Oh, also...one of the problems I think Amtrak needs to solve is the convenience issue. The European rail network is built around convenience in a number of subtle ways, and it means that people who are quite willing to pay for convenience still take the train a lot to get around.
For example, it amazes me that I have to get to the Seattle Amtrak station 20-30 minutes before boarding a train to Portland or Vancouver, so I can stand in one line to get a seat assignment, and get in another line to go out the door to get on the train. When I took Acela from New York to Boston, I had to hunt down a seat; apparently "reserved" means that there's a seat somewhere reserved for you just because they don't overbook (presumably), but it's not predetermined which seat that is. In Europe, for city-to-city distances, I really like getting my computer-generated seat assignment in advance. This also makes for much shorter stops. When you know whether you're near the front, middle, or back, and can look at a diagram which tells you exactly where on the platform your train car number will be when the train stops, the train doesn't have to stop as long.
Since Amtrak doesn't seem to have any system now, and would have to develop something new, they could actually do a better job than planes today, by only taking a window/aisle preference for single riders, and freezing assignments an hour or a day before the train departs, so you can get your seat assignment before boarding, but couples and groups can nearly always be seated together.
I'd also like to see better options for stashing bags on the train, and more public-private partnerships to have lots of amenities in/around train stations like DC and New York have.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2008-09-12 04:47 am (UTC)For example, it amazes me that I have to get to the Seattle Amtrak station 20-30 minutes before boarding a train to Portland or Vancouver, so I can stand in one line to get a seat assignment, and get in another line to go out the door to get on the train. When I took Acela from New York to Boston, I had to hunt down a seat; apparently "reserved" means that there's a seat somewhere reserved for you just because they don't overbook (presumably), but it's not predetermined which seat that is. In Europe, for city-to-city distances, I really like getting my computer-generated seat assignment in advance. This also makes for much shorter stops. When you know whether you're near the front, middle, or back, and can look at a diagram which tells you exactly where on the platform your train car number will be when the train stops, the train doesn't have to stop as long.
Since Amtrak doesn't seem to have any system now, and would have to develop something new, they could actually do a better job than planes today, by only taking a window/aisle preference for single riders, and freezing assignments an hour or a day before the train departs, so you can get your seat assignment before boarding, but couples and groups can nearly always be seated together.
I'd also like to see better options for stashing bags on the train, and more public-private partnerships to have lots of amenities in/around train stations like DC and New York have.