Passenger Trains > compensation for extremely late trains

Every time I ride amtrak the trains seem to be extremely late for some reason. I am to leave Dallas at noon today. I just learned that the train will be over five hours late. Although are reason that trains are late, this is a bit too much. Does Amtrak offer compensation to passengers for these extremely late trains? If they do, what is the procedure? I really try to support rail travel and will ride the trains rather than fly if I am in no big hurry. But this is a bit much, when trains are extremely late a discount should be issued or a partial refund.

In general, you get nothing of monetary value unless you complain to Amtrak Customer Service after the trip, and what you may get is a voucher toward future travel. While enroute on an extremely delayed long distance train, you may receive an extra meal if you are in a Sleeping Car, or a complimentary meal if you are in Coach. This could be prepared in the diner from leftover supplies (Sleeping Car passengers get served first, and it could be a non-menu item that the chef puts together...and those I've had, have been very good!) or it could be a box lunch or fast food meal loaded onto the train at an enroute stop. Or you could be offered an infamous Snack Pack, which many feel is better saved as a souvenir, than eaten!

VERY occasionally, in case of an enroute mechanical failure affecting passenger convenience, you might receive a voucher redeemable at an Amtrak station. Example would be the total failure of toilet systems in a Sleeping Car, necessitating that its passengers use restrooms in Coach, or in an adjacent Sleeping Car. This has happened to me on a Lake Shore Limited trip, and also on a Southwest Chief trip.

Remember that Amtrak assumes no liability for failure of trains to operate on time, except for making good when a guaranteed connection is missed (and "making good" could mean an hours-long bus ride). Whatever they offer you for anything else is out of the goodness of their hearts.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/21/11 07:52 by GenePoon.

When we rode the Starlight in January we encountered noxious sewer like smells wafting from one of the cars at the front of the trains. There was no escaping it. We complained in a detailed letter to Prez Boardman's office and got a $100 credit towards a future Amtrak ticket purchase. It's a nice gesture to compensate for smelly or late trains, however, I'd rather see greater reliability than to be compensated in the absence of reliability.

John Webb
Trinidad, CA

I was on a seven-hour late Lake Shore last May, and a few days later received an apology call from Amtrak, followed up with a $150 travel certificate in the mail. I hadn't complained or even contacted Amtrak prior to this; indeed the delay was clearly not Amtrak's fault so I felt there was no reason to complain.

Interestingly, I was booked in a sleeper. My teenage daughter later decided to join me, so we had two separate records. Hers was for a coach-only fare, even though in actuality she was sharing my sleeper room, but to the Amtrak computer system, she would have looked like just another coach passenger. No one from Amtrak tried to contact her or offered any compensation. So I expect that Amtrak's response is based on the class of service you're traveling in, and perhaps what you paid for your fare.

Dave

I don't think you should get anything. I don't get a refund when a highway shuts down for a snow storm or I have to follow a tractor trailer that makes my trip longer. If anyone needs compensated from my experience on Amtrak are the crews that have to endure ignorance and vulgarity because it isn't going the way some want. Pretend your a hospital and have some patience. Also, leave a day early if you need to get somewhere.

My wife and I once boarded a several hours late CA Zephyr in Lincoln, NE, with a guaranteed connection in Chicago (Capitol Limited) to Washington DC, which was missed because of the late arrival. Amtrak put us in a decent hotel for the night, provided cash vouchers for food and taxi fare, and booked us for the next day's Capitol Limited. They actually boarded a representative in Burlington, IA (she met us on the westbound Zephyr) who took care of most of the arrangements before we arrived in Chicago. For us, since we were on a long vacation, an extra night in Chicago was no issue. However, there were others on the train who opted for a bus connection (not exactly sure how they scheduled that) and some just got a refund and made other arrangements for Washington after they arrived in Chicago.

I know I have related this experience before, but is in response to a new question about how Amtrak handles late trains.

zzzrail Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I don't think you should get anything. I don't get
> a refund when a highway shuts down for a snow
> storm or I have to follow a tractor trailer that
> makes my trip longer.

Well, this is true.

. Also, leave a day
> early if you need to get somewhere.

What the heck? Leave a day early? Are you kidding?

P Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> zzzrail Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I don't think you should get anything. I don't
> get
> > a refund when a highway shuts down for a snow
> > storm or I have to follow a tractor trailer
> that
> > makes my trip longer.
>
> Well, this is true.
>
> . Also, leave a day
> > early if you need to get somewhere.
>
> What the heck? Leave a day early? Are you
> kidding?


I remember the good old days under George Warrington, when Amtrak was offering vouchers for free future travel whenever the passenger had any reasonable complaint. Whenever I bought a ticket, it invariably brought free vouchers for additional travel. That was a good deal.

Amtrak, as a government enterprise, lacks market signals to allow it to improve itself, operating as it is in a near-monopoly environment. People need to complain when they get poor service, when Amtrak is not delivering the product as it should be produced.

Otherwise Amtrak falls ever more into a malaise, where bad service becomes the norm and everyone expects only bad service, and is astonished to occasionally find good service. If "we're doing as well as we can" simply falls below world class standards, there needs to be a mechanism to get the government to where it seeks answers on how to improve substandard operations.

I was on #8 about 5 years ago and we left SEA about 11 hours late. Amtrak actually kept up fairly informed about the delay and they gave us pizza and bag lunches at the station. I forgot where we were but Amtrak fed everyone, sleeper passengers first and then coach passengers. Somewhere after we started eating, Amtrak boared two agents. The agents offered vouchers for bus, hotel, next day trains (we arrived at CHI several hours late and too late to connect to any scheduled trains), and even a few airline tickets for time sensitive travel (man traveling to a funeral.) Since I was going to Cincinnati I didn't have many options. They gave us fare to catch a cab to the dog house, put us on a bus (yuck) to Cincinnati, and gave us a food voucher. The Cardinal wasn't running the next day.

Your results may vary. Even as a coach passenger we were treated very well. Kudos to the agents for the way they handled a few of the passengers. There was a guy that was very upset while I was waiting for service. I yielded to him. After all, getting upset at the agent wasn't going to get me to Chicago any quicker.

John

GenePoon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In general, you get nothing of monetary value
> unless you complain to Amtrak Customer Service
> after the trip, and what you may get is a voucher
> toward future travel.

Hate to disagree with you, but as other people have said, I got a phone call out of the blue from Amtrak apologizing for a delay and they sent me a $100.00 voucher without me even asking.

I was on a 7 hour late Silver Star. None of the delays were Amtrak's fault. They ran over a homeless guy sleeping on the tracks in Orlando and then got stuck behind a broken down CSX freight train just outside of Jacksonville.

I was also in the Sleeper and am a Amtrak Guest Rewards member, but I'm not sure if that had anything to do with it.

VIA Rail Policy on all non corredor trains: 6 hours late: 1/2 coach fare late credit to be used within one year. 12 hours late: full coach credit. I've used this several times as a result of a late Canadian. You don't have to ask. Its in their system. Amtrak should do the same. It creates good will and wouldn't cost them anything other than a lost reservation. I'll bet most people never even would use it not traveling enough.

reindeerflame Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>(snip)
>
> Amtrak, as a government enterprise, lacks market
> signals to allow it to improve itself, operating
> as it is in a near-monopoly environment. People
> need to complain when they get poor service, when
> Amtrak is not delivering the product as it should
> be produced.
>
> Otherwise Amtrak falls ever more into a malaise,
> where bad service becomes the norm and everyone
> expects only bad service, and is astonished to
> occasionally find good service. If "we're doing
> as well as we can" simply falls below world class
> standards, there needs to be a mechanism to get
> the government to where it seeks answers on how to
> improve substandard operations.


Britain tried this with its parceling out of national passenger services to various local and regional operators. Many observers would seem to agree service is better on most routes than it was with a single national, government operator.

Amtrak tried to mini-effort when it sub-contracted the food service on its Empire Route trains from NYP to Albany. Subway sandwich shop vendors roamed the trains, but were driven off by people who preferred a return to the old snack bar coaches with Amtrak employees. The Subway effort lasted a few days, as I recall.

Reminds me when I took the southbound Auto Train 10 or 11years ago. Due to rain and thunderstorms we arrived Sanford at 10:30 PM!! Never thought to contact Amtrak.

Many travel problems are completely Amtrak's fault and patrons should be compensated adequately. If you pay for first class travel then you should expect first class service. If certain Amtrak employees are complete derelicts and not performing their jobs and you can document it, why should the customer have to endure this. Non working toilets and restrooms are certainly not the fault of patrons. That is a terrible problem for sleeping car passengers. The present GE engine situation is not the patron's problem. Amtrak engine breakdowns and their need to put on freight engines which can greatly reduce arrival times are not the patrons problem. I love Amtrak but they must either put up or shut up and pay up. I have found that the threat to put the whole charge in contest on a credit card is quite effective in dealing with Amtrak--somehow they seem to understand that a customer cannot be charged for services or something not received. I believe Amtrak understands this and is usually more responsive.