How to contact Amtrak ConnectUS Team

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NSC1109

OBS Chief
Joined
Aug 14, 2016
Messages
544
Location
MI
Hi all,

i was looking over some of the new information on the ConnectUS page (new icons that talk about the corridors in detail) and the Chicago-Toronto segment had some rather impressive errors listed:

1) Under “proposed stations”, they listed every station served by the Michigan Service line including Grand Rapids (despite the actual route diagram never getting close to GR).

2) When listed colleges/universities served, it shows Grand Valley State University (west of Grand Rapids…) and doesn’t list either Western Michigan University or Kalamazoo College (both of which are in Kalamazoo, which is actually on the proposed route and combined have nearly 25-30k students).

Anyone know how to reach out to the team that puts this stuff together? Or should I just reach out to Amtrak on social media?
 
We'll put that on our list of things that we'll take forever to get around to doing:
  • Upgrade dining on eastern trains
  • Restore SSLs on trains where it was removed
  • Live up to the promise on allowing use of points and cash for reservations
  • Come out with schedules and timetables
  • Allow you to see the pricing of each of the railfare and accommodations
  • Live up to the promise of updated bedding
  • Putting all the VL2s in service to add more capacity
  • Restore all the superliner sleeper capacity we used to have
  • Stop the phony Center of Excellence and actually implement a real one.
  • Really push the Class 1s to meet timetables instead of making the timetables bend to what the Class 1s want ala the Crescent and stop snatching defeat from the Jaws of Victory
  • Actually have executives ride the LD trains incognito so they can learn what their trains are like
  • Create a consistent business class with consistent seating and service.
  • Implement a multi-day price finding feature like the airlines did years ago.
  • Create a 21st Century reservation system to replace the one they still use from the days of stagecoaches.
  • Get into the electronic age with tools for their employees on their trains, at their stations and in their offices before the electronic age is long gone.
  • Bring back checked baggage at many more stations with some creative ways to implement a system.
  • Implement a "Remote Agent" at every station that has a lockable building.
  • Implement consistent placement of cars at a station so every passenger can see where to stand before the train comes in or provide a 21st Century solution to how to tell passengers at unmanned stations where their car will be.
  • Implement the ADA requirements first required in 1880 but still not implemented.
  • Put locks of some sort on room doors that can be locked from the outside
  • Fix the rattles, doors that open by themselves, air handlers that don't work and other car issues.
  • Require consistency in rules and standards of service to apply to all onboard employees.
  • Provide sufficient food and other items in all cafes so that money doesn't get left on the table because there is nothing to sell.
  • Encourage Private Varnish and train volunteers
  • Clean the windows more often en route
  • Make lounges more consistent
  • Restore Amtrak express shipping service
 
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Don't forget the Congressionally mandated Performance Improvement Plans which were full of good plans, but which someone in Amtrak management (probably Stephen Gardner, honestly) threw in the dumpster.
 
NSC1109 said:
Hi all,

i was looking over some of the new information on the ConnectUS page (new icons that talk about the corridors in detail) and the Chicago-Toronto segment had some rather impressive errors listed:

1) Under “proposed stations”, they listed every station served by the Michigan Service line including Grand Rapids (despite the actual route diagram never getting close to GR).

2) When listed colleges/universities served, it shows Grand Valley State University (west of Grand Rapids…) and doesn’t list either Western Michigan University or Kalamazoo College (both of which are in Kalamazoo, which is actually on the proposed route and combined have nearly 25-30k students).

Anyone know how to reach out to the team that puts this stuff together? Or should I just reach out to Amtrak on social media?
Click to expand...

Not to mention they list Detroit as a station, but don't have it on the map. Also, in order for the connection to Toronto, it would either require a reverse move by the international train to reach the current station, or a reverse move by the Wolverines to reach Mich Central.

They also list Windsor as a stop, but that station isn't anywhere near where the map shows it & again would require a reverse move, as the current station a stub station. I somehow don't see VIA wanting or being able to run a second station in Windsor.
 
That map is merely abstractly representative, and has many errors in details. And then someone who has little clue of what the track layouts actually are, apparently used that map to come up with a list of stations for routes, which naturally came out a bit wrong sometimes. Just take it all with a pinch of salt and it will save you many hours of anguish. ;)
 
jis said:
That map is merely abstractly representative, and has many errors in details. And then someone who has little clue of what the track layouts actually are, apparently used that map to come up with a list of stations for routes, which naturally came out a bit wrong sometimes. Just take it all with a pinch of salt and it will save you many hours of anguish. ;)
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Until something like this, without being checked, is used in front of officials who they’re looking to get funding from. I can tell you that MDOT won’t hesitate to point out the errors if Amtrak is asking them for more money….

In my book, if you’re asking someone to do something “risky” for you, you better have your facts and figures cold. Checked, double checked, triple checked, whatever. I get that errors happen, but the slightest bit of research would’ve avoided this whole thing and if this is the quality of work that the ConnectUS team puts out, then I don’t have much confidence in the rest of the network coming to fruition either.
 
NSC1109 said:
Until something like this, without being checked, is used in front of officials who they’re looking to get funding from. I can tell you that MDOT won’t hesitate to point out the errors if Amtrak is asking them for more money….

In my book, if you’re asking someone to do something “risky” for you, you better have your facts and figures cold. Checked, double checked, triple checked, whatever. I get that errors happen, but the slightest bit of research would’ve avoided this whole thing and if this is the quality of work that the ConnectUS team puts out, then I don’t have much confidence in the rest of the network coming to fruition either.
Click to expand...
You can rest assured they won’t be using only this map to ask for money. They will have to provide much more detail and hopefully they have done the actual homework to build the real documentation for such requests. 😉
 
NSC1109 said:
Until something like this, without being checked, is used in front of officials who they’re looking to get funding from. I can tell you that MDOT won’t hesitate to point out the errors if Amtrak is asking them for more money….

In my book, if you’re asking someone to do something “risky” for you, you better have your facts and figures cold. Checked, double checked, triple checked, whatever. I get that errors happen, but the slightest bit of research would’ve avoided this whole thing and if this is the quality of work that the ConnectUS team puts out, then I don’t have much confidence in the rest of the network coming to fruition either.
Click to expand...

As incompetent as Amtrak seems (and often is), I have a feeling that what they bring to an official presentation meeting and what they happen to release as general hype are very different.
 
You're reading too much into this. This is just an early pitch promoting what might be possible. Once Amtrak goes into meetings with state officials, I'm sure the details will be correct.
 
A Good example is the Miami airport station which cannot accommodate silver service trains because the consists are too long to fit into the station and grade crossings are blocked. So Amtrak still uses the old station.
 
Steve4031 said:
A Good example is the Miami airport station which cannot accommodate silver service trains because the consists are too long to fit into the station and grade crossings are blocked. So Amtrak still uses the old station.
Click to expand...
That is because FDOT decided to build a station for Amtrak thinking they were sort of like Tri-Rail 🤪

It is not just the platform. The head house that they graciously built can barely hold one Coach worth of passengers if that. Completely inadequate.
 
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jis said:
That is because FDOT decided to build a station for Amtrak thinking they were sort of like Tri-Rail 🤪

It is not just the platform. The head house that they graciously built can barely hold one Coach worth of passengers if that. Completely inadequate.
Click to expand...
They specifically asked Amtrak what they needed and gave it to them, though. :p That one is really on Amtrak's general disorganization and incompetence...
 
neroden said:
They specifically asked Amtrak what they needed and gave it to them, though. :p That one is really on Amtrak's general disorganization and incompetence...
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My understanding is that the situation is not as cut and dried as you seem to think. But of course one is free to exclusively believe what the apologists for FDOT say. It is a free country :p

But then again much water has flowed down the St. Johns since then, and it does not look like anything will change anytime soon. Maybe the tracks originally set aside for Amtrak will be given over to Brightline so that they can equip it with proper high level platforms to accommodate their upto 10 car long trains, and life will just go on.

At this point, for Amtrak to move there, their part of the station has to be substantially rebuilt anyway, which ironically, might actually find funding for it if the Infrastructure Biil(s) ever pass.
 
jis said:
My understanding is that the situation is not as cut and dried as you seem to think.
Click to expand...

Amtrak didn't deny that they'd been asked, and had given FDOT specifications which FDOT had followed. Surely Amtrak would have denied that if it had not been true.

It seems to me like perhaps there was some sort of internal miscommunication at Amtrak and FDOT was talking to the wrong person within Amtrak or something. There seems to be an awful lot of left-hand-doesn't-know-what-the-right-hand-is-doing at Amtrak, so this wouldn't surprise me in the least.

At this point I figure Miami will sink under the waves so I don't care much what happens there.
 
Sorry to the original poster about the level of cynicism here. By all means, keep trying to contact someone in Amtrak who might be able to fix their documents. Every bit helps.
 

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