It is common prcatice for Trailways and commuter train agencys to sell tickets from a vendor such as a drug store or newsstands near the tracks.
Perhaps Amtrak could do the same thing. i hera in some places they already have
Unfortunately, Amtrak is under a stranglehold of government red tape. In many cases simple ideas like this get lost in a horrid bueracracy.
Sadly, Mineta and the President don’t seem to want to make it easier. Their claims of reform are another of way of saying “dump and exterminate”.
But Amtrak tickets are usually much more complex than commuter or bus tickets.
If you were going somewhere expensive/far away would you trust a guy at a newstand for the puchase of a $200 ticket??
Travel agencies have been selling Amtrak tickets for years and it works quite well along routes with a high percentage of unmanned stations.
In Chicago, several grocery store chains sell CTA monthly passes at their service desks, but that’s basically one item at one price. Metra tickets are available only at stations.
Trailways/Greyhound tickets that are purchased at small town stops are usually from authorized agencies, which are often the town drugstore who operate the ticket agency as a sideline because that’s where the bus stops.
I have always used the internet or the phone to buy Amtrak tickets. Its easy to purchase tickets…