posted
Call it luck, no track work, no bad weather or maybe CSX is getting its act together but last weekend I too had a good experience on the Palmetto from Florence, SC to Ashland, VA and return.
The Palmetto was on time at all station stops arriving Richmond within 4 minutes of schedule (I call that on time).
The train crew was outstanding and the cafe attendent was adequete. I was in business class and one of the train crew (I assume conductor) came through and handed out pillows, blankets, and newspapers. Can you believe it. He let every one know when we were stopping long enough for the smokers on board and was generally had a positive upbeat attitude throughout the trip. He also handled all the checked baggage. He was clearly in charge and the rest of the crew was at their appointed locations throughout the trip. As I was boarding, he was handing out seat assignements (specific seat written on a note pad) to the passengers.
I had a couple hours to spend in Richmond and saw quite a number of trains including the Auto Train. It was very long and had 2 sleepers with names still on them - South Carolina and W. Graham Claytor. I hate the fact that tradition has ended.
A great weekend during a college reunion. A reception was held at the Henry Clay Inn and my eyes kept going to the window as trains passed. My buddies of course spent a good deal of time kidding me about still chasing trains. As we get older, a weekend like that reminded me how important our friends are. Although, it was a little depressing to see how our topic of converstion has changed from girls and new careers to aging parents, and new grandchildren.
The return trip was not quite as good. We were on time until Fayetteville, and then held after a meet to follow a train ahead of us. Florence arrival was 20 minutes late - still not bad.
The crew however was disappointing. The train crew was ok and did their work but made no special efforts to care for the passengers. The coach attendent spent most of the trip in the cafe car complaining about how much work he had to do. He and the 2 cafe attendents (I guess one was in training) occupied one of the tables throughout the trip. The train crew had another two which left only 3 for passengers. When I tried to get a coke, it was clear I was interupting a heating dialog between the cafe attendent with another crew member on why the landing on the moon was a hoax. It went from there to Iraq before I retreated.
Given my experience on the trip north, I guess one answer for Amtrak would be to change work rules / job descriptions (highly unlikely) so the conductor has the responsibility to manage the entire crew including OBS staff. I think a little leadership would go along way to making OBS be more conscious of their customer service responsiblities. Right now there is no consistency in the quality of service you get.
The train was comfortably full in both directions with about 2 1/2 coaches full (the fourth coach not used at all). In business there were 2 empty seats north and none on the return.
For those who say there is no economic need for LD trains - they should ride the Palmetto. On the return, the first coach was all Charleston and Savannah passenger with many well to do folks heading for those historic cities. In the remaining two coaches used, the train was providing a basic transportation service for all the small towns enroute. I would never have believed the crowds I saw at Wilson, Fayetteville and Dillon. These were not well off people or retired guys like me, but the real working folks who needed to get from A to B. I hope Amtrak never forgets the small towns as the LD trains evolve under new management.
After that experience, I'll try CSX again.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
