Passenger Trains > Washington Post on Wash. Union Station boarding

Washington Post story on the Union Station boarding circus. Amtrak claims it won't make any changes to the "cattle drive" boarding procedures until it hires another Assistant VP. [eye roll]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/theres-an-easier-way-to-board-trains-so-why-doesnt-amtrak-do-it/2018/12/01/c2e4774e-f355-11e8-bc79-68604ed88993_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.81fdc94f8362&wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1

 

Paul Wilson
Arlington, VA

We never did it any other way, so we can't change now...

Posted from Android

I have never had to line up to board a train in Europe. In most cases, platforms are open at all times. If there is a ticket barrier, as long as you have a valid ticket, you are in.  In the U.K., unlike the continent, platforms aren't announced until about 20 minutes prior to departure. But in that case, there is no line at each individual gate. Rather passengers hang out in the concourse looking at the giant departure board for their platform to be indicated. They then proceed to said platform without guidance or check. Why is it so easy there. And so difficult here? In part, I find our platforms are much narrower with little room for waiting around for the train to turn up. Unlike most European stations that have wide platforms, most with places to sit including enclosed shelters, and even smoking areas and small take out stands and news stands. Why are we so backwards? If its any consolation, VIA Rail uses the same cattle pen boarding concept in their larger stations.

Some European stub-end terminals also have "alleys" between tracks to allow for servicing and faster turn arounds.  Like airplanes in the US, cleaners with vacuums board from the alley-side as passengers depart via the wide platform. The food trolley is wheeled off, and another wheeled on, etc. Hoses are hooked up for water, sewage, etc  No need to go to an outlying service yard.

Seats are turned as needed, new headrest linens are applied, and the Venice to Milan train becomes the outbound Milan to Florence train 20-25 minutes later.

 

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Some European stub-end terminals also have
> "alleys" between tracks to allow for servicing and
> faster turn arounds.  Like airplanes in the US,
> cleaners with vacuums board from the alley-side as
> passengers depart via the wide platform. The food
> trolley is wheeled off, and another wheeled on,
> etc. Hoses are hooked up for water, sewage, etc 
> No need to go to an outlying service yard.
>
> Seats are turned as needed, new headrest linens
> are applied, and the Venice to Milan train becomes
> the outbound Milan to Florence train 20-25 minutes
> later.
>
CUS has alleys's between the tracks, though I don't know what they're there for. 
Paper headrests are gradually going away. 

The excessive line-ups are a power-trip enjoyed by the Gate Dragons. Management does not care about customer service. Particularly stupid is having such as 30th Street Philly, which is a run-through station with little dwell time for most trains. Gate Dragons invariably set up lines on the opposite side of the stairs the waiting seats are on. 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/03/18 08:08 by joemvcnj.

Still beats taking your shoes off for TSA.
 

aehouse Wrote:
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> Still beats taking your shoes off for TSA.

Don't need to take your shoes off with Pre-Check, Global Entry, or Clear.  These low risk categories pass through relatively quickly.

(In some air terminals, air crews share the same line with Pre-Check etc customers.  Crews take off shoes, belts, hats, etc while these select passengers do not have to remove shoes, belts, etc.

Pure security nonsense.  Nobody wants to adjust rules which no longer make sense.)

I suspect Washington has taken lessons from the gate dragons at NYP.  At PHL, there's no choice as it's an Amtrak intermediate stop almost 100% of the time.  But even so, they'll send them down to the platform ahead of time to speed up boarding.

joemvcnj Wrote:
-
> >
> CUS has alleys's between the tracks, though I
> don't know what they're there for. 

The CUS alleys are there for baggage, mail and express.  Those items were handled down the alleys between the station tracks so that platforms would be unimpeded for passenger flow.  An elegant design.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> aehouse Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Still beats taking your shoes off for TSA.
>
> Don't need to take your shoes off with Pre-Check,
> Global Entry, or Clear.  These low risk
> categories pass through relatively quickly.
>
> (In some air terminals, air crews share the same
> line with Pre-Check etc customers.  Crews take
> off shoes, belts, hats, etc while these select
> passengers do not have to remove shoes, belts,
> etc.
>
> Pure security nonsense.  Nobody wants to adjust
> rules which no longer make sense.)
=============================================================
Or after your 75th birthday... the high point of reaching that dubious milestone.  At least I still know where my shoes are!

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
 > Management does not care about customer service.

From the comments section following the article, this traveler's experience suggest otherwise:

And now some good news about AMTRAK service.   Three years ago I had a family function to attend in Arlington Virginia.   I boarded the AMTRAK Vermonter in Bellows Falls and except for a brief stopover in CT to change trains, it was almost like door to door service from country to city.  Even Wi-Fi was available in our rail car for much of the journey.  At Union station, we had a long walk to to taxi stand and when we got there the line was quite long.   But the folks operating the cue were very efficient.  Within less than five minutes we were on our way via cab to Arlington.

On the return trip, my wife and I were indeed a bit worried about which seats to take to be near the correct gate.  I was fearing the worst.  But then a PA announcement asked senior citizens to head to gate number ## and board ahead of what I had feared would be a mad dash and crush to get on the train.  So there is something good in the present madness at Union Station especially for senior citizens.


 

knotch8 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The CUS alleys are there for baggage, mail and
> express.  Those items were handled down the
> alleys between the station tracks so that
> platforms would be unimpeded for passenger flow. 
> An elegant design.

Elegant perhaps, but obsolete for the majority of the tracks at CUS which are used for Metra operations.

I think there was a time when CUS's south concourse's platforms had a direct entrance in its southern half to a defunct Chicago "L". 
Now everyone must go through the cattle chute. There is no equivalent to the auxiliary Madison St entrance of the north side's platforms. 

RuleG Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> joemvcnj Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>  > Management does not care about customer
> service.
>
> From the comments section following the article,
> this traveler's experience suggest otherwise:
>
> And now some good news about AMTRAK service. 
>  Three years ago I had a family function to
> attend in Arlington Virginia.   I boarded the
> AMTRAK Vermonter in Bellows Falls and except for a
> brief stopover in CT to change trains, it was
> almost like door to door service from country to
> city.  Even Wi-Fi was available in our rail car
> for much of the journey.  At Union station, we
> had a long walk to to taxi stand and when we got
> there the line was quite long.   But the folks
> operating the cue were very efficient.  Within
> less than five minutes we were on our way via cab
> to Arlington.
>
> On the return trip, my wife and I were indeed a
> bit worried about which seats to take to be near
> the correct gate.  I was fearing the worst.  But
> then a PA announcement asked senior citizens to
> head to gate number ## and board ahead of what I
> had feared would be a mad dash and crush to get on
> the train.  So there is something good in the
> present madness at Union Station especially for
> senior citizens.

In Washington Union Station Select+ and Select Executives also get to pre-board with Business/First Class and Seniors, unless of course you are boarding from the Club Acela/Metropolitan Lounge, in which case you get to pre-board anyway.

At Baltimore Penn station they just announce the next arriving train and what platform to go to, everyone heads through the door and down the steps to the platform and waits for the train.   Gets quite crowded at times, but seems to work well.  Interesting how other stations make people line up first.

Wow.  It is going to take an assisdtant vice-preident to manage the gording process.  How about whomever manages the station be directed to manage the boarding.

I like the European method better; it's posted 20 minutes ahead of time, and you go to the track/gate number to get ready to board the train. Amazing how the United States used to be at the forefront of the transportation revolution - including railroads - but now we fallen behind. 

So true with Baltimore's boarding process. Seems to work well. The Gate Dragons at Philly and Chicago, especially, like to create these enormous lines to filter people through and I am not sure if it is the most efficient or even serves the purpose that it was meant to establish. I just think the whole boarding process can be better than what it is, and often it is not the most pleasant "greeting" process, and then that often sets the tone for the remainder of travel.........

Back in the 1940s the San Joaquin Daylights were serviced at Fresno with big hoses to empty the toilet tanks and water to refill them along with the usual headend stuff (train had an RPO)
These trains had baggage elevators on each car which made things simpler.
I was a kid but I do not recall any problems nor complaints from my Mom who, bless her heart, would not have hesitated to do so! Loudly!

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

As long as this responsibility lies with the operating department at Amtrak it will not change. This is the same bunch of control freaks that allow employees to be more concerned with “Rules, Policies, and Procedures” rather than customer service. These are talented folks that need to concentrate on operating trains but have no business interacting with customers!

The Post article said that the rush  the trains was due to fear there would be no seats.  That's either ignorance or BS.
The  trains are "all reserved" -- unlike MARC -- so if you have a ticket, you have a seat (somewhere).
If you think assigned seats are quicker, watch a 150 passenger jet during the boarding process....can easily take up to 15 minutes. 
Why do you think  SouthWest Airlines does NOT have assigned seats and never has had them? Quicker turns. But, like Amtrak, the don't normally oversell.

BTW, I was working at Amtrak BEFORE they made the  Thanksgiving trains "all reserved." Now THAT was a goat rope..
I remember riding in the vestibule of an  Amfleet with  other passengers AND their luggage, clearly an inherently unsafe situation. The aisles  were jammed with standees, and the conductors/trainmen never "met" -- collecting tickets was an impossibility.
However, part of the trainsition drill from unreserved trains was to simply advise passengrs in lines waiting to board that there were enough seats for everyone who had a ticket. It made the difference between a stampede and a confortable, orderly boarding..



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/03/18 16:50 by hazegray.