by crazy_nip
Railroad Forums
Someone tells it like it is for a change
- Discussion related to Amtrak also known as the National Railroad Passenger Corp.
Moderators: GirlOnTheTrain, mtuandrew, Tadman
by taoyue
Well, I can't agree with the privatization rhetoric, but I thought the account of the delays on the Coast Starlight was fairly accurate. It has all the hallmarks of someone who knew next-to-nothing about Amtrak (expecting the Starlight to be on-time?!), had a horrible experience, then read up on the anti-Amtrak side and swallowed all the arguments. Whatever his views on Amtrak prior to his trip, he's irrevocably opposed now.
by henry6
He's from California...the comic (?) is about California. Does he mean AMTRAK or CALTRANS? Either way, he's so far off! I'd say something about him being from California but I would get in trouble with my friends out there and with the Moderator, so lets just say Beggs is from California and you be the judge.
by John_Perkowski
There is a truism:
Give great service, and the customer will tell two folks.
Give bad service, and the former customer will tell at least ten folks.
BFO: The cartoonist got bad service during a trip on the Starlight. He has access to vent in a way that tells not 10, but 10,000 or more. Is there hyperbole? Possibly, perhaps probably. Is there truth behind the hyperbole? Certainly.
MORALS: Amtrak has to pay attention to the quality of its service. Bad service drives away existing customers, and keeps new ones from wanting to try rail as a way of getting there.
John Perkowski
Give great service, and the customer will tell two folks.
Give bad service, and the former customer will tell at least ten folks.
BFO: The cartoonist got bad service during a trip on the Starlight. He has access to vent in a way that tells not 10, but 10,000 or more. Is there hyperbole? Possibly, perhaps probably. Is there truth behind the hyperbole? Certainly.
MORALS: Amtrak has to pay attention to the quality of its service. Bad service drives away existing customers, and keeps new ones from wanting to try rail as a way of getting there.
John Perkowski
by David Benton
if you check the starlights train status , you'll find several hours late is probably the norm , rather than the exception . at least when i checked just before christmas .
From his account , it seems he did actually ride the train , which is better than complaining without riding it .
From his account , it seems he did actually ride the train , which is better than complaining without riding it .
Moderator worldwide railfan , Rail travel & trip reports
The only train trips I regret are the ones I didn't take.
The only train trips I regret are the ones I didn't take.
by TomNelligan
We must feel sorry for poor Mr. Bagge. For some strange reason, he apparently expected Amtrak to deliver him to his destination at a time that roughly corresponded to the published schedule, and to have a pleasant travel experience en route. Wherever did he get that idea?
I thought the cartoons were both funny and sadly on target. For anyone who's not a railfan or at least a seasoned rail traveller who knows what to expect, Amtrak long distance service these days is a crapshoot at best.
I thought the cartoons were both funny and sadly on target. For anyone who's not a railfan or at least a seasoned rail traveller who knows what to expect, Amtrak long distance service these days is a crapshoot at best.
by hsr_fan
It's funny that when I mention traveling on Amtrak anywhere outside of the Northeast Corridor (such as when I took the Crescent to my friend's wedding in Atlanta), the reaction I get is typically something like "Are you nuts?!" or "Don't you know what kind of crowd you'll run into on Amtrak" or "Wouldn't Greyhound be a step up?". Amtrak definitely has an image problem, and perhaps it's well deserved. What I find interesting is that some of those same people talk about how they'd really love to take the train across Canada, as they've heard it's a wonderful journey. Somehow, VIA has managed to maintain a positive image for its Canadian, it seems, while Amtrak doesn't really seem to enjoy the same image among the general public.
by JoeG
I found the cartoon exaggerated, as cartoons are, but uncomfortably on target. I don't recommend Amtrak to anyone for travel off the Corridor unless they are a railfan, in which case they probably don't need the recommendation. At work, people know I am the train guy, and sometimes ask for routings, etc. I anwer their questions but warn them about the bad timekeeping.
As Col P says, the bad service is lethal, especially combined with the bad timekeeping. I certainly hope Mr Gunn's replacement can address this problem. Maybe the "state of good service" has become as important as the "state of good repair."
As Col P says, the bad service is lethal, especially combined with the bad timekeeping. I certainly hope Mr Gunn's replacement can address this problem. Maybe the "state of good service" has become as important as the "state of good repair."
by John_Perkowski
JoeG wrote: <snip> . . . especially combined with the bad timekeeping. I certainly hope Mr Gunn's replacement can address this problem. Maybe the "state of good service" has become as important as the "state of good repair."This is the reason I've set the guy who posts OTP statistics here onto my personal "ignore" list. If we're going to be proper advocates, we need a population each month, not a sample. Maybe one or more of the AmKids can start learning policy analysis by doing data reduction on the full population of Amtrak trains.
Amtrak has three key points to sell itself:
- On time!
- Good service!
- Fares that are in line with timeliness and service.
The cartoon we are critiquing is a result of all 3.
John Perkowski
by wigwagfan
The fact he actually appears to have boarded an Amtrak train seems to suggest he knows more about Amtrak than a substantial number of Americans (who either don't know Amtrak exists, doesn't know how to use Amtrak, or simply ignores Amtrak).
Why is it that in order to have a voice in Amtrak, one must have ridden X number of miles on a train, or so many routes? He rode a train, had a very horrible experience that was well below his expectations set for the experience, and decided that something needed to be said about it? Do you honestly think that by writing Amtrak about this experience will make any difference? Further - does writing to Union Pacific make any difference?
While it is a stretch to say that the Coast Starlight is proof that the entire Amtrak system is flawed (well, that must be why Delta Airlines is bankrupt, because of that flight they used to run from Portland, OR to Narita, Japan!) - I would likewise say it is a stretch that many people in this country do not travel so frequently or to so many locations, that they require use of more than one Amtrak train or route. Therefore, the Coast Starlight might be the only logical Amtrak route for the majority of his long distance travel needs. He may never have a need to travel to Malta, Montana, or Lamy, New Mexico, or even Portland, Maine. Thus, his response has some merit.
Mr. Perkowski said it right - when something is good, a customer might tell one or two people; when it goes wrong, all hell breaks loose.
Why is it that in order to have a voice in Amtrak, one must have ridden X number of miles on a train, or so many routes? He rode a train, had a very horrible experience that was well below his expectations set for the experience, and decided that something needed to be said about it? Do you honestly think that by writing Amtrak about this experience will make any difference? Further - does writing to Union Pacific make any difference?
While it is a stretch to say that the Coast Starlight is proof that the entire Amtrak system is flawed (well, that must be why Delta Airlines is bankrupt, because of that flight they used to run from Portland, OR to Narita, Japan!) - I would likewise say it is a stretch that many people in this country do not travel so frequently or to so many locations, that they require use of more than one Amtrak train or route. Therefore, the Coast Starlight might be the only logical Amtrak route for the majority of his long distance travel needs. He may never have a need to travel to Malta, Montana, or Lamy, New Mexico, or even Portland, Maine. Thus, his response has some merit.
Mr. Perkowski said it right - when something is good, a customer might tell one or two people; when it goes wrong, all hell breaks loose.
by Jersey_Mike
I have found that for Amtrak can be a much improved experience for people who are fed up with flying. There are some qualifiers tho.
The route needs to be consistantly not more than 1-2 hours late.
The trains should be Superliner Equipped.
Going first class at not mega expensive rates is a big plus.
Often times with winter rates in effect you would be an idiot not to travel Amtrak LD with a sleeping accomidation. I seems that the coast starlight is in a shambles, but at least the East coast trains seems to be running no more than 2hr down on a regular basis, so I keep recomending Amtrak to all my friends. and those who have taken it enjoy it (if they have the time to use it :-\ )
The route needs to be consistantly not more than 1-2 hours late.
The trains should be Superliner Equipped.
Going first class at not mega expensive rates is a big plus.
Often times with winter rates in effect you would be an idiot not to travel Amtrak LD with a sleeping accomidation. I seems that the coast starlight is in a shambles, but at least the East coast trains seems to be running no more than 2hr down on a regular basis, so I keep recomending Amtrak to all my friends. and those who have taken it enjoy it (if they have the time to use it :-\ )