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Bad and inconsistent levels of service - Steve Wallis rides Amtrak

Discussion related to Amtrak also known as the National Railroad Passenger Corp.

Moderators: GirlOnTheTrain, mtuandrew, Tadman

Bad and inconsistent levels of service - Steve Wallis rides Amtrak

  by Tadman
 
Steve Wallis is one of my favorite Youtubers that is known for camping in very unconventional places. Recently he traveled ATL-WAS-CHI-SEA in sleeper. He is not a train buff, just a very interesting guy from Canada. All of his reactions are worth understanding, but at 38:00 there are five minutes of mildly coherent and completely off-script employee ranting over the PA. An employee of a major airline or hotel chain would (a) be told exactly what to say and be expected to say it (b) written up and let go for this rant. Then the conductor comes on and talks over her for a bit. This is the kind of garbage that really turns people off and makes Amtrak an unserious travel option for most of us.

It's also something that could be fixed for $0. Set a policy. Email it to all concerned, and print/laminate copies and post next to the PA microphone. This problem could be fixed literally in a matter of days.



Highlights include:
-incoherent introduction
-threats about customer attitude
-personal grumbles about coffee for crew
-ad hoc rules for where to stand in the cafe
-ad hoc rules about closing cafe and shutting down the downstairs of the lounge
-grumbling about break time
-outward disregard for any type of schedule for the cafe
-discussion of a mental health break
-discussion of "crap everywhere"
-ad hoc rules of one-up, one-down
-denial of ability to sit downstairs in cafe (we've all done this, there are plenty of seats)
-ad hoc rules about where to stand if you pay cash or credit

OMG JUST STFU OR DID I MISS AN ORDINATION WHERE THE POPE AND JOE BIDEN CAME DOWN TO 16TH STREET AND MADE THIS LADY SUPREME DEAR LEADER FOR LIFE OF THE AMTRAK $10 PIZZA MICROWAVE CAFE

I rode Brightline last week ORL-WPB and this crap would not fly. Same for multiple Delta flights. They would not put up with this psychobabble. Unreal.

Re: Bad and inconsistent levels of service - Steve Wallis rides Amtrak

  by eolesen
 
I'm sure people who ride it daily are either numb to this because they've accepted this as normal, or because it doesn't happen on their 1-2 hour commute, it's not a valid observation...

Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk

Re: Bad and inconsistent levels of service - Steve Wallis rides Amtrak

  by STrRedWolf
 
Before we go too far, let us suss out some specifics.

The path paring was ATL-WAS-CHI-SEA. We can guess the Crescent, followed by ether the Capitol Limited or the Cardinal, then the Empire Builder. The video, if scrubbed back a bit, showed that the rider was hitting Milwaukee before hand... which means the staffer was on the Empire Builder.

That said... I let my Senator know and sent the link. Hopefully his office will investigate.

Re: Bad and inconsistent levels of service - Steve Wallis rides Amtrak

  by Railjunkie
 
As a former LSA I am embarrassed with that speech. Never worked a Superliner but have ridden them. Small space yes, but the you will routine not so much. But then again I have seen such classics as fuzzy pink slippers and on break for two and a half hours. Not to defend her in any way shape or form but OBS has no HOS so if you are late to bad the railroad does not care you had a couple of hours of sleep on your layover.
I still have my LSA handbook somewhere and I would have to double check but I believe Café cars should close at midnight or reaches it final destination. Open at seven or as soon as the train departs its originating terminal.

Re: Bad and inconsistent levels of service - Steve Wallis rides Amtrak

  by Gilbert B Norman
 
Let's just call her "Loquacious Lorraine" and move on.

Beyond being repetitive, I really did not find such to be offensive, as apparently Mr. Dunville and the YouTube personality did.

Back when I was a bit more of an Amtrak passenger than I am today (again, my last ride was #52(the day Kobe Bryant was killed)), away from the Auto Train, the Attendants did not appear to have a script. This video certainly establishes that nothing has changed.

Re: Bad and inconsistent levels of service - Steve Wallis rides Amtrak

  by Tadman
 
Railjunkie wrote: ↑Sun Sep 15, 2024 9:56 am As a former LSA I am embarrassed with that speech.
For what it's worth, there are good LSA out there. Absolutely. But there is still no consistency, and that hurts everybody. It sounds like she is frustrated because passengers are asking for snacks during her time off, or interrupting her break, then she tells us there is no set break time and quit asking.

If the railroad had some policy that was actively promoted such as "break time is 1-2pm" or "break time happens every two hours for 30 minutes" (I am sure my examples are not accurate due to operational and contractual realities). But having this policy actively enforced and promoted would give the LSA the tools to tell passengers "X is my break time, Y is food time, please don't get me in trouble" and would also give passengers the ability to somewhat plan their ride.

yes, if the train is 8-14 hours late, this goes out the window. But can we at least try for the 75pct of trains that are wihtin a few hours of on time???? So the passengers and crew don't hate each other?

Also it seems Chicago area is the worst offender for this stuff, and I've heard a couple current and former employees blame a lot of this on a regional manager who's name starts with j.

Re: Bad and inconsistent levels of service - Steve Wallis rides Amtrak

  by JimBoylan
 
Railjunkie wrote: ↑Sun Sep 15, 2024 9:56 amI still have my LSA handbook somewhere and I would have to double check but I believe Café cars should close at midnight or reaches it final destination. Open at seven or as soon as the train departs its originating terminal.
When I rode the Auto Tran Northbound, which may have different rules, in Oct. of (I think) 2018, the 1st Class Lounge Car attendant said he was allowed to close 90 minutes before scheduled arrival time or when passing Quantico, Virginia, whichever came 1st. We were running an hour early, so he wasn't open for very long that morning.
On other trains, when the Cafe is supposed to be open, and when the train crew allows passengers to enter it, are different times.
I have also had sleeping car porters tell me that they are allowed to stop performing any work after scheduled arrival time at the destination, even if the train is running late.

Re: Bad and inconsistent levels of service - Steve Wallis rides Amtrak

  by Railjunkie
 
Tadman wrote: ↑Sun Sep 15, 2024 11:17 am
Railjunkie wrote: ↑Sun Sep 15, 2024 9:56 am As a former LSA I am embarrassed with that speech.
For what it's worth, there are good LSA out there. Absolutely. But there is still no consistency, and that hurts everybody. It sounds like she is frustrated because passengers are asking for snacks during her time off, or interrupting her break, then she tells us there is no set break time and quit asking.

If the railroad had some policy that was actively promoted such as "break time is 1-2pm" or "break time happens every two hours for 30 minutes" (I am sure my examples are not accurate due to operational and contractual realities). But having this policy actively enforced and promoted would give the LSA the tools to tell passengers "X is my break time, Y is food time, please don't get me in trouble" and would also give passengers the ability to somewhat plan their ride.

yes, if the train is 8-14 hours late, this goes out the window. But can we at least try for the 75pct of trains that are wihtin a few hours of on time???? So the passengers and crew don't hate each other?

Also it seems Chicago area is the worst offender for this stuff, and I've heard a couple current and former employees blame a lot of this on a regional manager who's name starts with j.
When I worked behind the counter, the one thing I hated most. Are you open??? While I have totes of supplies and modules of food on the counter. No, I'm trying to get organized to open. "OK I will take a bottle of water and chips. This is what it sounds like to me with the LSA on the video.
As for breaks, anytime I was not behind the counter I considered it a break. The conductors would shut the car down at the stop before crew change but technically I was still open. Again I would have to dive into my old LSA service standards book if I can find it and check the rules as a guideline. Stuff may have change some but I doubt it.

Re: Bad and inconsistent levels of service - Steve Wallis rides Amtrak

  by Railjunkie
 
JimBoylan wrote: ↑Sun Sep 15, 2024 3:34 pm
Railjunkie wrote: ↑Sun Sep 15, 2024 9:56 amI still have my LSA handbook somewhere and I would have to double check but I believe Café cars should close at midnight or reaches it final destination. Open at seven or as soon as the train departs its originating terminal.
When I rode the Auto Tran Northbound, which may have different rules, in Oct. of (I think) 2018, the 1st Class Lounge Car attendant said he was allowed to close 90 minutes before scheduled arrival time or when passing Quantico, Virginia, whichever came 1st. We were running an hour early, so he wasn't open for very long that morning.
On other trains, when the Cafe is supposed to be open, and when the train crew allows passengers to enter it, are different times.
I have also had sleeping car porters tell me that they are allowed to stop performing any work after scheduled arrival time at the destination, even if the train is running late.
Counting stock is important. If something is off or missing it came out of your pocket. This may or may not have changed in recent years. As I worked Empire Service the way it worked was this southbound to New York the Conductors closed the car at Yonkers so we could get our stock counted and secured. Sunnyside was known for B&E back in the day. If you couldn't prove what was in your car you could be on the hook for a lot of $$$$.
Northbound it was Hudson as either it would be the final count for the end of the trip or we were passing the car off to another LSA. Coming from the west or north, Schenectady. Cleared the cafe and allowed us to clean tables and straighten up.
Leaving your departing terminal be it NFL, RUD, NYP, or ALB you were expected to have the car open and ready to serve upon departure. When the Conductors opened the car?? Generally after collecting tickets. Did not want a nasty gram about failure to collect revenue.

Technically at no time were we ever closed until the train arrived at our destination.

Re: Bad and inconsistent levels of service - Steve Wallis rides Amtrak

  by Tadman
 
Railjunkie wrote: ↑Mon Sep 16, 2024 9:47 am
As for breaks, anytime I was not behind the counter I considered it a break. The conductors would shut the car down at the stop before crew change but technically I was still open. Again I would have to dive into my old LSA service standards book if I can find it and check the rules as a guideline. Stuff may have change some but I doubt it.
See I think this is where management did you wrong, and did the passengers wrong. Why couldn't they come up with a better system that more accurately communicates "open" and "closed" such a schedule, a geographical scheme, heck even a red neon "open" light.

Instead it seems like everybody is left to battle it out on their own. This is what bugs me so much. The annoying lady in the video? She could be a very productive and valuable crew member but nobody at headquarters really cares.

None of this is a funding issue, either. It's a "give a crap" issue. Get the VP's on the trains and make the ride for weeks at a time.

Re: Bad and inconsistent levels of service - Steve Wallis rides Amtrak

  by Railjunkie
 
Tadman wrote: ↑Mon Sep 16, 2024 8:04 pm
Railjunkie wrote: ↑Mon Sep 16, 2024 9:47 am
As for breaks, anytime I was not behind the counter I considered it a break. The conductors would shut the car down at the stop before crew change but technically I was still open. Again I would have to dive into my old LSA service standards book if I can find it and check the rules as a guideline. Stuff may have change some but I doubt it.
See I think this is where management did you wrong, and did the passengers wrong. Why couldn't they come up with a better system that more accurately communicates "open" and "closed" such a schedule, a geographical scheme, heck even a red neon "open" light.

Instead it seems like everybody is left to battle it out on their own. This is what bugs me so much. The annoying lady in the video? She could be a very productive and valuable crew member but nobody at headquarters really cares.

None of this is a funding issue, either. It's a "give a crap" issue. Get the VP's on the trains and make the ride for weeks at a time.
Still can not find my old manual for answers.

The last sentence about giving a crap there in lies the problem. I have had Presidents on my train and had bosses come speak to me about a procedures I would follow. Telling me I should not have done it. I smiled and said you are asking me to violate a road foreman's notice?? Hey, if it does not work as intended the Mr. K. gets to see a little bit of the real world. In another instance had a pile of VPs and executive types walking around one happened into the break room. We asked his name and title he never answered, never offered to shake any hands, ask how things are the usual BS. One of my fellow raccoons looked at him straight in the face and said OHH Great undercover boss.

We were spoken to after they left...

The one thing I will say about Joe Boardman like him or hate him if he was around he always took the time to say hello and perhaps a little small talk. Plus he known to ride trains sometimes in a suit and tie and sometimes looking like he just came out of a trout stream. Either way he was asking questions.

Re: Bad and inconsistent levels of service - Steve Wallis rides Amtrak

  by dhturbo
 
Railjunkie wrote: The one thing I will say about Joe Boardman like him or hate him if he was around he always took the time to say hello and perhaps a little small talk. Plus he known to ride trains sometimes in a suit and tie and sometimes looking like he just came out of a trout stream. Either way he was asking questions.
He was one of those rare people capable of respectable attire and looking like he just came out of a trout stream. As an occasional traveler upstate from NYP, I found Mr Boardman in the cafe car on two or three trips. Those trains were on-time, and the staff was crisp in the execution of its duties. The sample was small and unscientific, but I felt that the benign presence of an absurd level of supervision might be good for the passenger experience.

Re: Bad and inconsistent levels of service - Steve Wallis rides Amtrak

  by Railjunkie
 
dhturbo wrote: ↑Tue Sep 17, 2024 5:57 pm
Railjunkie wrote: The one thing I will say about Joe Boardman like him or hate him if he was around he always took the time to say hello and perhaps a little small talk. Plus he known to ride trains sometimes in a suit and tie and sometimes looking like he just came out of a trout stream. Either way he was asking questions.
He was one of those rare people capable of respectable attire and looking like he just came out of a trout stream. As an occasional traveler upstate from NYP, I found Mr Boardman in the cafe car on two or three trips. Those trains were on-time, and the staff was crisp in the execution of its duties. The sample was small and unscientific, but I felt that the benign presence of an absurd level of supervision might be good for the passenger experience.
If Mr. Boardman was traveling officially, the crews knew about it. They would get a quick brief about making announcements and being in proper uniform. Perhaps CSX was tipped off he was riding. The thing with Mr. Boardman he liked to ride unannounced and just wanted to be treated like a regular passenger. You never knew where he might just show up. Harmon??? Poukeepsie?? Schenectady??? Rome??? He would have found in general. Crews in their proper uniform, hats that is always an ish, announcements would be made just like any other trip, and most of the regular LSAs going west then were excellent.

Re: Bad and inconsistent levels of service - Steve Wallis rides Amtrak

  by FANWOODGUY
 
Regarding Amtrak employee attitudes, last year I rode the Palmetto from Metropark to Fayetville, NC, let's just say employee attitudes with the exception of the individual staffing the cafe car was less than professional. Boarding was a challenge, "where's you goin, don get on there, get down there", to "youse better keep the bafroom clean or you won't be able to use it for the rest of the trip". Contrast that to Italian slow speed and high speed rail and you have bilingual professional staff guiding you along the way. I don't know how you overcome the complacency demonstrated other that immediate correction for the first event and termination for the second. Of course the union would never permit that but harsh responses to bad behavior might be the only option. Never riding long distance Amtrak again, thats why airplanes were invented.

Re: Bad and inconsistent levels of service - Steve Wallis rides Amtrak

  by Gilbert B Norman
 
Mr. Fanwood, poor customer service need not be linked to Agreement employees. You've been on enough flights to know that the public contact employees, all, save Delta Attendants, of whom are Agreement, are as good as always "professional".

Even amongst the public contact Agreement employees of the State owned overseas rail systems, there is courtesy and an "I care" bearing. I think amongst others here who travel overseas will heartily concur..

There are of course Amtrak public contact employees who are totally courteous and professional in performing their duties, but it comes from them as individuals and not from supervision. But has often been said one bad apple will infect the entire bushel.

Finally, if you reside in Fanwood NJ, I can well remember "the action" I saw as a kid during the 40's (I had an.Aunt residing there about 1/4 mile away from the CNJ - and kids never went on vacation with Mom and Dad). I can recall the CNJ Camelback steam engines, the sleek Blue B&O trains, and the mix of steam and Diesel handling the CNJ and B&O freight. Today I guess the action is all NJT "sameness".
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