Unpacking Amtrak’s Path Forward
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- Опубліковано 19 вер 2024
- Welcome to a special edition of “All Aboard with Stephen.” In this episode, our Lead Ticket Agents, Tanishia and Janice, pose some of our customer’s most pressing questions to Amtrak’s CEO, Stephen Gardner. You will also hear about some of the immediate changes Amtrak customers can expect and long-term transformations set to enhance our service and usher us into a new era of rail. Stephen even gives customers insight into what routes we may expand to in the future.
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Full restoration of traditional dining service on all the long distance routes would be wonderful!
4:50 Had Stephen waited until Janice finished her question, he would have been able to answer the question she asked. But he just started talking right over her. She asked about routes AND EQUIPMENT. I didn't hear Stephen say anything about equipment - all he talked about was routes and corridors.
8:55 Again, Tanishia asked bout new passenger equipment. The only equipment Stephen touched on, briefly, was the new locomotives, something most passengers really don't care about. Most of his response was about infrastructure.
CEOs: learn to LISTEN!
12:49 I think that after 20 years with Amtrak, every "Lead Ticket Agent" should have already ridden every route so as to be able to express an educated opinion when asked by a customer about a particular route. Maybe not as a paid shift, but as a company-paid experience.
I recently rode Amtrak (which I love doing - I have an Amtrak Rewards card) from Fresno, CA (Amtrak San Joaquins), via Jack London Square, Oakland, CA to Portland, OR (Coast Starlight), to Milwaukee, WI (Empire Builder), and return. I had a bedroom which I reserved using my points (it now takes almost 2.5 times the points that it did before Covid for the same trip). I know Amtrak is working on replacing the old equipment for long distance trains, but it is way over due. I am hoping Amtrak will add staff at Beech Grove to rebuild, repair and service cars more quickly. Congress has never funded Amtrak appropriately since its' inception to make it a truly viable transportation option. The cars have had new carpet, curtains and seat coverings which is good. Trains, however, are usually late and turn around times are too short to adequately clean each car. I blame the Class 1 railroads for not always following the rules concerning Amtrak operations (they should be held accountable by the people who make the operational rules; i.e., Congress), but I also blame Amtrak management for not checking/inspecting the cleaning and support process like it should be done. For example, the shower/toilet cubicles aren't cleaned well. The walls surrounding the sinks are not cleaned well, if at all - look at the walls in all lighting to see what I mean. Additionally, I hope the designing of the newer cars included input from the customers. It would also be nice to be able to reserve a room using points online rather than have to talk to a ticket agent, but I understand the reasoning. I hope this latest push to make Amtrak better will continue. Changes in Congress may happen soon, but I hope that Congress will realize that passenger rail transportation is essential during times of war. The airlines will not be able to do it all. The United States should always be prepared for its' defense and railroads are a major player in this.
You really think the congress critters give a rat's pitootey about us?
A war they instigated?
Would love to see the VPRA-led CSX RF&P Subdivision state-owned third and fourth track projects gain additional Amtrak support to help push it forward! That will be an important project for improving service, making it more efficient along the east coast, and connecting the southeast with the northeast more efficiently along with the S-Line! Love all the projects that are currently taking place.
"We have the largest rail network on earth..." = TRUE! It's also true that 85% of that map is ignored. For decades.
America is 100 years behind China on rail travel - we are in the horse and buggy stage of light rail - it is beyond embarrassing
I'm so old, I remember riding on the Desert Wind (CHI-LAX through LAS), the Pioneer (CHI-SEA through DEN and PDX) and the International (TWO-CHI).
And let's not forget the Sunset Limited (MIA-LAX).
Time for high speed rail!!
We'd need to build an entirely new corridor
If it's going to happen, it won't be with Amtrak.
See Brightline.
Yay! The video clip of the Borealis coming into Columbus WI is mine! Got over 70k miles with Amtrak and glad to Add the Borealis to my list! :-)
Restore Sightseer Lounges on the Capitol Limited and Texas Eagle and make traditional dining systemwide again!
More affordable roomettes and bedrooms on long-distance trains.
This ^
The challenge is those services already lose money and are subsidized by the NEC profits and other urban routes. I do agree they are high at peak.
They’re affordable especially for the distance you’re traveling and time the money isn’t the problem it’s the quality . They can’t lower the price because the people you vote for don’t think a national rail budget is as big of priority as other civilized nations.
I wish you could book a single bed, rather than an entire room, like in most countries.
Definitely more affordable those roommates bedroom prices are ridiculous
Still waiting for New Orleans to Baton Rouge to Lafayette to Shreveport service.
Viva Amtrak!
More user-friendly website that easily allows one to price up an anticipated trip in advance of making actual reservations.
Push for a better route in Maine, I understand it's state funded / owned but I'm sure if Amtrak stepped in with federal funding something may actually come of it.
Thank you Stephen. Lets get the 3C Corridor done!
You forgot about Dayton.
Everyone forgot about Dayton
Increase the frequency on the Ethan Allen Express, get it down under 7 hours from Burlington to New York, and extend it to Montreal!
need more trains in the Midwest
Have you heard of the Rio Grande Plan in SLC? That’s sure to bring more trains to the crossroads of the west.
Still waiting for Atlanta to Memphis to Oklahoma City to Albuquerque service with connections at terminal ends to the Crescent and the Southwest Chief.
Maglev it
"And the question is: Where does it make sense to run passenger trains?"
That right there is Amtrak Management's little loophole they love to use. Granted, you're not going to run a train from NYC to South Dakota, I get that. But they seem to be planting that seed of trying to get out of LD service anyway they can.
As an Amtrak Employee on the Empire Builder it is all of our awesome passengers that make my work a joy. I love meeting y’all and being of service. Keeping riding Amtrak and hope to Welcome Each And Every one of you Aboard!!!!
Still waiting for trains running from Nashville to Louisville thru to Chicago. And a train from Cleveland to Cincinnati. Probably never happen.
Appreciate my home station featured at 7:00!
There are MANY things to do at AMTRAK. Here are just a few. DAILY SERVICE on the SUNSET LIMITED and CARDINAL. THROUGH OPERATION of some trains from one route to another and in some cases, simply THROUGH CARS! Routes such as Seattle to Washington on the EMPIRE BUILDER and CAPITOL LIMITED. for example. Twice Daily services on key long distance routes, with trains eight to twelve hours apart. Chicago LA for example.
Any plans for service from Palm Springs/Indio into Los Angeles ?
The staff on the trains are all very efficient and friendly. I want to thank them for all they do. Dealing with them is truly part of the fun. I ride the auto train.
Who can i contact with Amtrak about what is needed from a city/county/state to get a stop in Cave City Kentucky at Mammoth Cave National park between Louisville and Nashville. Like to look at a long term plan and how we could help Amtrak make that happen.
How long of an area is needed for stop? Who builds Station, parking, Fuel stop. Cave City is going through a renovation and looking at long term planning, love to plan for a National Park stop, which historically is why Cave City was founded in the first place. What can we do to plan long term for a stop?
That would be your local city council since train stations and airports initial construction costs are tax payer funded with local taxes. I think that is why there are some towns with very small populations that trains stop at, because the people that live there make a yearly investment into their own town's train station for many decades. Here at KC, Amtrak only lives in a tiny portion of the station, the rest of the station is still paid for us taxpayers here in KC, mainly through a 1% local city tax on every dollar earned in salary, and that is in addition to the federal taxes and state taxes that you probably already know. It is also funded by some of the other business tenant at the train station but at this time Amtrak is still losing money and depends heavily on the tax payer at both the local and federal level.
Take a look at previous past plans for rail lines development/support in rural parts of the US. This will help will provide more passengers support and opportunities in the long run, even after our time.
There's a Stephen Gardner video from over a year ago talking about a Tucson to downtown Phoenix commuter train, possibly extending further west to Buckeye, AZ. And vague wishes of getting the old Sunset Ltd. route between Phoenix & Yuma back into service. Any progress?
Tucson to Phoenix appears to be struggling politically as of February 2024 due to a bill to prevent funding to this project.
We need the Rio Grande Plan in Salt Lake City!!!!
Let's get the Adirondack down to 7/8 hours and no summer shutdown!
7/8 hours from what, what locations
We need a ticket agent/ticket station in Roanoke virginia ?
Thank you for the information, you guys are the best, @amtrak, you too, Stephen Gardner.
im going to be a new cruiser on trains.from Tampa to Toledo, round trip just to do it
Has the ceo gone on a 4 plus hour trip?
Highly doubt he rides the train more than a few times a year
@@mcleodm19 Keep in mind, the brass at Amtrak have their own private "business car." So it's not likely you'll be chatting with him in line at the cafe car.
Amtrak has to be more commercially minded. It has to be willing to do projects with private investors/companies such as Brightline.
This interview is a great idea. I like the idea of service and being nice to customers and showing them that you care. An important topic that I would have liked the CEO to address is the relationship between AMTRAK and the host railway companies. There is a federal law that states passenger trains must be given priority but the law has not been enforced. No matter how much updated rolling cars are, if AMTRAK trains are always late, passengers will not be happy. Could AMTRAK and DOT work with the host railways to ensure that passenger trains receive priority especially on the long distance trains?
I often ride Amtrak and appreciate this video. It's nice to hear about what's being worked on.
We need a straight up new corridor on the NEC
2:45 Amtrak travel as a vacation in itself was a great option as the US emerged from the pandemic restrictions while travel abroad remained unpredictable.
This guy has such bad vibes. He “owns” the room in a bad way and I don’t think he went more than 2 minutes without saying “northeast corridor”
What is the problem with restoring the full Sunset Ltd from New Orleans to Jacksonville? This at one time was the only Amtrak line that ran from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, at the same time reconnect Phoenix AZ to this train line.
I would like to see the Broadway Limited return. Since New York & Washington, D. C. each have a train to Chicago, why not have the Broadway Limited start from Philadelphia. The Cardinal could be a back up option for all 3 cities. I'd would also like to see the Cardinal 1) Have daily service. 2) Have an actual dining car like the other eastern long distance routes. Also, bring back cloth coach seats. Especially for long distance trains.
Detroit has been neglected for years now. When will we get our new or updated train station????
Commuters are considered a little less than Freight which is steerage which just means they had excess room. Freight still takes priority.
Get your own tracks and stop playing second fiddle to freight!!!!!!!
There's a reason they're using freight tracks.
Maybe focus on more practical routes for people traveling cross country. The long distance service is terribly slow and impractical and you need bigger ideas than just serving Boston-DC. Incredibly disappointing to hear the CEO saying "trains don't make sense everywhere"
expand the downeaster to rockland!!
But what about the new Acelas?)
Big up my yardies! 🇯🇲
Bring back the Arrive magazine on the trains
Will the Avelia trains ever run?
DEI here
AMTRAK is an eastern oriented passenger railroad😢
Anything south of DC is totally neglected in my opinion but I have to remind myself they are on the freight companies tracks, so not a whole lot of say so
Pumped for talks with Stephen!
If someone wanted to get into PTC engineering who currently works in an IT engineering role, what would be the best way to get qualifications for a role like that at Amtrak?
✌🏾
Does Amtrak hire heritage Americans to work on its trains or are these jobs strictly reserved for Black people?
As long as you have to fight against the freight RR your gonna lose unfortunately outside of the NEC
Focus on journeys under 250 miles ending in larger cities. Long-distance is a huge money loser.
Jackson Kenneth Wilson Karen Jackson Barbara
“Host” railroads sounds so sinister, probably because they are. Buy their tracks out!
A bunch of PR. I'd rather take a Flixbus
Why?
@@darthmaul216 $10 one-way vs $30. Amtrak is even slightly slower and is more susceptible to freight delays than buses are to traffic.
Amtrak 🚆🚂 train service is the greatest.
Sarcastically speaking its great service, especially south of DC on the Norfolk Southern, CSX Transportation, BNSF and Union Pacific 😒 They care more about the northeast corridor
@@Zeromyhero-o6o Okay. Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts regarding this subject. New York, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, and Washington DC Amtrak 🚆🚂 train service is the greatest