Passenger Trains > Amtrak website is not working right??

I been try too book a train, it not let me book something on Amtrak Website.

railcity Wrote:
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> I been try too book a train, it not let me book
> something on Amtrak Website.

It's very hard to use, non-intuitive, and opaque. Such as requiring you, not very unambiguously, to click a box promising that you will obey Amtrak's onboard rules, before it will let you complete the reservation. One is left clicking around on this and that, starting over (several times), hoping that something will respond. Just yesterday I spent a frustrating quarter hour before finally noticing the magic box. But I had unwisely asked the God in the Machine to book me from Portland OR to Charlottesville; it did a pretty good job (not, say, trying to route me through California), but for the last segment offered only the Crescent from WAS to CVS, Which for several reasons was not my choice, and nothing I could do would shake it loose. So I ditched the whole reservation and tried again, several hours later, using a different approach, which worked better. Plus, by then I was begining to catch on to the website's non-self-explanatory navigation. 

It amazes me how often I get "Your itinerary is not doable" or something to that effect, when I know doggone well that it is. Whomever designed that cursed website has obviously no clue of when or where their trains run, and what connections can be made, even if it involves an overnight stay. Some folks may take advantage of that, such as to take in a game or explore a night on the town. Many airlines show all of those available options, and let the potential traveller choose what they want to do. Amtrak just tells you to go take a hike, or rather a flight. Pathetic and sad. This is what we get for all of our tax dollars.

It's a small thing, but in the old days, I used to be able to ask the website for travel between San Diego and Portland Oregon and I would get the San Diegan to LA and the Coast Starlight to Portland.  Now I have to ask it for a train from LA to PDX, and choose train #14, then, for safety's sake, look up a train from San Diego to LA and choose the Surfliner leaving about 6 AM.  Perhaps you have to ask for each leg of a long journey rather than the beginning and ending point.

Calling 1-800-USA-RAIL form visiting a staffed station are still viable options.

latinboy Wrote:
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> Perhaps you have to ask for each leg of a long
> journey rather than the beginning and ending
> point.

That might be fine for you and me who know the routes, but I can guarantee you that any member of the general public has no clue about what trains run where or when. (Back when the Desert Wind still ran, people looked at me like I was from Mars when I told them you could take the train to Las Vegas, as an example.) And, other than to try to overcome the general awfulness of Amtrak's website, why should they? If I go to Alaska's website and punch in Podunk to Hooterville, it gives me my options. Often dozens of them, no matter how goofy the connections might seem. I don't need to know that I have to make a connection at Village of the Idiots. It will tell me. Amtrak's website often can't give you the option of only one connection, when that is all there is. Apparently. the powers that be at Amtrak don't care. It has been this way for years.

SpringedSwitch Wrote:
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> Calling 1-800-USA-RAIL form visiting a staffed
> station are still viable options.

Calling depends entirely on the ability/brain function of the agent that answers the phone. It is a crap shoot. Again, if you don't know the routing, you might be in just as bad a position as in dealing with the website.

If one lives two hours from the nearest staffed station, and the station is only open during the middle of the night for the one train that serves your state, I don't know anyone personally who would avail themselves of that glorious option.

If someone at Amtrak just gave a hoot about their website, we wouldn't have to have this conversation. For all of the airline people that have invaded the company, one would think that would be the case, but unfortunately not.

SpringedSwitch Wrote:
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> Calling 1-800-USA-RAIL form visiting a staffed
> station are still viable options.
Yeah, the Indianapolis station is open like three days a week at god-awful hours, and an absolute dump, so I’ll rush right down there to consult with the agent. 🙄 And when you call, you might wait an hour to talk to a human that is clueless after you get hold of them. The modern way of doing business is on a proper website. Unfortunately Amtrak blows that one too.

Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/24/22 15:36 by alan2955.

alan2955 Wrote:
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> SpringedSwitch Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Calling 1-800-USA-RAIL form visiting a staffed
> > station are still viable options.
> Yeah, the Indianapolis station is open like three
> days a week at god-awful hours, and an absolute
> dump, so I’ll rush right down there to consult
> with the agent. 🙄 And when you call, you might
> wait an hour to talk to a human that is clueless
> after you get hold of them. The modern way of
> doing business is on a proper website.
> Unfortunately Amtrak blows that one too.

The Indianapolis station is open 7 days a week and from 4am to 11:30 am on several of them. Most people would not consider those "god-awful" hours.

See https://www.amtrak.com/stations/ind

I still can't book anything on Amtrak website as of  7:15 p.m. What Wrong with website??

railcity Wrote:
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> I still can't book anything on Amtrak website as
> of  7:15 p.m. What Wrong with website??

Tried a dummy booking and no issues with the website here.  Maybe the problem is on your end?

Just booked a trip on #5. No issues.

railcity Wrote:
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> I still can't book anything on Amtrak website as
> of  7:15 p.m. What Wrong with website??

What are you trying to book? Perhaps we can help figure out what's wrong.

SpringedSwitch Wrote:
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> railcity Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I still can't book anything on Amtrak website
> as
> > of  7:15 p.m. What Wrong with website??
>
> What are you trying to book? Perhaps we can help
> figure out what's wrong.


I fix my computer problem, that i had
Thank You

My brother is having problems with the website also.  He is using the Amtrak app on his phone.  First of all, the first thing you get is a page trying to get you to sign up for a credit card.  Nothing about transportation.  You have to go searching for something about transportation.  There is a small icon at the bottom called "book" that will get you started.  He is trying to book a trip from CHI to SEA, to EMY, to CHI.  You really have to hunt around to get a multi-city reservation page.  He eventually found what he needed, but it was unnecessarily difficult.

Those of us who frequent the Amtrak website might be familiar with where these things are but not the occasional traveler, they are going to give up and call Delta, America, or United.  Come on Amtrak, if you really want to draw the passengers, fix your website and make it usable for the casual traveler.  Hey, how about putting something on there like AMSNAG used to have or making it so that AMSNAG can use it again.

John

wa4umr Wrote:
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> My brother is having problems with the website
> also.  He is using the Amtrak app on his phone. 
> First of all, the first thing you get is a page
> trying to get you to sign up for a credit card. 
> Nothing about transportation.  You have to go
> searching for something about transportation. 
> There is a small icon at the bottom called "book"
> that will get you started.  He is trying to book
> a trip from CHI to SEA, to EMY, to CHI.  You
> really have to hunt around to get a multi-city
> reservation page.  He eventually found what he
> needed, but it was unnecessarily difficult.
>
> Those of us who frequent the Amtrak website might
> be familiar with where these things are but not
> the occasional traveler, they are going to give up
> and call Delta, America, or United.  Come on
> Amtrak, if you really want to draw the passengers,
> fix your website and make it usable for the casual
> traveler.  Hey, how about putting something on
> there like AMSNAG used to have or making it so
> that AMSNAG can use it again.

The is a big different between the Amtrak Website and the Amtrak App.

The Amtrak App has always been buggy and full of issues.

I didn't even know there was a Multi-City option on the Amtrak site. The Amtrak Website sucks, definitely sucks...

Jim

SpringedSwitch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> alan2955 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > SpringedSwitch Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Calling 1-800-USA-RAIL form visiting a
> staffed
> > > station are still viable options.
> > Yeah, the Indianapolis station is open like
> three
> > days a week at god-awful hours, and an absolute
> > dump, so I’ll rush right down there to
> consult
> > with the agent. 🙄 And when you call, you
> might
> > wait an hour to talk to a human that is
> clueless
> > after you get hold of them. The modern way of
> > doing business is on a proper website.
> > Unfortunately Amtrak blows that one too.
>
> The Indianapolis station is open 7 days a week and
> from 4am to 11:30 am on several of them. Most
> people would not consider those "god-awful" hours.
>
>
> See https://www.amtrak.com/stations/ind

Seriously? You’re listing the station hours not the ticket office hours! The ticket office hours are a confusing mess, and it’s mostly at god-awful hours as I stated I guess I could go there and consult with some homeless people that hang out in the building . And you failed to acknowledge the horrible condition of the station itself. You should work at Amtrak since you’re great at making excuses for what’s a pathetic situation.

Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/25/22 20:16 by alan2955.

alan2955 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> SpringedSwitch Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > alan2955 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > SpringedSwitch Wrote:
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> > > -----
> > > > Calling 1-800-USA-RAIL form visiting a
> > staffed
> > > > station are still viable options.
> > > Yeah, the Indianapolis station is open like
> > three
> > > days a week at god-awful hours, and an
> absolute
> > > dump, so I’ll rush right down there to
> > consult
> > > with the agent. 🙄 And when you call, you
> > might
> > > wait an hour to talk to a human that is
> > clueless
> > > after you get hold of them. The modern way of
> > > doing business is on a proper website.
> > > Unfortunately Amtrak blows that one too.
> >
> > The Indianapolis station is open 7 days a week
> and
> > from 4am to 11:30 am on several of them. Most
> > people would not consider those "god-awful"
> hours.
> >
> >
> > See https://www.amtrak.com/stations/ind
>
> Seriously? You’re listing the station hours not
> the ticket office hours! The ticket office hours
> are a confusing mess, and it’s mostly at
> god-awful hours as I stated I guess I could go
> there and consult with some homeless people that
> hang out in the building . And you failed to
> acknowledge the horrible condition of the station
> itself. You should work at Amtrak since you’re
> great at making excuses for what’s a pathetic
> situation.

The station itself is open 24/7...

Open for what is the question.