Kalamazoo station's ticket window to close in 2020

[MIrailfan]

Drive sixty miles to just buy a ticket? Really? [emoji848]

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I meant if you lives where Amtrak serves.

 

[SarahZ]

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I meant if you lives where Amtrak serves.

I do. It's still a 40-minute round trip between my apartment and the station.

 

[Asher]

I can't disagree with either of you. Unfortunately, things are headed in the opposite direction.

At some supermarkets and Walmarts, past a certain point in time on a daily basis, self-service checkouts are the only option available, even with a full cart of groceries. (I imagine they have an ADA-compliant backup plan in place if necessary, but I've not seen it used.)

When Virgin Hotels opened their property in Chicago a few years ago, what really created buzz at the opening was the lack of a staffed front desk for most of the operating day. Check-ins were processed online and any interaction with staff seemed to occur only after guests were already checked into their room. (Locals can update us with any changes to that policy in the intervening time.)

Banks, such as the institution which issues AGR's credit products, are opening brand spanking new branches---but many are simply enclosed kiosks with ATMs and booths with video displays where customers can connect to a remote agent who will assist with account questions or help you with a mortgage or another complex product.

For better or for worse, I only see this trend expanding in the near future. To that end, Amtrak is just catching up--and keeping up--with the Joneses and their companies.

I guess we all have to get up to speed with the do it yourself machine. It's either do it or just plain miss the train.

 

[jis]

I actually prefer those self checkout machines. I generally don't have a huge cart full of stuff. I seldom have more than a dozen items, and they can be handled quickly on those machines.

In the cashier lines inevitably I seem to get stuck behind someone who has 150 coupons to process or something odd like that. I prefer to leave the cashiers to do things that actually requires a human being.

 

[fairviewroad]

To be fair, Kalamazoo isn't exactly a desolate station with zero services that leaves everyone to their own devices. It is an intermodal station that also hosts the city's bus system (Metro Transit) and Greyhound/Indian Trails.

There are at least 3-4 non-Amtrak staff members around at all times, from early morning to late evening, and the police maintain a presence after dark. The station also has a cafe, vending machines, nice bathroom facilities, and plenty of benches. I have personally witnessed the Greyhound/Indian Trails and Metro Transit staff answer questions about Amtrak once the Amtrak window has closed. I have no doubt they can answer basic questions posed by a first-time traveler.

This is some helpful context. It doesn't sound like a huge loss for Amtrak passengers. In a more sane world, the staff members for the other organizations could also sell Amtrak tickets, but at least there will be a human presence at the station.

 

[JRR]

My biggest complaint about staffing is the elimination of checked baggage. This summer when traveling to the cruise port, the lack of checked baggage made the packing for a long trip, most challenging.

 

[Pere Flyer]

My biggest complaint about staffing is the elimination of checked baggage. This summer when traveling to the cruise port, the lack of checked baggage made the packing for a long trip, most challenging.

None of the Michigan Services (Wolverine, Blue Water, Pere Marquette) offer checked baggage, so the loss of staffing at KAL does
not affect the baggage policy on the trains that serve it.

 

[lordsigma]

None of the Michigan Services (Wolverine, Blue Water, Pere Marquette) offer checked baggage, so the loss of staffing at KAL does
not affect the baggage policy on the trains that serve it.

And additionally, as stated before, the lone agent was only there five days a week for certain hours. The baggage/passenger assistance services offered by the staff member were not even available every day or for every train at the station. It is an unstaffed station at other times.