IP: An Open Letter to the United States Congress & the Amtrak Reform Council

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

For the past months especially, the key NE corridor  system has been 
plaqued with endless equipment breakdowns on the main tracks resulting in 
late travel. The station staff especially in Philly knows nothing and lets 
it's customers stew with false information and bad manors on the part of 
the office staff there. Any attempt to board a train that originates 
outside the DC/NYC seqment is doomed to lateness and even that segment has 
had major problems.  This note strikes home. djf




> > An Open Letter to the United States Congress & the Amtrak Reform Council
> >
> > Dear A.R.C. Members:
> >
> > I am a six year employee of Amtrak based at the Los Angeles crew base. I am
> > currently a On Board Service employee assigned to the extra board working on
> > the Southwest Chief, Coast Starlight, and Pacific Surfliner Product lines. I
> > have noticed a severe problem over the time I have been with Amtrak, Namely
> > that the management structure within the company does not have any idea
> > whatsoever, the day to day operations of the railroad. This is evidenced by
> > the complete breakdown in reliability, morale (both employee and guest)
> > safety, cost recovery and guest satisfaction.
> >
> > 1. RELIABILITY  Amtrak has a policy of a heavy cleaning and preventative
> > maintenance referred to a "E-Clean" This has been almost eliminated. The last
> > 6 trips I have been assigned cars that were a minimum of 1 month to a maximum
> > of 6 months out of date. Needless to say the cars were in wretched condition,
> > Filthy throughout as well as having very severe mechanical problems. The
> > mechanical department at Amtrak is considered to be a pathetic joke. Numerous
> > cars have been running for months with very serious defects that have been
> > written up many times only so be sent right back out without any repairs
> > being made. The most common problems seem to be in the toilet, air
> > conditioning and P.A. systems. First Class Sleeping cars are experiencing
> > total toilet failures on a regular basis usually only a few miles into a 2000
> > mile trip. Equipment is repaired just enough to get the
> > train out of the terminal without any regard for problems caused downline 
> > Another factor influencing reliability is the freight railroads performance
> > and Amtraks failure to respond to their treatment of passenger trains as
> > third class citizens. Amtrak's "Premier Travel Experience" The Coast
> > Starlight has been averaging 2-4 hours late every day, both directions for
> > MONTHS with 90+% of the delays attributed to the Union Pacific Railroad.
> > Other Trains operating over this railroad are experiencing numerous multi
> > hour delays as well with little to no Amtrak response.  The on time
> > performance of the long haul western fleet has been averaging 20-25% for
> > years and what's worse the average delay is getting longer and longer. This
> > starts a terrible cycle of hurried turning at end points resulting in the
> > already minimal maintenance to be cut even further. This results in the
> > average train being 2 or more hours late with the toilets and or air
> > conditioning out in several cars. This is service where "Your Satisfaction is
> > Guaranteed"
> >
> > 
> > 2. MORALE Amtrak communications with its employees are not believed at any
> > level of the company. Management has gone so far as to remove the "Core
> > Values" from all publications because one of them was "The Truth Even if it
> > Hurts" The lies and half truths are so numerous as to be hard to pick out one
> > to spotlight. One that springs to mind is the material presented in "Service
> > Success Training" given to all front line employees at a cost of
> > approximately THIRTY-EIGHT MILLION DOLLARS. Employees were promised a
> > drastically improved product for our guests. Cars that did not meet standards
> > would be removed from service and repaired. Amenities on the trains would
> > always be readily available. Staffing would not only be maintained, it would
> > be increased. "Invest in the Guest" was the cry of the day. Now, not even a
> > year later, the equipment is in all time poor condition, Trains are minimally
> > supplied if at all, Most amenities are gone, and staffing has been cut to all
> > time record lows endangering guest satisfaction and even more importantly
> > SAFETY!!!!!!!!!! Can you blame the employees for NOT BELIEVING ANYTHING
> > MANAGEMENT SAYS???????????
> >
> > 3. SAFETY Staffing has been cut back so badly that in the coaches on some
> > trains you have a ratio of 280 passengers to one Train Attendant. This will
> > present a MAJOR problem in the event of a DERAILMENT or other evacuation. The
> > California Public Utilities Commission has ordered that all Superliner doors
> > on Pacific Surfliners be manned due to the safety hazard of unmanned doors
> > being open while the train is moving at up to 90MPH. Do long haul passengers
> > deserve any less???
> > Understaffed and severely overworked employees are much more likely to cut
> > corners and have accidents. Mental stress and actual breakdowns are at record
> > highs throughout the On Board Service crafts as well as all other front line
> > personnel. The drastically increased stress level and distrust of management
> > brings with it the strong potential for workplace violence. Maintenance
> > issues are a major issue as well. Federal Railroad inspectors that I have
> > dealt with say that they find major safety related defects on every
> > inspection involving Amtrak. They also find that the employees of Amtrak are
> > overjoyed to see them come on the property.
> >
> > 4. COST RECOVERY Amtrak management states that the ranks of
> > managerial/supervisory employees is being cut to the bone. There are to 
> > my understanding approximately 11,000 mangement employees out of a total
> > employment of 26,000. This ratio is far in excess of what is needed. Most
> > offices are located in High Rent, high operating cost districts in
> > Washington, DC, Phillidelphia, Chicago, and the San Fransisco Bay area.  How
> > much could be saved by moving to a lower cost area like Kansas City or
> > Albuquerque??  A recent move was to eliminate the position of On Board
> > Service Chief from all long haul trains resulting in the savings of millions
> > of dollars annually. This would have been a great cost saving move except
> > that new positions known as Product Line Supervisors are being created for
> > the affected employees resulting in no cost savings. Trains that never had
> > chiefs are getting these new positions as well. In San Diego, THREE PLS's
> > will be assigned to work a route has at most two and usually only one On
> > Board Service employee. This is while trains that last year operated with 5
> > Coach Attendants are currently running with two or even one. We are being
> > asked to pitch in and save Amtrak while more and more management positions
> > are being created to supervise an ever dwindling number of employees. It is
> > very typical to announce management cuts only to find the "eliminated"
> > employees in other newly created job hidden throughout the company.  The
> > waste goes on and on. THIRTY- EIGHT MILLION DOLLARS for "Service Success
> > Training" Twenty million dollars for every minute saved betweet Boston and
> > New York City a project so corrupt, it was the subject of an FBI
> > investigation.. 15 million for advertising the launch of ACELA. this took
> > place even though the launch was delayed long after the ads faded and in
> > spite of the success and good name of the existing Metroliner name. Why were
> > millions and millions spent to change a already successful brand??  Why was
> > the Coast Starlight assigned a company vehicle?? Why did a senior Manager in
> > Chicago fly to a meeting in St Louis when the schedule would permit a journey
> > by train?? Why was I met by FIVE employees in Chicago to teach me how to
> > handle dirty linen?? Why are maintenance department employees permitted to
> > sleep for most of their shifts and the train dispatched broken and dirty??
> > The list goes on and on!!
> >
> > In closing I believe that the passenger train in America has a great
> > potential that is being held back by the total incompetence of Amtrak. A
> > perfect example of what can be accomplished can be found just to our North in
> > Canada. Via Rail's Canadian operating with 55 year old equipment and no
> > mail/express on a route parallel to Amtraks Empire Builder actually made a
> > small profit while the Amtrak train lost tens of millions of dollars. They
> > did this while gaining a reputation around the world for fantastic service
> > and a spotlessly maintained train.
> >
> > I believe that the time has come for a total restructuring starting from the
> > top and working its way through all levels of the company. If this is not
> > possible I believe that the time has come for the total elimination of the
> > National Railroad Passenger Corporation as the operator of the United States
> > rail passenger network. As the situation now stands, there is nothing wrong
> > with the passenger train, the problem is with Amtrak.
> >
> > Sincerely:
> >
> > An employee who would be fired if he signed this
> > The Copies to ARC and Senators Boxer and Feinstein will be signed



For archives see: http://www.interesting-people.org/