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Thursday, January 13, 2011

13 things you don't want to hear an Amtrak Employee say - Thursday Jan 13, 2011

Or - why we need a fully funded national railway system


1. The sleeping car attendant as you pull up to your sleeper 10 minutes before your train leaves : "Didn't anyone contact you?"
2. The conductor of your 25 hour trip from Washington DC to Deerfield Beach Florida, after you've been informed that your sleeper is flooded and unusable: "We've put you in coach"
3. The Customer Service Rep after you inform her you won't go coach: "I've got you on a train tomorrow." Adding just as your train pulls away, "In coach."
4. The Customer Service Rep at the counter referring to your 40 year-old traveling companion who is only 6 years younger than you: "Is that your daughter."
5. A different Customer Service Rep the next day asking your aforementioned traveling companion: "You traveling with your mama?"
6. The attendant in the first class lounge when you show up the next day for the sleeper they finally got you: "The engine has broken in New Jersey and you're train is going to be late."
7. The same attendant: "A second engine has broken down in Philadelphia and your train is going to be later."
8. An hour after you've been told your train left Philadelphia: "Your train left Philadelphia."
9. 5:00, still 5 hours out of your destination (running over 5 hours late): "We're waiting on authorization to feed you."
10. In the ticket office on your return 15 minutes before your train is due: "For some reason I can't get your tickets to print. I don't know what to do."
11. After you've told your sleeping car attendant you don't drink coffee: "We don't have any cranberry juice or tea in the sleeping cars anymore. But we do have coffee"
12. When you arrive in the dinning car after being informed your train is arriving an hour early: "You SHOULD have time for breakfast."
13. 10 minutes later: "We're here you need to disembark"

9 comments:

  1. OMG. I'm so giggling right now. Awesome!

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  2. Yeah, but train travel is still less stressful, more fun and more relaxing than air travel. *g*

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  3. That's what we kept telling ourselves :)

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  4. Man, I always liked traveling by train but now I'm not so sure that flying isn't the way to go.

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  5. Well, that sounds like a bit of a nightmare.

    Sorry you had such a tough time! :(

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  6. ACK! No, I wouldn't want to hear any of that. LOL! Happy Thursday!

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  7. Oh, my. I'm sorry it was so rough. My two sleeper car train trips were dreams by comparison.

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  8. I've know that riding the train can be an adventure but never realized how much! LOL

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  9. I've never travelled by train, but I might take the train to Lori Foster con. I hope my trip goes better than this one appeared to have!

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