Passenger Trains > Metropolitan Lounge NY- new rules

Just arrived off a cruise and went to the lounge waiting on Train 49 this afternoon. Was denied entrance due to the new 3 hour rule. I can confirm they are enforcing the new rule. What a croc on Amtraks part with the amount of money paid for a sleeper. She also said you can't drop bags either and go kill a couple of hours till my timed entry.
Joe

Why anyone uses Amtrak long distance is beyond me.  Certainly understand the value of the corridors and shorter distance trains.  Hope your trip was fun but shame on Amtrak.

Has the Amtrak NY lounge been crowded, etc?  Or are they strictly enforcing the new national rules?

I know that crowding and restricted entry has become a huge problem at many airport lounges.  Lines to get in, then lines inside to get food, drinks, etc.

skyview

I sadly agree with you.

Until I read you statement-- "Why anyone uses Amtrak long distance is beyond me" --

I thought Elon Musk had the saddest remarks, when he said something like -- tell anyone
planning to come to America, not to ride Amtrak--they will get the wrong view of America.

Yours is better than his.  Because it comes from a train fan facing the truth.

Another issue that years ago NARP would have addressed on behalf of their constituents.  Now, RPA will say or do nothing to advocate for first class travelers.

The ability to drop bags, alone, could make a big difference in pleasing customers. NYC midtown is a wonderful place to walk, window shop, etc. Lots to do.

Posted from Android

regalstream1516 Wrote:
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> Another issue that years ago NARP would have
> addressed on behalf of their constituents.  Now,
> RPA will say or do nothing to advocate for first class travelers.

They will do nothing to risk agitating Mama, or they could loosing their 10% discount. 
I think the only exemption for the 3 hour rule is transferring from sleeper train to sleeper train.

Trainatic Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just arrived off a cruise and went to the lounge
> waiting on Train 49 this afternoon. Was denied
> entrance due to the new 3 hour rule. I can
> confirm they are enforcing the new rule. What a
> croc on Amtraks part with the amount of money paid
> for a sleeper. She also said you can't drop bags
> either and go kill a couple of hours till my timed
> entry.
> Joe

That’s exactly why this policy stinks. There’s reasons why people need to be at the lounge more than three hours before departure. Another example would be you have to leave your hotel by 11 AM but your train doesn’t leave until 5 PM. I’ve been at the New York lounge before and I don’t find it to be that overly busy that they can’t accommodate the few people that are taking sleeping cars out of there per day. Certainly, the Chicago lounge is not so busy as to not be able to accommodate them. Just another example of Amtrak not being customer focused.

Posted from iPhone

Well EM is entitled to his opinion but he's not American he's South African a country with a very soiled history. The view from an Amtrak train, when the windows are clean, is far better and educational than the view from a jet at 40,000 ft. 
-------------------------------------------------------
> skyview
>
> I sadly agree with you.
>
> Until I read you statement-- "Why anyone uses
> Amtrak long distance is beyond me" --
>
> I thought Elon Musk had the saddest remarks, when
> he said something like -- tell anyone
> planning to come to America, not to ride
> Amtrak--they will get the wrong view of America.
>
> Yours is better than his.  Because it comes from
> a train fan facing the truth.

Just as the cafe cars and diners have become crew lounges
now the station lounges can be become employee lounges.

Take the hint,
They don't like you and never will.
They don't understand you and never will.
They don't care about you and never will.

Railroading by the NBC's = NoBodyCares

The new lounge policy is nationwide, and was effective July 1. Previous links:

Jim

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,6041483

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,6043538

what makes this so sad is --- it doesn't have to be this way. A few people
in charge could make a lot of positive improvements to LD trains.

The problem with LD trains is not the trains themselves---their ridership is
holding up nicely -- so people still like them (not just rail fans).

But, allowing trains to run filthy dirty, chronically late, with poor food service,
with 50 year old equipment -- well, you don't have to tell us who's fault this is--
or,  what's needed to correct things.

 

I guess we're lucky in Seattle.  We are escaping the new policy.....because we have no Metropolitan Lounge!

Do Amtrak Guest Rewards lounge passes still work?  They're supposed to be good if you have a same day ticket.  I've alway seen them as a minor AGR benefit but maybe now they've become more important.

This essentially emptied out the Los Angeles lounge. Since Pacific Surfliner Business class is no longer allowed in the Lounge after CalTrans refused to pay (you'll notice next time you're in LA the entry sign as you check in is fancy and new and says Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge and no mention of CalTrans anymore). This means the LA lounge is solely for passengers on the Sunset, Chief, and Starlight.  I personally had to learn of the policy on 7/2 after checking out of my hotel at 11am and departing on #2 that night. Not only can you not store your bags you're shooed out and told to leave your bags at Baggage/Parcel check which, in turn will still charge you for baggage storage even if you're in a Sleeper that night (this was waived before if you wanted to walk about the city if the baggage area in the Met Lounge was at capacity). The baggage clerk was equally disappointed in the policy, and she even questioned why they were doing this when you're already paying thousands for a Sleeper. I was not alone as there were at least 3 behind me all visibly upset that a now empty lounge would remain that way till 2pm when they start letting people in for the Chief. 

A classic case of what works back east doesn't work with the rest of the country. Clearly someone though up the rule for the east coast lounges where this is a problem, but is not applicable to Chicago or Los Angeles. Does this rule apply to the Magnolia Room in New Orleans as well? Or the tiny waiting room they have in St. Louis for sleeper passengers?  



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/04/25 16:39 by SunsetLtd.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Has the Amtrak NY lounge been crowded, etc?  Or
> are they strictly enforcing the new national
> rules?
>
> I know that crowding and restricted entry has
> become a huge problem at many airport lounges. 
> Lines to get in, then lines inside to get food,
> drinks, etc.

From personal experience, the Amtrak NY Metropolitan Lounge has become more and more crowded by the year.

SunsetLtd Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A classic case of what works back east doesn't
> work with the rest of the country. Clearly someone

I was told the new policy was because people were showing up in the Lounge in NYC at 8am for afternoon departures and simply camping out, grazing.  Policies have to be written in a neutral way to avoid lawsuits.

If you are taking the next train out to your destination, there should not be a time limit on use of the lounge. For example, if your train arrives at 10:00A and the first train to your destination departs at 3:00P; then you should be allowed to use the lounge for the full five-hour layover.

However, if you are not taking the next train out to your destination, a time limit seems reasonable. For example, if your train arrives at 10:00A and you skip one or more departures to your destination; then a time limit for use of the lounge appears reasonable.

Finally, a time limit on use of the lounge for initial departure is reasonable. Arriving at the depot from another mode such as a cruise is, in reality, an initial departure. I fully support Amtrak treating all passengers making an initial departure equally.

ALLEN

Allow early bag drop but no entry till 3 hrs before..... problem solved

Posted from Android

What policys are being enforced on Canadian train lounges?