I’m currently sitting on the westbound California Zephyr, about 30 miles east of Reno. We’re already 4 hours late, and have been stopped a good half an hour now with no explanation from the crew (mechanical issues? Slow UP freight? Rockslide? Who knows?). The EB Zephyr we met yesterday in Denver was a full 12 hours delayed.
I’m not surprised by any of this, of course. While our particular train has not had any specific (or, more accurately, perhaps, direct) weather-related delays, this is railroading (and notorious Amtrak) in winter - stuff happens.
However, there is no decent excuse for the lousy customer service I have received - and seen others as the recipients of - since I started this misguided sojourn in Boston on Tuesday. Simply put: there is a clear underlying classist-based tension between the crew and the sleeping car passengers on my California Zephyr and Lakeshore Limited. I’ve seen it time and again over the last 3 days - from eyerolls, to barely-audible comments, to nasty little attempts to ‘squash’ customers who were expecting something slightly more from their thousand(s)-worth railroading experience.
The dining car running out of food options; the chintzy, dated (bordering on dilapidated) state of the Superliner equipment; the lousy general integration of Amtrak and U.S. railroads - these are all a general and probably incurable disorder native to the sorry arrangement that Amtrak has persisted under since its inception.
But lousy customer service? And sleeping/dining attendants who appear to be innately hostile towards the clientele whom they are employed to serve? Get the hell out of here with THAT crap. This is my last American train ride.
Well poor customer service is unacceptable. Have you ever considered that some/many of your fellow sleeping car passengers possibly may act very entitled and condescending to the crew as though it were still 1920? If so, their reactive behavior generalizes over to you.
I can only speak in general terms, but I think when someone pays 900 USD to upwards of several thousands (for the bedrooms), they probably do have an expectation of first-class service. It’s the same as with any expensive hotel or restaurant.
There are issues on the former D&RGW track in Granby, Co. Amtrak says debris on the track has halted train movement in both directions and both California Zephyrs (East and Westbound) are halted short of that point. Have no idea if that impacts you in RENO, NV or if there is a ripple effect on the line. Got the info from Amtrak Twitter Alerts.
Rough guess is UP halted traffic over Donner Pass over similar concerns.
Rock slides can be caused by either a sudden temperature change causing water in cracks of rocks to freeze and fracture them OR excessive moisture / rain.
Agree with you totally here. At a min the Amtrak employees should be the most cheerful of anyone on the train and should be finding solutions around the issues vs sitting on their butts and doing nothing. The Conductor has wide authority over the train and should be the go to person for lack of food or some sort of mechanical failure. If your sitting in the RENO station, they should order food for the passengers such as subs or some other replacement from a local restaurant and hold the train until the food arrives if they need to.
I believe I posted about the bad-to-hostile “service” we were subjected to on the Cardinal in June.
And no, we did not condescend. We did not act entitled. We were friendly, and in several cases were treated rudely.
Amtrak has too many sub-par staff. Are the service employees unionized? Some sure act like they are immune from being fired. The woman who ran our sleeper was a self-important battle-axe. (BTW, I am not anti-union.)
I’ll still ride Amtrak again, because I love riding the rails. But I’ll know not to expect too much when it comes to service. It’s sad, really.
As I type this, @7:54 PM in Chicago, asm.transitdocs.com shows your train California Zephyr
Train 5 departing Chicago 1/5/2022
Running at 31 mph having left Truckee 5:51 late. You have passed #6 and have lost time in multiple locations departing Omaha 1:30 late, which held until Granby. Between Granby and Glenwood Springs, you lost more leaving there 3:11 late. Between Winnemmucca and Reno, another two hours lost leaving Reno 5:32 late. I believe there was heavy snow in the Sierra Mts so being nice and warm inside your train sure beats having to wrangle putting chains on your car to travel on I-80. As to the crew, I have had a few bad ones. But they were fortunately the exception. A smile and kindness can work wonders. Currently I estimated you to get to Emeryville about 10:00 PM PST.
Update. Left Colfax 6:12 late. As the saying goes, Late trains get later.
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I overheard our car attendant boasting to another passenger that she “hadn’t gotten a vaccine since she was 12.” Setting aside the politics of that choice, it’s more than a little hypocritical for Amtrak to keep such a person on the payroll, making and breaking down beds every night, delivering food, cleaning bathrooms etc. when the company screams bloody murder if you step outside your roomette without a mask.
I mean, seriously: what are we even doing anymore?
Sure explains to me why they do! How dare you threaten to expose them to a deadly risk because they don’t want the nanochips that would use RNM/BCI/V2S to make them docile and polite despite their God-given freedom to abuse people they consider inferior?
I’m in complete sympathy with Mr. Arghast. Been there.
I’d be interested in an essay written by a crew member as to what it’s like dealing with a car or train full of late, unhappy, hungry and dissatisfied customers/passengers, who like our correspondent, paid hundreds or even thousands of dollars only to have a bad experience.
I am of the opinion that Amtrak should suspend running their long-distance trains in the winter and run them as tourist trains, with all the attendant amenities of the days of yore, in the better weather.
There are whole Web pages devoted to lousy Amtrak experiences.
I have in fact seen some online discussions by Amtrak personnel, including a couple of feisty discussions why there are problems with the toilets so often.
I’m going to make a very, very broad assumption that Amtrak personnel are super-secure in their jobs and can’t be fired unless caught in a criminal act.
Not quite like the private sector where if you’re a constant foul-up and liability to the company and your co-workers you’re shown the door.
Forget it. If I’m heading someplace in the future I’m driving. The car’s comfy, I can come and go as I please and where I please. It’s cheaper anyway.
Ehhhhh, depends. I saw plenty of incompetent managers at Phone Companies, Power Companies, and Insurance Companies…all those companies had one thing in common. Steady stream of income regardless of what they would do.
Maybe I was pretty lucky, my managers were just fine, in fact the day I retired I told one he was the best boss I had in a 40 year working life. He blushed!
Mind you, I’m speaking of the local level. Up at corporate they were in their own world. But we know how that goes.
However, I still stand by my statement that people secure in their jobs no matter what they do will frequently fail to give their best. Human nature folks, there’s no getting away from it.