Passenger Trains > Amtrak: Old vs New

New:
Management is trying to kill off the dining car since millennials supposedly don’t want to interact with fellow travelers nor look up from their phones ...
Railroads aren’t run by railroaders anymore ...
The list goes on - and it’s not good...

Old:
Why do they continue to read off a length list of every darn station stop? Have you ever seen a lost soul wandering around the station who gleefully broke out into a huge smile of relief when he heard them call ‘SECAUCUS’ ?? Everybody knows what train they bought a ticket for ! It’s not a game-day decision !! At 30th St a computerized voice reads them, often with comical mispronunciations. Keep the major stops - but lose the nonsense... We’d all benefit without this useless chatter and more focus on things like train #s, gate #s, etc.

And what about ‘All Aboard !!’ ?

That’s a keeper !

Posted from iPhone

You'd be surprised. A large number of passengers have absolutely no clue where they are going, what time they are supposed to depart/arrive and how to get on or off the train. Sad but true.

Posted from Android

cabsignaldrop Wrote:
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> You'd be surprised. A large number of passengers
> have absolutely no clue where they are going, what
> time they are supposed to depart/arrive and how to
> get on or off the train. Sad but true.
>
> Posted from Android

SMH - Shaking My Head. :)

Posted from iPhone

On an NJT train a week ago, we were moving along, and they were announcing the rear # of cars would not make the platform. A woman passenger asked out loud to passengers around her "does anyone know which is the front of the train and which is the rear" It is not like we were sitting still in the originating terminal. It was like asking which is left and right or floor from ceiling. 

GoodTimeCharlie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> New:
> Management is trying to kill off the dining car
> since millennials supposedly don’t want to
> interact with fellow travelers nor look up from
> their phones ...
> Railroads aren’t run by railroaders anymore ...
> The list goes on - and it’s not good...

Sorry, they call it the "past" for a reason. Anyway, I figure we're lucky to even have passenger trains, especially long distance trains.
As for millennials.....well...they are preoccupied with their phones, but the dining car issue goes deeper. We are a country that is so very divided that it is becoming more difficult to have conversations with those we disagree with, so why would we want to join strangers at a table where a conversation may degenerate into political theatre?
Dining cars with prepared on board meals are increasingly meaningless in the 21st century. Still, some type of sit down service may have merit with pre-package meals at lower costs. Leave out the table cloths and fresh flowers. Connect to the food service car wi-fi and order online is probably not far off. Why not?
>
> Old:
> Why do they continue to read off a length list of
> every darn station stop? Have you ever seen a
> lost soul wandering around the station who
> gleefully broke out into a huge smile of relief
> when he heard them call ‘SECAUCUS’ ??
> Everybody knows what train they bought a ticket
> for ! It’s not a game-day decision !!
 .
At 30th
> St a computerized voice reads them, often with
> comical mispronunciations. Keep the major stops
> - but lose the nonsense... We’d all benefit
> without this useless chatter and more focus on
> things like train #s, gate #s, etc.
>
> And what about ‘All Aboard !!’ ?
>
> That’s a keeper !
>
> Posted from iPhone

Here's your hot dog, now go away!   

Out of my car!

Yeah, that's what people want.......

I commute on Metro North Harlem line - From Grand Central I can get a train that goes straight through to Chappaqua non-stop, a train that stops at White Plains and then Chappaqua, a train that goes nonstop to White Plains and then all stops either as far as Mount Kisco or all stops north of White Plains to Southeast - not to mention the diesel trains that go to the end of the line.  Pretty easy for the unfamiliar to get on the wrong train.  these announcements before doors close are very helpful to a lot of people. 

This is how we did it when I was managing several stations for Amtrak:

There is a manifest of destinations passengers were going to provided before every long distance departure.

Ushers were required only to read station stops our passengers were departing to plus the end point station(s).  It kept the announcements simple, to the point, and only relivant to those people taking that train.

Just say'n.....

Well I was going to say it's because some people like the sound of their own voice and think everyone else feels the same; give 'em microphone and they're on top of the world.  Then I got to the part about the computerized voice.  Maybe the computer likes its own voice too?

Andy

If passengers are not familiar with the area they are taveling, they may not know which train stops at certain immerdiate stops. I often find that to be confusing in my European travels. I know the major cities the train travels in between, but not necessarly if the station I am looking for is on that route or if a certain train stops there. As for the diner, pre-packaged meals don't cut it for many on an overnight trip that requires an on board meal. If people don't want to go to the diner, then don't go. And if political discussions start, just say something like "lets talk about something else" or "I keep my political opinions to myself." And don't wear any political clothing or buttons from either side while on board. You are just looking for an arguement if you do. 

andersonb109 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If people don't want to go to the
> diner, then don't go. And if political discussions
> start, just say something like "lets talk about
> something else" or "I keep my political opinions
> to myself." And don't wear any political clothing
> or buttons from either side while on board. You
> are just looking for an arguement if you do. 

Hmmm....I guess your on train and on Trainorders conduct is very different 😀

Dave

DavidP Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> andersonb109 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > If people don't want to go to the
> > diner, then don't go. And if political
> discussions
> > start, just say something like "lets talk about
> > something else" or "I keep my political
> opinions
> > to myself." And don't wear any political
> clothing
> > or buttons from either side while on board. You
> > are just looking for an arguement if you do. 
>
> Hmmm....I guess your on train and on Trainorders
> conduct is very different 😀
>
> Dave

Perhaps, but it is sound advice.

Gordon

I can understand announcing the stops at stations where there are many trains and options to choose from.

But it doesn’t seem necessary to announce a list of stations when there is one train, like the northbound Coast Starlight at Santa Barbara.

Posted from iPhone

I really don't understand why "Dining cars with prepared on board meals are increasingly meaningless in the 21st century."

When I'm on a trip that covers more than a few hours, I want something decent to eat, not necessarily "fine dining", but at least as good as I would find in the many coffee shops or small restaurants in our area. It's not rocket science to cook a decent meal of chicken or fish, some potatoes and veggies, sandwiches for lunch, and breakfast stuff for breakfast. We even do it at home. 

And, there's nothing wrong with certain things being pre-cooked and warmed on Board, as long as the presentation is decent. 

Amazing, but true, there are LOTS of nervous travelers out there and they REALLY don’t see the larger picture. They only know where they need to go. If they bought a ticket to Fresno, they’re not going to make a move until someone actually SAYS “Fresno”. They hear: Blah, blah, blah, Fresno, blah, blah.
If they don’t hear Fresno- they don’t/won’t board, despite the fact it’s obviously the only train in the station.
It’s just how it is.
SR

Actually, there’s an even a grimmer version of this: You open the door, set the step box, and ask an approaching passenger, “Where are you going today?”. They stop dead, pull out their ticket, and start searching the thing frantically- off the top of their head... they don’t know? I’ve seen this over and over and over.
Really.

And then there's the confusion on the platform at Martinez when two trains are arriving close together.

GOOD food is possible even in the weird presentations they are trying out....the basic problem is the bean counters don't taste what's propsosed and accept items only on cost. If everyone involved had to eat what they sell, they'd find catering suppliers who would supply tasty components....it can be done even if it's all frozen, freeze dried, and what have you.....

BoilingMan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>. They hear: Blah,
> blah, blah, Fresno, blah, blah.

Another funny one!  Thanks for the LOL. 

I guess we should be more sympathetic to the traveling public.

Andy

andersonb109 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If passengers are not familiar with the area they
> are taveling, they may not know which train stops
> at certain immerdiate stops. I often find that to
> be confusing in my European travels. I know the
> major cities the train travels in between, but not
> necessarly if the station I am looking for is on
> that route or if a certain train stops there.
Well said.

As
> for the diner, pre-packaged meals don't cut it for
> many on an overnight trip that requires an o


 I really mean meals that are prepared in advance and reheated on board.   
  A new generation is mostly uninterested in "dinner in the diner" and probably want simple meals available that are affordable and of reasonable good quality. It is the future of travel, like it or not.


If people don't want to go to the
> diner, then don't go. And if political discussions
> start, just say something like "lets talk about
> something else" or "I keep my political opinions
> to myself." And don't wear any political clothing
> or buttons from either side while on board. You
> are just looking for an arguement if you do. 

Yes. Some good advice. I'm sure most of us older types are perfectly capable of conversing about absolutely nothing over dinner for an hour or so. Yawn. Younger folks, maybe not so much. Besides, Politics and religion are always lurking in the shadows despite what efforts one may go to to avoid such minefields

People are either braindead or just plain stupid. I have seen many times where people have boarded the wrong train. For instance, one night, this lady was going to Lowell on the MBTA, but boarded a Fitchburg train instead. How is beyond me, as the conductor was standing outside the cab car yelling “train to Fitchburg” as we walked past. Finally, between South Acton and Littleton, she stopped him as he walked by and asked how much longer to Lowell, as she did not remember the ride being this long. He looked at her and said “We are not going to Lowell, we are going to Fitchburg”. She was not happy when he told her she had to go back to Boston to get the train to Lowell. Thankfully for her, we met the last inbound of the night between Littleton and Ayer, so she was put off at Littleton and the conductor radioed the inbound to explain the situation.