We arrived in South Station a full 18 hours behind schedule and once my tired, crying, bitchy pregnant self complained, received vouchers for the price of our fare.

Shoddy work of the employees (maintenance, customer service, timeliness, etc.) cost them customers, and any hope of support from the taxpayer.

@tankertodd:
And yet no one complains when the airlines get money dumped into them. No one's going to complain as much when the airlines WILL get bailed out! Amtrak has to deal with less money, less passengers, and less...lots of stuff yet still shoulders on. airlines complain and moan and cut everything when whatever they bring in two cents less than they did last month!
What's going to happen when a terrorist hacks air traffic control, or knocks out all the radars, or disables the major airports (point-sources of failure). Hopefully it won't happen, but it could. Guess what, unless you want to drive everywhere you have to go, Amtrak's it. You can blow up all the stations you want, but unless you blow apart every mile of track in the country, Amtrak will continue onwards where the crap-lines will fail.

Years ago I did a cross-country, round trip on Amtrak. What a horror. Most(not all) of the employees were surly and rude. The food was really bad and the bathrooms were filthy. Since I was riding coach (limited budget at the time), I needed to stretch out and sleep when I could. But the conductors would wake me and put new passengers (middle of the night stops)in the seat next to me, even though there were empty seats further down or across! And they knew from my ticket that I had been traveling for days. It was almost sadistic and seemed calculated.
I also did a VA to Boston trip about 7 years ago (bad memories fade). It was a mess. Left at about 4pm, got to Boston around 6 the next morning. Full lighting all night and people were laughing, yelling, playing guitar etc all night. I don't know about everybody else, but I need sleep once in awhile, especially when I have a meeting to go to. It used to be, that later in the evening, they would dim the lights and most people would quiet down to respect others who were trying to sleep. But no one cares about fellow passengers and Amtrak certainly does not give examples on how to treat others.
When I was a kid, we used the train quite often to travel to relatives in Canada. It used to be nice. Not anymore. I miss the way it used to be, civil, on-time, clean and enjoyable.

@Joe Caputo: 8 years of Republican tyranny will do that to a nation, though America has always had way too low taxes. Then when you hear the Republican leadership spouting off about lowering taxes further it just makes you cringe.

The reason Europe is doing better comparatively speaking is because we actually spend money on maintaining the infrastructure. Heck, in the UK taxes even ensure that all citizens, regardless of income, get quality health care.

America probably never will get it, but the fact is that pure everyone-for-themselves capitalism is just as large a failure as pure communism was. It's just failing in a different way. But ah well, at least a narrow majority of the country realized that the Democrats may be clueless, but they're not downright evil like the Republicans... have to hope that the shift will put the country on a path to recovery.

Amtrak appears to be yet another symptom of a far larger systemic issue to me.

As to the right of way system on the tracks, it's first in time first in line- it depends on how long a particular train route has been running on those tracks. If a freight Train route has been going since the 1800's it's going to have priority over Amtrak.

I used to ride them from Richmond,VA to NYC about five times a year. Amtrak would have some pretty good deals on the fare if you booked far enough in advance. The train I would get was supposed to leave very early in the morning (4:30am I think)and arrive in NYC about 6 1/2 hiurs later. Well that never happened. It was always at least two hours late getting to Richmond. When the train gets to DC they change from a deisel engine to electric. The change is supposed to take about 30 minutes. But very often there was no crew to do that task. We would have to wait until one arrived. I always found that inexcusable. My last ride on Amtrak was eleven hours late to NYC. About a third of the passengers had started their journey in Miami, FL. I really thought a riot was going to break out after leaving Baltimore and sitting in the middle of nowhere for over three hours. The toilets were backed up and they were out of food and drink to sell. But the absolute worst sin Amtrak commits is the lack of any customer service skills and the out and out rudeness of their employees. Much easier to drive to NYC or take the Chinese bus(Eastern Travel)for $70 roundtrip. Nice buses and friendly employees who act like their happy to see you.

I live in New York. I use primarily subway, air travel and amtrak. While I have switched a lot of my commute to Jetblue due to a new route, there are a log of people like me, who don't own a car. Why should I pay for the maintanance of roads I don't use? Signs? How about the pollution? Especially in urban areas, mostly from drivers of cars of other communities?

Hey I dont have kids, Why should I pay for the education system? Are we talking a la carte?

Consider other perspectives.

We have a local route here - it's quicker to just drive than ride the train. What's the point of that? Plus having to park my car in a sketchy neighborhood so I can worry about the car I'm NOT driving getting stolen while I'm stuck on a slower train?

Asinine.

Why not sell Amtrak to a private firm that can make trains competitive? How can Europe do rail efficiently and not us? Do people EVEN WANT trains? Do we need passenger rail? Or is it just a handful of people who are making the rest of us subsidize their fear of flying? Why not invest in aviation infrastructure? With very light jets and super-size airliners, capacity is on the increase, but we need more airports, direct routing/GPS flights, and an alternative to the hub and spoke monopolies.

Life lesson? I'd be teaching that poor fellow a lesson he'd never forget.

At what point do you stop caring that you are dealing with PEOPLE; real, living, breathing, tired, hungry, murderous people?

@csurugbyhooker @RamV10: A train leaves the station at 4:04 pm and travels at an average of 44 mph. Train B leaves on a different set of tracks at 5:15 pm and travels to the same destination at an average of 49 mph. What is the conductor's name?

@Silversmok3:

A drill sergeant will at least teach you things that are subsequently useful.

Train X crosses an interlocking, the sensor there reports back to wherever the traffic controllers are that train x has passed through at x time and x speed. It's x minutes to the next interlocking, which is x minutes ahead/behind/on schedule. That's how they do it as far as I know.

Beyond that, if these people were treated unfairly by amtrak why didn't they complain? I was on a train one stormy night in Jersey and a tree fell on the tracks. We had to sit and wait for a couple hours while it was cleared, but the whole time they were updating us on what was going on, and they kept the power/heat/etc on the whole time. Being a frequent Amtrak traveler I have never seen a "standing room only" car OR a car with hard linoleum floor. All of the cars that I ride in have these things called seats, which tend to have 3x the legroom of an airplane and are way more comfortable.

I'm not trying to say it didn't happen, but there are too many things in this article that don't make sense to me.

Amtrak is great if you love massive leg room, the ability to get up at will, the ability to bring your own booze, the ability to get away from crying kids, etc, and don't have to be at your destination at a specific time.

Every mode of transportation in this country is heavily subsidized by the government. Fares and user fees come nowhere close to covering the costs of air travel. Gas taxes and registration fees come nowhere close to paying for all the roads and bridges. Why Amtrak is held to this unique standard of having to pay for itself, I have no idea.

Anyone who has traveled by train in Europe, or even Canada, would tell you they are a great option for mid-range trips. Add in all the airport hassles and the train trip is only slightly longer. It's less expensive. The 'coach' seat on a train is more spacious than first class on a plane. Lastly, plenty of train stations are right in the middle of downtown. Step out of the station, and you're there. No $30 cab ride from the airport required.

I was a passenger on train #352, on Dec. 21 which went from Chicago to Pontiac, Michigan. It should have been a six hour trip. We arrived more than 12 hours late. The weather was terrible, but the service was worse. We all agreed that if the crew had communicated with us what was happening, we would have been able to accept it. We waited at Union Station for over four hours before we left. It was a joke when they were announcing the train was continually late. Mostly because the speaker didn't work, and they never gave us a reason. They told us to all go to the Great Hall. They called the police to tell one young man that he could not lie down while waiting.
We spent two hours just outside of Gary, two hours in Kalamazoo, when several passengers just got off and rented cars to drive home. Finally, around 3a.m., in Battle Creek, the train was stopped, and the crew turned off the power, including the heat. We sat in the dark for more the 40 minutes without knowing why. There were babies and elderly on the train. Then someone came in and said that the entire crew was sitting in the warm station, and that the engineer had gone home because he had finished his alloted time of work. At that point, people started to get really angry. Up to then, we took what we were given. We felt as though we had been abandoned. Myself and another woman called 911 and the police were on their way, when shortly after that, the crew came back to the train. I believe the police must have called the station to ask why passengers were calling them. They got on the train and immediately started up and pulled forward, only about 1/4 mile, LEAVING THREE PASSENGERS OUTSIDE! I believe they did that so that the police were not able to board the train and talk with us. I rode all the way to Birmingham, MI. I watched the sun rise over Detroit, where we again had and inexplicable stop of 30 minutes. My train ride lasted over 15 hours. Waiting for the train to leave was 5 hours. As I write this, my daughter is waiting again at Union Station for her trip to Birmingham. She was supposed to leave at 5:25ct. It is now 9:25c.t. she has no explanation so far as to why it is late, or when they will leave. We were very upset with the lack of communication from the staff. I am recently laid off, and would give anything to have a job as a conductor of a train (50+year old woman!) I would have cleaned the bathrooms and given the passengers water. We had no water, unless we bought it, because the lines were frozen. Has this never happened on a train before? Why could they not have brought big sports-like coolers of water to make coffee? People stood in line for something to eat for over two hours, after getting on the train. After Battle Creek, the conductor woke people up (who were extremely exhausted) and told them that they had to get off at Dearborn, and then get back on. He said, "It doesn't make sense, but just do it." Then, when some of them didn't, because they were too sleepy when he told them that, he got mad at them and made them get off in the middle of the track and get back on to a car behind us. This was just for the convenience of the crew, not at all, obviously, for the passengers. The crew was usually sitting in the lounge car, which was the only car that was warm. They ate, and talked. One conductor I was was asleep in Business Class. Our country should have the very best rail system in the world. It is partly goverment owned. It is the most economical form of transportation. And yet, we continue to put up with this laughable service from Amtrak. I have been riding Amtrak trains for thirty years, and it has always been bad, but is getting worse. Why don't they hire some people with a little bit of respect and compassion, and pride, as well. This is so unacceptable. I took a spiral notebook and went from the front of the train to the back and talked to everyone who was awake. We shared stories, and I got their email addresses. Everyone was outraged. We have voices, and I intend for us to be heard. We need a good rail line. 2,774,651 passengers travelled from and to Chicago last year. Imagine what kind of service we could have if this were run like a hotel or resort instead of a homeless shelter. We have the money, and we have the out of work people to get it done. Hire me, Amtrak!!!

And, of course, airports have to be careful that they don't slip lower than Amtrak in terms of speed/customer service/reliability/cost, because Amtrak is the only competitor that isn't another airline or Greyhound. A train would innately have those traits, as it goes on tracks, uses less fuel, and is mechanically much more simple than an air plane. Sadly, it seems the inability to buy/maintain track and modern trains on their budget makes Amtrak the slow, expensive option it is today. For a nation as wide as the United States, you'd think we'd have a more efficient option for crossing those huge amounts of land than the airplane.

Also: I wish the train could somehow be less filthy after an overnight trip. UGH. And how about letting those seats recline just a smidge farther?

My car broke yesterday and with a long car trip schedule for tomorrow, our options include: find a flight (sold out or prohibitively expensive), ride the Amtrak, or get the car fixed/rent one. I can tell you I am not setting foot on Amtrak until the spring, or better yet, never.

It's sad, because the train is a much more affordable travel option and sometimes is more convenient (their requirements for checking baggage are quite lax). Amtrak does not dick you over at nearly the level as the airlines do. We should be bailing out Amtrak. Upgrade our rail lines!

Stories about trains stopping. Bad omens.

You have to look at it the same way the transportation industry and the gubimint does:

Soylent Green!

@ophmarketing: Yes, that's true, but that portion must have been closed. The train tracks are actually outside. I board at the Union Station and Ogillvie nearly everyday.

Evidently it's a deli whose webmaster has issues with setting the proper permissions on directories.

@Ninja007: You do realize that if there were money in passenger rail that BNSF, UPac, and SoPac would have never gotten out of passenger rail service in the first place.

What doomed passenger rail service in this country was the CAB and their HEAVY regulation of the commercial aviation industry. The CAB had set airfare so low that railroads just could not compete. After all, why spend a day on the train when you could spend a few hours on an airplane for the same price (or even less in some cases)? The problem was airline deregulation happened too late to help the railroads like Penn Central which was the largest bankruptcy in the history of the country (at that time). By 1978 the still-breathing railroads had gone to strictly freight and remain that way today. Heck, the freight railroads are starting to whine and cry how they need more money for more trackage just for freight.

The railroads might have stayed in the passenger travel business if the airlines had been deregulated before the jet age.

@chadbailey: Mind you the show was filmed on the train during peak travel season when Amtrak probably has more staff and is getting more money from higher fares.

@KiLE:

That's [bleeped] up.

@PeterCachanilla:

"The USPS is more or less private now, and profitable."

LOL. When you don't have the facts, just make them up.

USPS posts $1 billion loss

As far as being "private" is it both independent and a quasi-governmental agency. Believe me, if USPS could do so, they would cut off delivery to about 30 percent of the U.S. Do you know much it costs to deliver mail to places like North Dakota with low population densities? It's not worth it if you're a business.

That's why FedEx and UPS don't pursue the right to take over completely - they don't want to have to deliver to all those places. At least not without massive surcharges.

When he was in Chicago, the train was delayed 16 hours. During that time, he was told by amtrak employees that he could not leave the unheated station lounge and was given no estimated time of departure.

Amtrak could be a very decent public service given proper funding.

The USPS is more or less private now, and profitable. They do not receive funding or subsidies.

Further, there are several competing mail services (UPS, Fedex, DHL) that are also quite profitable, in spite of charing much higher rates.

Comparing Amtrak to USPS is... not so much.

@Joe Caputo:

Joe is 100 percent correct.

As I said in another post, Europe has wonderful train service because it is subsidized by the government. We have awful train service because we do not subsidize it.

I guess if you don't want train service between cities, then let Amtrak go. But some towns and cities depend on Amtrak. It's the same thing with USPS. Sure, we could let private industry take over the mail system. But then 30 percent of the country won't have any mail service. It's not profitable.

I mean, heck why don't we privative the fire department. And the police. If you can't afford, let people's houses burn down. And if you need a police officer, that will be $295, sir.

@csurugbyhooker: Amtrak also has to pay for all accidents on its lines even when it is the fault of the freight trains. Even when it is blatantly the fault of the freight lines.

Can you say corporate welfare?

This is pretty typical for Amtrak.

Europe has such great trains and service because they are heavily subsidized.

Amtrak has been strung along on a bare bones budget for decades. That's why it sucks.

Amtrak, all it would really take is for you guys to handle these situations like human beings. We know that sometimes things get messed up. Just tell us what happened, tell us what you are going to do about it, tell us when it will be fixed, and try to attend to your passengers while fixing it. This is all we ask.

Understand, that Amtrak doesnt have competition. They do not have other companies waiting for them to fail, to step into their place. NO ONE wants to, nor COULD they, compete, because the industry is in taters. Amtrak is not only grossly underfunded (which causes these tie-ups and lack of personnel) they are subservient to the Freight industry, which further tosses them to the sides. Amtrak basically rents time on Union Pacific lines.

But go ahead, let Amtrak fail. And the airlines. And the car industry. Then how are you gonna get home for christmas, foolio? Enjoy the greyhound station!

As for being stuck in Union Station, there's far worse places to be stranded. Walk outside the station on Jackson Street and there lies one of the greatest diners in the country: Lou Mitchell's. There's a blue line subway 2 blocks south of there and the loop trains and red line subway a couple blocks east. There's anything but a lack of food in the Windy City. While I don't know if this is the case or not, shame on Amtrak for making those passengers stay inside Union Station when they could have ventured out for food and drink.

On a side note, I was delayed getting into Chicago from Cleveland last year by 8 hours, all spent on the train. As bad as that was, the airports had shut down and the turnpike was closed, so Amtrak was my only way into the city. I wish I could have been delayed in Union Station...

Still, this is ridiculous. Does anyone remember these are people on the train? People!

didn't this happen on a massive scale in china this past january?
[www.cnn.com]

However, I've always seen people coming and going from the Amtrak area when I've been in Union Station, so I'm a little puzzled as to why they couldn't just go up the escalator to the McDonald's.

There's just no place in today's bailout-happy world for an old-timer like me who thinks poor companies should be allowed to fail.

Kelly said when she asked a customer service employee what to do, she was told: "Sometimes life puts you in a situation, where you need to learn a lesson. I would figure out what that lesson is supposed to be."

It's a good thing for that customer service rep that Kelly had previously learned another important life lesson: Don't punch Amtrak customer service people in the face... no matter what they say to you."

It's funny. I failed that life lesson because before I even read that last paragraph, the first thing that went through my mind when reading the quote from the Amtrak employee was 'OMG, I would punch that person in the face.'

Funny, I just watched a show on the History Channel the other day about this very train (Empire Builder) and route. It looked nice. Not so much now.

As a former Amtrak customer ( as an SIU Carbondale Student without a car ) ,ive found them to be as flexible and helpful as a drill seargent when problems occured.

Its Amtrak.The staff's getting paid whether you, your stuff, or the train gets there on time,or at all.

Ever been stuck in a train without air conditioning for 2 hours in mid-August?I have.

the last time I took Amtrak, we went through Union Station and there were so many delays we missed our connection by about an hour (the connecting train left about 1/3 full according to the Amtrak employees on our train). Anyways, after we got to Chicago and were in the Amtrak area they told us 2 things - 1) if you go out of earshot of the check-in people, you run a very high risk of losing your seat and being stranded and 2) once you get on the platform, you cannot leave the train without forfeiting your seat (ie no readmission).

So, that's my long winded guess as to how you can be stranded there. They probably weren't letting people off the train and into the station - either that's Amtrak or Union Station, not really sure who would have made that call

It's becoming clear to me that the only way to guarantee you get anywhere domestically with little or no delay is to drive there yourself.

I'm also confused as to why they were "trapped" inside the station for 24 hours. The only thing I can figure is they were continuously told that the train would be leaving "any minute" and therefore stayed, or perhaps they were told they'd get no ticket refund if they left?

The Amtrak train from Chicago-Grand Rapids was stopped into Chicago overnight because the crew reached maximum hours - 25 miles from its destination (my hometown)

One guy who lived near the area simply walked out into a snowbank with his stuff and had his friend pick him up at a gas station. That would be me if in his shoes.

Oh and according to reports Amtrak refused to let the Holland, MI police board the train to see what was up - after they got calls

Considering the alternative of airplane travel, these people werent so bad off. At least Amtrak has fairly accurate web info, so you dont have to leave the house, if things arent moving.