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Amtrak opens Metropolitan Lounge at Los Angeles Union Station
train hit debris on 29 damage the locomotive and baggage car resulted in a fire; on the 30th grade crossing accident
Having been stuck awaiting a Sunset departure for over 18 total hours in two trip; this is a welcome addition. LAUPT is a great station in a warm climate, but this should increase the “goodwill” towards Amtrak
Hooray for the new lounge. When we waiting for our connection from the South West Limited to the Coast Starlight “The Lounge” was an alcove that neither private or comfortable. It did sport some incredible period furniture, I was amazed that it had not walked out the door. LAUD is a gem and this is a great addition
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Doesn’t waiting for over 18 hours pretty much make the case for Amtrak being anything but efficient? Face reality here. The private sector modes of transportation never have paying passengers putting up with that much poor service. If they did, they would go out of business really, really fast. And don’t blame the freight railroads. Most of Amtrak’s delays are self inflicted (locomotives broke down, equipment not serviced properly if at all).
Thank you Anthony … it didn’t make the local news (big shock) but live near the tracks just south pf San Luis Obispo an I expect to hear them go by at certain times …and they didn’t.
Here an Amtrak question. Why has the Coast Starlight #14, been delayed 3-6 hours between Oxnard and Goleta on 12/29 & 12/30?
The opening of the Metropolitan Lounge at Los Angeles Union Station continues the restoration of grandeur to train travel.
JEFFREY GUSE - I take it you’ve never ridden on a plane then. Or are you under the impression that Delta et al aren’t “private sector”?
18 hour delay is small potatoes compared to being prevented from boarding because the airline has oversold your flight, or the flight being cancelled and replaced, hours later, with a bus, or just cancelled and you spending the next 48 hours in an airport as the airline tries to find spare seats on other flights to offer the passengers of the cancelled flight.
Add to that the humiliation and stress of airport security - even pre-9/11 - and the cramped seats, and I seriously think you may have accidentally made a case for the airlines to be nationalized…
Matthew: ask “Uncle Pete”. Don’t expect an answer.
'Bout time.
oh, mr. guse: i wish you had been with me the day b4 yesterday
at la guardia – i encountered a number of people – in the
“C” finger of the “B” terminal – who had been waiting to get out
for three days – the salvation army was feeding them. i’m afraid
there is no easy answer … weather, equipment failure, crowding, time of year, baggage – and, in the airlines case,
enormous amounts of mail (my nashville flight was delayed
account usps) – all conspire to add delay. and another thing
which would have been intolerable say, thirty years ago by
air or rail, is now common: cancellation. the traveler is faced
with no recourse. the fact is that most travel is arduous, rarely enjoyable and something to be endured. from my point of view, the mode which still offers a bit of civility is
rail – and when i can, i will use it as long as it it available.
i sure would have preferred a train to nashville – alas, there
isn’t one…
I agree with Paul Harrison that Jeffery Guse of Illinois has never ridden a private sector airplane. If he thinks waiting 18 hours is horrible, try waiting 26 hours, which is what my wife and son had to do on a flight to Italy using all US private sector airlines. Due to an arriving plane that was 4 hours late, an overseas connection was lost with another carrier, and because of a snafu in ticket collection, they were stuck in New York overnight because neither airline would take responsibility, each blaming the other. Then, as connections were finally made, the second airplane broke down, causing further delay. They then waited for repairs, which turned out to be futile, as the plane had to be replaced with another. In all, it was a harrowing experience and they arrived over a day late. Great service from two airlines of the GREAT USA. We fly Lufthansa between Frisco an Italy exclusively now – no US private sector airlines for us. Maybe a socialist government is better than a capitalist one, huh, Mr. Guse?
Amtrak keeps improving its service, and it is therefore no surprise that ridership is booming. Meanwhile, the airlines can’t get anything right and are alienating their passengers with poor service and cramped spaces. A case in point: Amtrak’s Illinois routes were on time 84% last year, while the current darling of the airlines, Southwest, was only on time 18% between Chicago and St. Louis during September.
The Amtrak advantage will only grow next year, when the vast majority of the route between Chicago and St. Louis will be 110 mph. Amtrak in Illinois will soon be like the NEC: indispensable for business travel.
As for the few delays on Amtrak in Illinois: over 90% of the delays in November 2013 were caused by freight railroads, not Amtrak.
One thing which the people who read this column may be more aware of than the general public that always bothers me, is that we forget that railroads own and must maintain their own train tracks, and then certain people complain that railroads should be discarded because they can’t make a profit. I’ll warrant that if the car companies owned the highways and had to maintain them, they couldn’t make a profit either. As for airlines, I don’t know how much direct taxation on them goes to fund the building and maintenance of airports, but airlines they don’t own them, and aren’t directly responsible for airport maintenance.
Railroads are a utility, a method to allow U.S. businesses to engage in efficient commerce. They deserve to be funded and treated just like any other vital utility in this country.
According to the Goose, airline can do NO wrong!
Your answer is UP, Matthew. UP, from time to time will deliberately stab Amtrak every chance it gets. During the Bush years, Delays to Amtrak was son common The Starlight was called the “Starlate”. The reason for the many delays were obvious. UP was wanting to get Amtrak riders so pissed off that they won’t ride the train anymore then UP was trying to make it easier for Bush to kill Amtrak. I’ll betcha The Goose was having orgasms.
Its about time. As a lifelong (51 years) resident of LA, I always wondered why LAUS didn’t have a first class lounge. The station itself, if of course, a gem and we are very proud of it. The regular waiting room is nice, but these days with all the Surfliners, Metrolink, Subway, light rail and buses zeroing in on LAUS, it is a very bustling and crowded place much of the day.
A quiet, refined retreat is a great addition.
We used that lounge 10/21/13 while waiting to board the Southwest Chief to Chicago. It was very comfortable and new. The staff were very accomodating and helpful. We were able to upgrade our accomodations on the Southwest Chief with a minimum amount of fuss.
Yes Guse, because being stuck at the airport for hours, getting harassed by TSA Nazis, and any inclement weather grounding planes for long periods of time is so much better, not to mention how often airlines lose people’s bags. I’m glad you think airlines are so good. My dad is a pilot for American Airlines so I had much experience flying when I was younger. I would take the train over the plane any day based on those experiences. Bad weather? Not a problem. TSA? Barely a problem. I don’t hear stories of Amtrak losing baggage (though I’m sure it’s not unheard of), probably because they keep much better track than the ‘sacred and perfect, high quality’ private sector airlines.