We had either ice available on our trip Boston-Seattle or SCA'S who were more than happy to give us ice. We had great customer service all week. I almost feel guilty!
You would guess incorrectly. Let's jump in the wayback machine to 2009, shall we?Based on the fact that only one of the 26 posts so far mentioned the FDA, and #19 at that, I'm guessing that the ice situation was merely another of the sleeper service downgrades, and that Amtrak relented after a lot of complaints.
I've worked in the food service industry for over 20 years. Over time ice has come under more and more scrutiny by health inspectors. Regulations have increased and ice is now considered a food product. Sanitation, cleanliness and handling of ice and ice bins and ice makers and even the scoop are just as important as cooking meats to the correct temperature or maintaining proper refrigeration or freezer temperatures.
Amtrak has for many years offered ice to sleeping car passengers. Early on the attendant had to make a run to either the diner or lounge car to get the ice. A few years back it was suggested that ice actually be kept in the sleeping car itself so attendants would be more likely to offer and provide ice to passengers because it would be quickly accessible. The Superliner II cars did initially have that ice drawer underneath the area that is now the coffee station. The FDA soon balked and said that the ice cannot be kept in a public area for anyone to access for themselves. This has been a normal health department policy for years in many locales. Amtrak has only the FDA to answer to thus local regulations don't apply. The FDA's code of Federal Regulations is what most local health department policies are based upon anyway.
Anyway a couple years ago FDA inspectors began clamping down on the ice policy and recording critical violations if the ice was not kept out of public areas. Amtrak's solution was to make the sleeping car attendants keep the ice chests in their sleeping quarters. The ice chests don't really fit in the end lockers and during peak season when all the rooms are occupied there really just isn't anywhere else to keep that ice chest. Well recently the FDA has seen the ice being kept in the attendants room and they are not happy with that solution either. It's in someone's living space after all. I've just recently met Amtrak's Superintendent of Public Health and he is working on a long-term solution. In the meantime we have what we have. Inconsistent adherence to a policy that no one is happy with.
In regards to the ice chest being kept in the attendants room, I have had several experiences that indicate to me that it's the wrong answer to the problem. I've had attendants who've had personal items stolen from their rooms because they cannot secure their room and against policy are allowing passengers in to get ice for themselves. I've had female attendants have male passengers open their doors and come in for ice or ask for ice in the middle of the night. Now there are attendants who will not keep ice at all if they have to keep it in their rooms. I'm quite aware there are attendants who know the policy and yet keep the ice out in the hallway until they see a manager or supervisor coming, then they'll move it. Attendants aren't telling passengers they can even get ice because it's become a hassle for them. They forget they used to have to go through half the train to get ice.
Good sleeping car attendants should be informing their passengers what's available to them and some measure of consistency from attendant to attendant and train to train is obviously desired. Amtrak is responsible for coming up with a solution that is workable for the sleeping car attendants, benefits the passenger and is acceptable to the FDA. No small order by any means.
This ended up being much longer than I expected. My only desire is that passengers know what they can expect on the train and that sleeping car attendants are offering ice service and following Amtrak and FDA guidelines.
Questionable consumer lawsuits rarely go anywhere. Most of the examples that have been sent to me as proof of widespread abuse turned out to be nothing more than fabricated nonsense meant to appeal to emotion rather than logic. Other examples were summarily dismissed or severely reduced on appeal. A few examples turned out to be genuine abuse but these were the rare exception rather than the rule. Most consumers can't fund a questionable lawsuit to completion. The depend on the lawyers to fund it and lawyers are only going to fund a lawsuit they believe has a high chance of success.Yeah but then the relevant question to ask is will you then turn around and sue anyway when something bad happens. You personally may not but many typical person are quite likely to. That is the problem. A few bad apples make life miserable for the rest.
What about the folks who ride in coach? Even if every SCA was as good as yours 90% of the passengers would still have a disgusting bathroom.We took the CZ from GBB to SLC and back two weeks ago. On the way out Robert got us ice anytime we wanted and on the way back Debbie Caldwell, the best SCA I have ever traveled with did the same. In my fifty years of train travel I have never seen anyone keep a restroom cleaner and be more attentive to our need. On return the first thing I did was use the web form to sing her praises. If every SCA were as good as she is folks would line up to ride Amtrak.
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