Passenger Trains > St. Paul agent

I rode #7 to St. Paul from Chicago on 6/22.   Shortly before departure, they asked everyone with checked baggage to St. Paul, to retreive their bags and "carry on" instead, as there would be no one to unload it. I also got a text from Amtrak saying there would be no agent on duty when my train arrived...which I thought was odd since I don't need an agent when I arrive. Then the following day a passenger on the 261 trip said he had just been advised there will no longer be an agent at all in St. Paul which was a concern to him since he was taking #8 in the morning. . Does anyone know what is going on?

 

Still appears to be a full service Amtrak station, open 24 hours. 

https://www.amtrak.com/content/amtrak/en-us/stations/msp.html

Unless Airline Boy pulled the agent job in secret so nobody would notice!

Posted from Android

This is Delta Dick's favorite thing to do, get rid of station agents.  He has done it here in Topeka as well as numerous other stations.  He has no idea how many passengers have been lost due to this low life decision nor does he or the Board of Governors care.  Kill Amtrak ldt's.

He's been slowly dismantling Amtrak in general, and one guy jumped my case saying it's not true, bull crap in my book

I guess the Viewliner II Diners are getting lonely in storage at Hialeah, so Amtrak wants to try and see if some Baggage Cars down there will be good company for them. Seriously, the excess Viewliner Baggage cars at Chicago should be gathered up and sent to Hialeah for storage or back to CAF for conversion into Bagg-Dorm cars. The later would work better, but Amtrak's not going to spend the money to modify them. Ridiculous.  

I have information about a vacated agent job at St. Paul not being filled.

Anderson probably figures it won't make any difference to millennials traveling light, with their cellphones.

Posted from Android

".......it won't make any difference to millennials traveling light, with their cellphones."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This.

SANSR Wrote:
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> ".......it won't make any difference to
> millennials traveling light, with their
> cellphones."
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> This.

Let's hope Propellar Heads days are numbered at Amtrak.....

This whole episode is curious, and it appears pre-meditated. It's an eight-hour trip CHI-MSP--so Amtrak knew well in advance about the staffing issue, had plenty of warning.

Paul Wilson
Arlington, VA

St Paul loadings have probably fallen over the years when the cut coach was eliminated for SPUD, and #8's poor timekeeping. The 2nd Portland sleeper have effectively replaced it. There is also no hope of a 2nd frequency for many years to come. 

Death by a thousand cuts.............
Mr. Anderson and Mr. Gardner are both well known for looking you in the eye and lying through their teeth. Ask anyone who has ever dealt with them.

bluesboyst Wrote:
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>
> Let's hope Propellar Heads days are numbered at
> Amtrak.....



Propeller.

Duna Wrote:
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> bluesboyst Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> >
> > Let's hope Propellar Heads days are numbered at
> > Amtrak.....
>
>
>
> Propeller.

LOL!  

GenePoon Wrote:
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> Anderson probably figures it won't make any
> difference to millennials traveling light, with
> their cellphones.

I’m far from being a millennial but haven’t required the services of an agent (rail or airline) in several years. I even tag my own bag at the airport. Amtrak should be able to provide a Kiosk for you to do that at a station as well. Then just take your bag to the baggage car.....and retrieve it there at your destination.

Sure there’s those out there that refuse to give into technology.....but the dinosaurs are slowly dying off!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/26/19 02:41 by ghCBNS.

Duna Wrote:
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> bluesboyst Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> >
> > Let's hope Propellar Heads days are numbered at
> > Amtrak.....
>
>
>
> Propeller.

Read  Guideline #2 at the left.

sums007 Wrote:
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> Duna Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > bluesboyst Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> >
> > >
> > > Let's hope Propellar Heads days are numbered
> at
> > > Amtrak.....
> >
> >
> >
> > Propeller.
>
> Read  Guideline #2 at the left.

Read guideline #3 at the left.  I would say calling someone names would fall under "childish behavior".

While stop hike now?  It’s the national trend!

ghCBNS Wrote:

> I’m far from being a millennial but haven’t
> required the services of an agent (rail or
> airline) in several years. I even tag my own bag
> at the airport. Amtrak should be able to provide a
> Kiosk for you to do that at a station as well.
> Then just take your bag to the baggage car.....and
> retrieve it there at your destination.

It can be a bit of a hike from the baggage car to their assigned coach or sleeper, especially when a lot of people are involved. Imagine doing that in a congested place with narrow platforms at NY Penn, Chicago, or Washington. Then some checked baggage may be in the Superliner's lower level, like on 27/28. How would the passengers know where to take it to ? Only railfans know the consist. Then wherever the passenger gets off, does Amtrak train staff they just throw the suitcases on the platform for which it was tagged and hope someday the passenger comes by to pick it  up ? What happens to dwel time when passengers first queue up at the baggage car(s), then schlep back, hunting for their assigned car, while they streetcar passengers on board ? Think the Class I's are pissed at excessive dwell time now, just wait. Now we have the security issue of unattended packages at (possible unstaffed) stations, and someone needs to call the cops. That's why we have agents with motorized vehicles with trailers doing the task. 

Takes a bit more thought than what dinosaurs are capable of, or just say that's what an airline or bus company does, so the railroad can do it. Airports have staff. A bus is 45' long with luggage loaded right underneath, 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/26/19 06:52 by joemvcnj.

joemvcnj Wrote:
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>
> Takes a bit more thought than what dinosaurs are
> capable of, or just say that's what an airline or
> bus company does, so the railroad can do it.
> Airports have staff. A bus is 45' long with
> luggage loaded right underneath, 




You have stumbled into one of the truths why air and buses are usually better (value, benefit/cost) at moving people than fixed guideway modes.