TGI Friday's, etc. are all adding iPads for ordering in their restaurants and developing online ordering websites; so should Amtrak.

SouthernRailway wrote:Personal preferences differ; some may prefer human interaction, and some may not. If Amtrak cuts staff and increases investments in iPads and other technology, however, both types of customers can be satisfied. There should still be dining car staff for people who prefer human interaction, and iPads for those who prefer technological efficiency.

National Car Rental also has a program like Hertz #1 Gold (Emerald Club); I use it regularly and love it because I just walk onto the lot from the airport, pick any car I want, stop at the exit gate to show my driver's license and credit card and drive off. It's so easy, and there's no line or surly staff (people at National are nice anyway). Panera, Applebee's, TGI Friday's, etc. are all adding iPads for ordering in their restaurants and developing online ordering websites; so should Amtrak.

I disagree with the use of iPads to order food on Amtrak. The purpose for those restaurants is so people who want to take the food to go do not have to stand in a long line and wait with those who are eating in. That will not work on board a train since menus can change and there is no waiting in line for take out or dine in service.

Second the restroom issue is a customer issue. By that I mean no matter what Amtrak does to keep restrooms clean, unfortunately customers do not care. I took 49 from Chicago to NY and by the time the train reached Hammond, IN (not sure if we made the stop or passed by) despite the car attendants best efforts the bathroom was a wreck. I was going to Albany from Penn and was sitting in the lounge car. There were only five first class passengers, the two conductors, and myself in the car. Before the train reached its first stop the conductor locked the bathroom out and pitched a fit to the first class passengers who made a mess out of it. So even with a Chief of On Board Services on the train (back in the day), the bathroom would have been locked out anyway because to service it you need mechanical services.

Third I find it odd how people complain about the crews behavior and suggest they wouldn't take the train again but encounter the same behavior at restaurants and airlines and I don't hear the complaints about not flying and not eating at the restaurants again. The crews are human and they have good and bad days just like every body else. I'm not excusing the behavior, but cut them some slack. Lets not make it sound like bad behavior is an everyday occurrence on the railroad.

LIRR272 wrote: … the restroom issue is a customer issue. By that I mean no matter what Amtrak does to keep restrooms clean, unfortunately customers do not care. … despite the car attendants best efforts the bathroom was a wreck. … Before the train reached its first stop the conductor locked the bathroom out and pitched a fit to the first class passengers who made a mess out of it. ...

O.K.
Install cameras in the toilets, with large signs informing users that the recorded images will be forwarded to the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security, after any necessary review by Amtrak Police.

I assume that the sleuths at Homeland Security already know every time I unzip. There's nothing left at all of the quaint old Fourth Amendment stuff about no unreasonable searches and seizures -- with the War on Drugs, that privacy rights stuff is so over. So having already given up our freedoms, we might as well get clean toilets out of the deal. A trade-off, sort of like Il Duce getting the trains to run on time, ya know?

And no, I'm not kidding.

Also enforce washing of hands after using the toilet, as a much needed public health measure.

LIRR272 wrote:
I disagree with the use of iPads to order food on Amtrak. The purpose for those restaurants is so people who want to take the food to go do not have to stand in a long line and wait with those who are eating in. That will not work on board a train since menus can change and there is no waiting in line for take out or dine in service.

FYI, Applebee's or TGI Friday's are sit-down restaurants with waiters (with to-go options), like an Amtrak dining car, and they're adding iPads at every table for ordering. According to the restaurants, one reason to add iPads is so that customers who are seated at lunch/dinner can order and pay more quickly, and so a table can be turned over more during the course of a day, meaning higher revenues per table. If you want food to go from one of those restaurants, you can order online on its website before you arrive; an iPad doesn't add much for to-go options.

Menus on Seamless.com or at Applebee's, TGI Friday's and Panera also change frequently. It's not hard to update a menu on the software that those restaurants use.

SouthernRailway wrote:

LIRR272 wrote: I disagree with the use of iPads to order food on Amtrak. The purpose for those restaurants is so people who want to take the food to go do not have to stand in a long line and wait with those who are eating in. That will not work on board a train since menus can change and there is no waiting in line for take out or dine in service.

FYI, Applebee's or TGI Friday's are sit-down restaurants (with to-go options), like an Amtrak dining car, and they're adding iPads at every table for ordering. According to the restaurants, one reason to add iPads is so that customers who are seated at lunch/dinner can order and pay more quickly, and so a table can be turned over more during the course of a day, meaning higher revenues per table. If you want food to go from one of those restaurants, you can order online on its website before you arrive; an iPad doesn't add much for to-go options.

Menus on Seamless.com or at Applebee's, TGI Friday's and Panera also change frequently. It's not hard to update a menu on the software that those restaurants use.

The iPads seem ideal, really. A combination of online ordering from your seat (wifi on the train should connect to the Diner's computer, even when a lack of cellular connection means the "outside world" can't be reached), and instantly-updated menus on iPad (if the kitchen is out of an item it should just disappear from the menu). Finally, if computers handle ordering and payment, the staff can have a much higher throughput actually delivering food (rather than handling order composition and processing payments).

There is a whole lot of wasted time in restaurants trying to synch up you being ready to order and the server's being ready to take it. You're hungry, but the server isn't available to take your order. Or the instant arrives when the server comes, only to find that you're not ready. Or you think of something else you'd like but the waiter hasn't circled back. Having "meetings" is an absolutely terrible way for you and a server to exchange information about an order that's going to get punched into a computer or cash register anyway. And that whole The Bill / The Card / The Receipt / Your Copy thing? A distraction from the real business of preparing and serving what customers want.

I agree with Arlington 100%.

To add, my pro-iPad experience is based on my last Crescent trip. Here's what happened:

The sleeping car attendant came to take my order for dinner (served in the sleeping car). She told me that I'd be having baked chicken. (I wasn't offered a menu or any choices.) I asked for a glass of wine and mentioned that I knew that it would be at my expense. She told me that wasn't possible, since she "would have to go to the café car and stand in line for me and couldn't do that."

I later asked someone in the dining car about having only baked chicken and the person was surprised, since the full menu was available.

With an iPad, I could have ordered and paid on a screen, saving staff time and avoiding anger.

SouthernRailway wrote:I agree with Arlington 100%.

To add, my pro-iPad experience is based on my last Crescent trip. Here's what happened:

The sleeping car attendant came to take my order for dinner (served in the sleeping car). She told me that I'd be having baked chicken. (I wasn't offered a menu or any choices.) I asked for a glass of wine and mentioned that I knew that it would be at my expense. She told me that wasn't possible, since she "would have to go to the café car and stand in line for me and couldn't do that."

I later asked someone in the dining car about having only baked chicken and the person was surprised, since the full menu was available.

With an iPad, I could have ordered and paid on a screen, saving staff time and avoiding anger.

You're sort of mixing two issues here:

Convenience (which I'm in favor of) and someone not doing their job. An iPad won't solve that problem, simply hide it. In my experience on sleepers I've had varied service, but honestly service never that bad. I do hope you reported it.