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Frequent Hiawatha Service passengers receive priority boarding
If a train needs “priority boarding” then you’re doing it wrong.
And yes, I am aware that Amtrak does a lot of things wrong. But seriously… you have a platform, you have at least four doors, at least two of which are usable, on every car, with a maximum of 60 passengers needing to board each car. Standard practice in other countries is for trains to wait for no longer than thirty seconds at non-terminal stations.
So why the guse would you need “priority boarding”?
Great perk for frequent riders.
so, those infrequent riders who pay full fare get less priority? I did take the Hiawatha service last October from Chicago to Milwaukee airport (the peak 5:08pm trip) and I can see the problem. It is a mad rush to the train doors and they only open 2 doors just 10 minutes prior to departure. The train crew needs to open the doors sooner and more doors open, and not just 2 doors.
Well, I’ll be riding that train in a couple of weeks as a non-frequent passenger. I will be curious to see how this works out. It seems like an OK idea.
So now when the full fare passengers board, all of the good seats will be taken. i doubt that this had anything to do with helping the infrequent traveller (that would be a novelty if it was true) but rather something the unions came up with to make their jobs easier.
Why is governor Scott Walker so anti- rail when it’s clear that Wisconsiners ride these trains. Scott Walker must be the man of Jeffery Guses’ dreams.