Passenger Trains > Amtrak Rail Travel Privilege card

Amtrak Rail Travel Privilege card

As a holder of this card (free travel on home road) and never having used it, is it still valid?

Also, since I hired out on the Southern Pacific, does it allow me to travel on the UP system or just the former SP?

I know, if I want to get there fly :) But I'll be retiring in 22 months, so will have lots of time.

One more thing, does the pass entitle me to any discounts on roomettes or bedroom cars?

Mike Rogers

I rode the Starlight/ San Joaquin/ SW Chief recently with a gentlman who was a retired Santa Fe signalman. His card DID entitle him to free travel on BNSF lines. He could also apply, the day before travel on a "space avaailable" basis, for sleeper travel at a greatly reduced rate. I met him on the Starlight and he had gotten the discount for the entire journey. Sorry I can't be more specific but at least it sounds like your travel card might be of some value to you!
RJ

Just used mine for a RT Emeryville - Sacramento for free transportation. Believe it is 12 free trips on "home road" per year, 50% on connecting lines.
SP retired

One more question - how about pass riders and the Amtrak buses the serve the cities and stations along former home road turf? In other words do SP pass riders get discounts in the north state between Sacramento and Redding riding the buses instead of the Starlight?

That free ride pass is worth it's weight in gold. I used to get 50% but that was changed to only 25% a few years ago. Last time I checked Amtrak public incentives were cheaper than the pass in some instances. I also paid full fare on the san Joaquins because that was former Santa Fe country.

sphogger

I don't think Amtrak will sell you a bus only ticket, believe it had something to do with Greydog putting up a stink.

sphogger Wrote:
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> One more question - how about pass riders and the
> Amtrak buses the serve the cities and stations
> along former home road turf? In other words do SP
> pass riders get discounts in the north state
> between Sacramento and Redding riding the buses
> instead of the Starlight?
>

Your card will be good for life. There are a couple things to keep in mind though. If you move it's YOUR responsibility to let the HR dept of your RR know where you are. If Amtrak issues new passes which does happen from time to time it will go to your old address and NOT be forwarded. When Amtrak gets the pass back as undelivered your privilages most likely will be suspended. This is the most common reason I've seen for pass privilages being supended. No one is going to take care of this for you or really take any interest in helping you. Keep your HR dept up to date.
You can only make reservations and purchase tickets 24 hours in advance. You can only get a one way ticket except when you are traveling to a unstaffed location. In this case you can get an open ticket for the return but you still need to call and set the actual date.
And please don't go to a ticket office and expect the clerk to bend the rules for you. Amtrak is getting better at auditing tickets and these things do get caught more often these days.
Your pass will be good for the RR that hired you. If you were hired by the SP then your pass is good ONLY on exSP lines not over the entire UP. There are still folks out there with Milw Road privilages for instance.

Be happy your pass privilages are better than those Amtrak's own employes receive.

zenu Wrote:
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> Be happy you pass privilages are better than what
> Amtrak employees receive.
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What are Amtrak employee pass privileges with the RTPC card, coach, sleeper, reservations, meals, union, management, spouse, dependent, retired?

After seven years in train service with SP, I left SP and joined Santa Fe's management training program in 1968. When Amtrak finally arrived in 1971, I got a pass based on my combined service and got free travel for me and my family (until the kids were done with college). I can not make advance reservations (more than 24 hours) and I get 50% off on sleeper accomodations. If I travel from my home (Barstow) to the Bay Area, I can use the bus from Barstow to Bakersfield, then ride the San Joaquin but some ticket clerks charge me half fare for the SP portion from Port Chicago to Oakland, but most don't even bother with the $4.00 half fare.

I did ask if my pass would reduce the price for riding on my private car TIOGA PASS. Damn - those folks have no sense of humor at all!!!

Speaking of passes, when I first joined Santa Fe, I was told to go to the pass bureau in the General Office Building in Chicago who would issue me a pass. Little did I expect what they gave me. First was a Santa Fe pass good on the entire Santa Fe system, and on freight trains also. Next came a Pullman pass good for a roomette or upper berth. Then they handed me a rail travel credit card for my meals in dining cars. Next was a locomotive pass allowing me to ride on locomotives across the Santa Fe lines. Then they whipped out a bridge pass for the Santa Fe owned Mississippi bridge at Fort Madison.
Last to appear was a shop pass allowing me access to any shop on the system including the labrynth Topeka Shops. I kept all those passes and they are somewhere at home. I was one of the first "outside" hires in the Santa Fe training program, and the lady in the pass bureau asked me while filling out paperwork, "What is your seniority date, please"? I replied "August 1st". "Yes, I see" she replied, "But what year?" "This year" I Said. "Well you can't have a pass with less than a week's service!!" she growled. I suggest she call the Vice President's office to clarify that, and that was one of the shortest phone calls I ever eavesdropped on. She asked if they really wanted her to issue a pass to an employee with no service time, and the answer was profane, direct and understood!!!

Norm
TIOGA PASS

My C&O Railway management "officer of the road pass" was endorsed as valid on all C&O, B&O, WM freight trains, pax trains, engines, and Great Lakes ore boats.

Retired Aug-1985, 39 yrs AT&SF. Our 'pass' is good on San Joaquins, all feeder buses (Sacto-Redding-San Jose et al) SW Chief, LA-Chgo--half fare for rooms including meals and all San Diego's south of LA. Half fare (2 for one) on all other service...be sure to change your address--you will also receive the RR news mag....