Amtrak sighting

[JoitheArtist]

First off, to any of you who might work on trains, my sympathies. You put up with some much crap, it's amazing. Personally, I love traveling by train, and have always found the conductors to be polite, at the very least, and often downright friendly and charming.

So I was sitting in my seat, fiddling with my cd player, when I gradually become aware of a disagreement going on a few rows down. Being a natural eavesdropper, I paused the cd and began watching. This family was traveling, and apparently something was wrong with their tickets. I guess they were going to need to get off at the next station and see a ticket agent, or something. Missed that part.

So the dad stands up, and begins trying to "reason" with the conductor. Bad idea. Number one, he's taller than her, so standing up to talk with her already looks like intimidation. Number two, the conductor knows the schedule and the rules better than you and your family do, idiot--that's why you're in this mess. Sure, getting off at the stop is an inconvenience, but you didn't book your tickets right, so who's fault is it?

conductor keeps repeating that they need to get off to sort this out, and is beginning to be irritated. Dad finally leans over her, and puts a hand on her shoulder, saying, "I don't think you're listening to me."

Now, this conductor is a short brunette, very tough-sounding lady. And you do NOT frell with short people. Ever. They've learned to be tough in junior high, do not try anything with them. Conductor backs away fast, pushes his hand away, and begins to say in a VERY loud and firm voice, "Do not touch me, sir! I will have to report this, and you need to leave the train immediately." This guy STILL doesn't get it, and keeps trying to say she's not listening.

It finally got sorted out, but really, what a dope!

[Chanlin]

Good for the conductor keeping her cool, that situation could have turned out quite a bit messier than it did. Have I mentioned before how much I hate people...

[XCashier]

conductor keeps repeating that they need to get off to sort this out, and is beginning to be irritated. Dad finally leans over her, and puts a hand on her shoulder, saying, "I don't think you're listening to me."

Bet he wouldn't have tried that if the conductor was a man.

[Bandit]

Personally, I love traveling by train, and have always found the conductors to be polite, at the very least, and often downright friendly and charming.

It is the last civilized way to travel, IMHO.

Conductor backs away fast, pushes his hand away, and begins to say in a VERY loud and firm voice, "Do not touch me, sir! I will have to report this, and you need to leave the train immediately." This guy STILL doesn't get it, and keeps trying to say she's not listening.

Hope this git and family ended up in an Amshack in the Middle-of-Nowhere, BF. The git deserves it - and also deserves the wrath of the family for being stuck where they didn't want to be.

B

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I love traveling by train. I can travel sober and straight on a train, instead of drunk and/or stoned, like I have to on a plane.

You can get up and walk around on a train. You can go wander up and down through other cars.

Yay trains!

That idiot would never have touched her had she been a man. He was trying to intimidate her. Probably shoves his wife around.

[JoitheArtist]

I love traveling by train. I can travel sober and straight on a train, instead of drunk and/or stoned, like I have to on a plane.

You can get up and walk around on a train. You can go wander up and down through other cars.

Yay trains!

I know, I LOVE train travel. The Pacific Surfliner runs just a few blocks from my office, and I have friends who live 5 minutes from the station in Santa Barbara, PLUS I have a discount card that saves me 20% off tickets, so I frequently hop on the train on Friday, enjoy the leisurely 3 hour trip along the coast, hang out with my friends, and come back. FanTAStic way to travel. You can get up, walk around, visit the snack car, see the scenery, not have to worry about gas prices, getting lost, getting stuck in traffic, etc.

[smileyeagle1021]

may I add my voice on the yay train travel list... sadly the only train that serves my travel needs (the california zypher) has the worst on time record in the country

[protege]

sadly the only train that serves my travel needs (the california zypher) has the worst on time record in the country

You can put most of the blame the freight railroads for that. Many of them treat Amtrak as a second-class citizens, giving priority to their own trains. Union Pacific and BNSF are the worst for it, followed by Norfolk Southern and CSX. Amtrak doesn't own much track...other than a few small lines out west, and the massive Northeast Corridor from Washington DC to NYC.

I'd gladly take the train over flying. After flying the week after 9/11, and dealing with canceled flights, being stuffed in like a sardine on the return, never again. I like seats that actually recline, not being forced to sit next to some weirdo, and actually being able to see out the windows.

[Dreamstalker]

I adore the train. You can get up and walk around, there's scenery (and legroom and food!), no freakouts about what you can and can't take on board, you know where your luggage is going. Sure BOS-DC takes half a day, but overall you'd probably waste the same amount of time getting to/through the airport, the flight, waiting for cabs, etc. My mom also gets semiregular online specials such as two-for-one or discounted companion tickets.

(I still believe that Amtrak should be taking advantage of the skyrocketing air travel prices by lowering their own fares if they can).

*BOS-ABQ was a so-so trip, Boston-Chicago was a brand new shiny train, Chicago-Abq was an older cramped one that was not very fun

[iradney]

Unfortunately in SA, on most of the trains you're taking your life into your own hands, as sometimes gangs like to roam them and rob people. Easy pickings you see - where you gonna run? Plus, the conductors are too scared to do anything as they do not carry weapons, and the gangs do...
*sigh*

[katie kaboom]

(I still believe that Amtrak should be taking advantage of the skyrocketing air travel prices by lowering their own fares if they can).

Me too, but ironically enough Amtrak's prices have gotten ridiculously high. Probably because they know so many people don't want to drive long distances these days and so many people are fed up with flying.

All i know is when my fiance and i were living apart (last fall,) i could take a round-trip on Amtrak between Baltimore and NYC for about $120. Now it's almost that much just for each leg of the trip.
It would have cost me ungodly amounts of money to go back to Baltimore for Father's Day.
And Memorial Day weekend it would have been $360 for a round trip for two people to Baltimore and back. Amtrak has gotten greedier and greedier lately.

[protege]

Amtrak has gotten greedier and greedier lately.

They're getting hit with increased fuel costs like everyone else. Diesel costs (last time I checked) were over $5 a gallon, and those locomotives use several gallons *per mile.* Throw in the size of the tank (a thousand gallons plus, per engine), and it's expensive. In fact, flipping through the recent Trains magazine the other day, I noticed that the Wheeling & Lake Erie railroad, was spending about $30,000 a day just on diesel fuel. Kinda puts $4 per gallon auto fuel in perspective, doesn't it?

Also consider that Amtrak is at the mercy of those idiots in Washington...who control the subsidies that Amtrak gets. They've already cut those back a bit...

A shame really, because I'm sure plenty of people would take the train over flying...or even driving for that matter. I'm one of them mainly because it's more comfortable, and dining car service (if available) simply kicks ass. There's nothing like leaving Chicago, eating dinner, and watching the Great Plains go by at 79 miles per hour, heading west

[smileyeagle1021]

They're getting hit with increased fuel costs like everyone else. Diesel costs (last time I checked) were over $5 a gallon, and those locomotives use several gallons *per mile.* Throw in the size of the tank (a thousand gallons plus, per engine), and it's expensive. In fact, flipping through the recent Trains magazine the other day, I noticed that the Wheeling & Lake Erie railroad, was spending about $30,000 a day just on diesel fuel. Kinda puts $4 per gallon auto fuel in perspective, doesn't it?

though the trains still do average less fuel consumed than if every passenger had driven rather than take the train. but yeah, with the exception of the few lines they have using electric they've gotta be hurting with that... UTA is having the same problem with it's Frontrunner train... when they planned and designed it diesel was still relatively cheap (like between 2 and 3, still high, but not 5) and there was no reason to build it as an electric line... guess what I'm betting they are all wishing they had done.

[Samaliel]

[...] you didn't book your tickets right, so who's fault is it? [...]

Actually, the booking mess-up might not have been his fault. Shit happens, weirder things have happened and I witnessed such a mess-up.

One of my friends invited me and another friend to his birthday party... down in Bordeaux. They booked their tickets, I didn't, since I wasn't sure if I would be able to make it. I buy my ticket at the last minute. We get on the train, and my friends find their seats occupied. They check their tickets and, sure enough, they are for a train leaving at the same hour, leaving the next Wednesday. I don't believe he could have had the date wrong, since it was for his own birthday. However, they paid the fine, took the dispute info, and then forgot about it for the week-end.

However, regardless of who is responsible for the mess-up, being a total ass-tard about it is not, in any way, acceptable.

[Sliceanddice]

we need to reset up a descent train system for passanger travel... it would be eaiser for people like my sister who are afraid of buses and planes