Boston is a bit unique, it has two major stations with a good reason for being within a mile or so of each other and both very heavily used. As Tom points out the services at North Station exist for one reason, the trains to Portland. South Station and Back Bay have 20 Amtrak departures during the day and with all trains reserved they need agents where they might not need them as badly if the trains did not require reservations. Many hotels and much business is in close to Back Bay and although there is plenty of commuter trains between the two stations, who in their right mind wants to ride inbound to South Station to change a reservation or get last minute transportation? I know there are not many other points where Amtrak has two stations within the same borders but this is the NORTHEAST CORRIDOR which is Amtrak's MOST IMPORTANT line by far. I do not think it is a good idea to have no ticket agents at Back Bay given the neighborhood and area that Back Bay serves on a daily basis. I have always considered the requirement of reservations for NEC trains to be a terrible situation for the public but given that it is what it is, the need for an Amtrak Agent at Back Bay is still there.
Noel Weaver
Noel Weaver