Attendant Gul and Loss Of Amenities

[TrainLoverJoy]

Has anyone lately had the pleasure of having Gul as their sleeper attendant on the EB? He was by far the best attendant we have ever had. Every couple hours he would come to our roomette and offer ice, juice, candy, cookies, newspaper. With the loss of all the of amenities, I've been wondering how he is coping.....he obviously greatly enjoyed "making the rounds" and checking on the comfort of his passengers. (So much so, that I would not be at all surprised if he was buying candy, cookies etc. out of his own pocket.....)

 

[Bob Dylan]

The good OBS are still providing great service to their customers but are embarresed by the bean counter "cuts"!

Gul is one of the great SCAs, all routes have OBS like him, my thought is that he's still keeping on keeping on!

 

[Rail Freak]

Is he an African American Gentleman? I once had a SCA by that name on the 2830 car, but cant put a face with it!!!!

The fellow I'm thinking of was Top Notch & I wrote Amtrak to tell them so!!!

 

[BCL]

He gets a lot of praise. I had to look it up, and his full name is Gul Hassan Ashraf. The name Gul is of Persian origin, but it gets used a lot in South Asia and the Middle East. Ashraf is an Arabic name but apparently used in the Persian speaking world (the current President of Afghanistan is Ashraf Ghani).

http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/24913-gul-ghul-gool-on-the-empire-builder/

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,2529546

https://twitter.com/EllenDWilliams/status/341716804101619712

http://www.budgettravel.com/blog/amtrak-makes-a-comeback,12468/

http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/220/842/Amtrak-Ink-Nov-2013.pdf

SUSTAINED EXCELLENCE

Gul Ashraf

Train Attendant, Transportation, Seattle, Wash.

Gul Ashraf began his Amtrak career in 1991 as a train
attendant and is currently a sleeping car attendant responsible for
the care, safety and well being of Amtrak passengers. On the front
lines of customer service, Gul creates repeat riders by anticipating
and responding to passenger requests.

Supervisors and co workers all pointed to Gul’s devotion and
commitment to his passengers and Amtrak. He usually stops by
the station on the day before his trip to collect the manifest and
familiarize himself with the names of passengers riding in his car.
On the day of his trips, Gul boards Train 7 early to get a jump start
on cleaning, stocking and set up.

In the course of a month, three or four letters arrive in praise of
Gul’s wonderful customer service, and he also receives positive
reviews on travel related blogs. He makes passengers comfortable
by personally introducing himself to every guest upon boarding;
provides prompt service throughout the trip; offers at room juice
and beverage service between meals; distributes Empire Builder
amenities; and impeccably maintains the cleanliness of his car. His
supervisor has also observed him providing passengers with lists of
attractions, entertainment and available transportation in their
destination city. Due to his fine reputation, regular riders often
request Gul’s car when traveling.

He is courteous and respectful and fulfills requests to the best
of his ability. With his deep experience, Gul finds solutions to
issues that arise throughout the trip, such as restoring a broken
tray table or adjusting non functioning sofa seats. Gul is never
afraid to suggest improvements to management or better ways to
train new employees.

Many congratulations to Gul Ashraf on your PSSA for
Sustained Excellence. Thank you for working so hard to create
happy, repeat customers.

 

[me_little_me]

He gets a lot of praise. I had to look it up, and his full name is Gul Hassan Ashraf. The name Gul is of Persian origin, but it gets used a lot in South Asia and the Middle East. Ashraf is an Arabic name but apparently used in the Persian speaking world (the current President of Afghanistan is Ashraf Ghani).

http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/24913-gul-ghul-gool-on-the-empire-builder/

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,2529546

https://twitter.com/EllenDWilliams/status/341716804101619712

http://www.budgettravel.com/blog/amtrak-makes-a-comeback,12468/

http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/220/842/Amtrak-Ink-Nov-2013.pdf

SUSTAINED EXCELLENCE

Gul Ashraf

Train Attendant, Transportation, Seattle, Wash.

Gul Ashraf began his Amtrak career in 1991 as a train

attendant and is currently a sleeping car attendant responsible for

the care, safety and well being of Amtrak passengers. On the front

lines of customer service, Gul creates repeat riders by anticipating

and responding to passenger requests.

Supervisors and co workers all pointed to Gul’s devotion and

commitment to his passengers and Amtrak. He usually stops by

the station on the day before his trip to collect the manifest and

familiarize himself with the names of passengers riding in his car.

On the day of his trips, Gul boards Train 7 early to get a jump start

on cleaning, stocking and set up.

In the course of a month, three or four letters arrive in praise of

Gul’s wonderful customer service, and he also receives positive

reviews on travel related blogs. He makes passengers comfortable

by personally introducing himself to every guest upon boarding;

provides prompt service throughout the trip; offers at room juice

and beverage service between meals; distributes Empire Builder

amenities; and impeccably maintains the cleanliness of his car. His

supervisor has also observed him providing passengers with lists of

attractions, entertainment and available transportation in their

destination city. Due to his fine reputation, regular riders often

request Gul’s car when traveling.

He is courteous and respectful and fulfills requests to the best

of his ability. With his deep experience, Gul finds solutions to

issues that arise throughout the trip, such as restoring a broken

tray table or adjusting non functioning sofa seats. Gul is never

afraid to suggest improvements to management or better ways to

train new employees.

Many congratulations to Gul Ashraf on your PSSA for

Sustained Excellence. Thank you for working so hard to create

happy, repeat customers.

Hope that is required reading by Amtrak management so the learn to expect it from the rest of the on-board staff.

 

[TraneMan]

I was in heaven when my friend (who is a conductor on the EB) told me that we'll be having Gul as our SCA on our trip home from SEA!

He was top notch, and took care of everyone on the car, and he even went out of his way to make sure I was doing good as I came down with a really bad head cold the morning of our trip home.

I'm sure the candy is out of his pocket, and other treats that he was offering us.. But I'm sure he still comes ahead on his tips as we paid him double of what we've had paid other SCA.

I made sure Amtrak heard from us about the great service we gotten from him!

Photo of my partner and I with Gul in SPUD.

 

[Big Green Chauvanist]

I was lucky enough to have Gul as SCA on the Empire Builder some years ago. I'm glad he's lasted so long. Unforgiving job, really. King Louie was another good one. I wonder if he is still on the job.

 

[RalphCT]

I was fortunate to have Gul as my SCA twice in succession both ways on a trip between Montana and Wisconsin. He is definitely my favorite as his service is superb.

A Montanan who enjoys train travel.

 

[andersone]

I have never had Gul, but last summer on #7 we had Curtis as our SCA and he was unmatched. Rather the standard that all should perform to would be my summation.

 

[FormerOBS]

If it didn't come from an Amtrak Commissary, then it all comes out of his own pocket. And if he shows up early to check his manifest, prepare his car, etc., he probably is doing some of this on his own (unpaid) time.

Tom

 

[fritz]

Gul, Tashi, King Louis and many others...the EB has had many great ones. I hope they hang in there with the cuts. I am seeing bedroom bookings down and i am hearing from other paxs that its not just EB delays but service cuts. It feels to me like a subtle plot to kill the LD trains...& its working

 

[TrainLoverJoy]

I was in heaven when my friend (who is a conductor on the EB) told me that we'll be having Gul as our SCA on our trip home from SEA!

He was top notch, and took care of everyone on the car, and he even went out of his way to make sure I was doing good as I came down with a really bad head cold the morning of our trip home.

I'm sure the candy is out of his pocket, and other treats that he was offering us.. But I'm sure he still comes ahead on his tips as we paid him double of what we've had paid other SCA.

I made sure Amtrak heard from us about the great service we gotten from him!

Photo of my partner and I with Gul in SPUD.

Nice picture. I'll be on #7 next April....if I'm lucky maybe I can see for myself how Gul is managing to keep his passengers happy with fewer amenities.

 

[Phil S]

On my last EB trip west to PDX a few weeks ago, the SCA was pretty disappointing. Didn't clean the halls, refused to put a trash box upstairs which meant the lav trash was constantly overflowing as well as the trash at the coffee station. And very hard to find (and I know how to find them). Moroccan descent for whatever

little that's worth, if indeed anything.

Strong contrast with Derek on the #51 (from Ghana) who was just wonderful (I gave him $20 for the one night train),

Question: How many of you confront the SCA during the trip and suggest ways he (she) could do the job better? I haven't had the nerve to do so this far. My thinking is that I'd offer to help him - it's not like I'm pressed for time on a LD train. And frankly I enjoy helping out.

Thoughts from this from anyone?

I've put some time into thinking about this bit I don't think I have a good grasp of the issues,

Cheers,

Phil

 

[WICT106]

I've noticed there is a focus on the situations in the sleeping cars. Are there any suggestions for improvements in the coaches ? After all, the coaches carry the majority of Amtrak's passengers, and frequent;y are folks' first impressions of train service.

 

[dlagrua]

It seems that Amtrak has chosen to punish its best market and revenue generator. With the recent downgrade of food on the Autotrain they are now off of my travel list and we have several friends that feel the same way. You pay $800-$1100 for a bedroom on the A/T one way and they serve you a cheap low quality meal???? Warm juice in the sleepers and no more ice to cool it? This cannot and will not be tolerated. I predict this shortchanging the sleeper passengers will eventually do harm to their business. Those that pay the highest prices for service are not stupid enough to not notice the difference but many fine SCA's are doing the best that they can to minimize the impact..

The reason why the focus is on the sleeper class is because with a coach ticket all you ever got for your ticket price was a seat. Today you still get the same seat, no difference. On the Autotrain only, you also receive a plate of food in coach. That same quality of meal is still there for coach passengers. No cuts at all! I don't see anyway the coaches can be improved within the present budget. If you have a suggestion for improve coach service please post it.

 

[it's me MI Mom]

Gul is the Gold Standard for service and we were lucky enough to travel with him on the EB a few years ago. He is a beautiful human being. Amtrak is so fortunate to have him as an employee. I think he should be running the joint, but people like him who care usually don't end up in higher positions.

 

[tim49424]

I've heard so many great things about Gul but have not had the pleasure of having him as a SCA. All five LD trips I've taken on the EB (five different attendants), one on the CS and one on the CZ, I've had outstanding service from each one and yet to get a clunker! Great service like that makes me not care about amenities one way or another.

 

[Bus Nut]

I've noticed there is a focus on the situations in the sleeping cars. Are there any suggestions for improvements in the coaches ? After all, the coaches carry the majority of Amtrak's passengers, and frequent;y are folks' first impressions of train service.

Coach has gotten pretty miserable and they are going to "fix" the cars to squeeze more coach pax into each car. Right now there are always more paying customers lining up for whatever coach service they provide. Perhaps if the number of trips and seats ever catches up to demand they will swing back to caring about the cleanliness of coach bathrooms.

Amtrak is in a time of (mostly) positive changes but their resources are limited. Management is trying to put their chips on the numbers most likely to pay off. Could be that this Auto Train gamble is a loser for example but only time will tell. Buying new Viewliner equipment probably will pay off. Upgrading to e-tickets. Putting in an electronic payment and inventory system for food service. When those last two shake out it's possible that there will be some room for management to actually take a look at the gross bathrooms situation and refocus coach attendant efforts on that. Or whatever it is they have to do.

All transportation is subsidized but OTR coach coasts on whatever other forces in society get megabux spent on highways and the air carriers have a happy situation where local or state governments will spend whatever is necessary to keep airports around. This isn't to say that airlines don't pay for airport access and customers don't pay fees but don't imagine for a second that the "private" side of the transportation business is paying their fully allocated costs. Unfortunately it's all about what side of the ledger it falls on and Amtrak, which btw is a big payer of taxes, has to rely on unreliable Congress to kick in part of their yearly budget, making long term planning a minefield.

 

[neroden]

At some point the slush funding for small airports is gonna dry up. I'm watching the leading edge of this happen.... the smart cities will get rail service in place before they stop being able to afford their airports. (My city is not smart that way.)