Kindergarten Walk

[rene50]

I confess, I've been reading/posting for several weeks, and I just now understand what this kindergarten walk is that you speak of. :giggle: Even after doing it last week at Union Station in CHI, it didn't occur to me that it was the kindergarten walk. I finally got it after reading another post. Anyway, I liked the kindergarten walk. If I'm understanding correctly the walk is when sleeper-car passengers are directed from the lounge to the train.

 

[Shanghai]

Yes, you have defined the walk correctly. While it may appear to be somewhat childish, it certainly

beats the charge of the coach passengers!!

 

[MiRider]

You're funny....

I had my first opportunity to do the Kindergarten walk from CHI - NOL and I didn't get what the big deal was.

I would have preferred using a Red Cap but my husband, who hates overnights on the train, thinks it's *cool* to walk your luggage to your car - NOT!

Anyway, I don't get it.

The *walk* from the Metropolitan Lounge in CHI was just fine.

 

[Amtrak Cajun]

I see the term as being more playful than derogatory. At least you know that the group you are following will lead you to the right train

 

[Bronzeman]

Since I have never "walked the walk," (and we wll be taking an EB sleeper originating in Chicago) I guess I have to ask: If we are in the Metropolitan Lounge will a announcement be made that the sleepers are boarding and an Amtrak representative offer to lead the walk?

 

[Sky Pilot]

I don't think this quite captures the essence of the kindergarten walk. I view the term more of the way that certain stations have access to the platforms (tracks) restricted except when the kindergarteners are escorted, unlike what happens with the boarding process elsewhere. Compare and contrast access to the access one has to board a train in say New Haven versus Penn Station. Or say, Berlin Germany versus Chicago. Or Grand Central Terminal versus Penn Station.

In a kindergarten walk station, only ticketed pax are allowed and then only when a gate is opened just before boarding. No long passionate kisses goodbye at train-side ala Dr. Zhivago. In a non-kindergarten walk station, access to the platform is pretty much unrestricted and passengers are assumed to know how to present themselves at the right place at the right time for boarding. Having seen the complexity of the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) in Berlin with 5 different levels of tracks serving long distance, intercity trains along with suburban lines (our commuter rail) as well as the U-Bahn (subways), I'm not convinced that the kindergarten walk is necessary or desirable. I love the Red Cap service but that's different in my mind.

Don't get me started on our inability to assign a specific seat for a reserved train. Again, our counterparts abroad manage to take (and sometimes require) reservations for intercity trains with said reservation including a specific seat assignment in a particular carriage and seat/compartment. Doing so here is perfectly possible from a technology, yield management, and operational perspective and it would eliminate the seemingly arbitrary exercise of discretion displayed by on board staff in the name of accommodating families or couples wanting to stay together boarding at down line stations. IMHO, Amtrak ought to either assign seats when the reservation is made our they ought to fully embrace the open boarding system of unassigned seating and let the customer choose a seat during boarding as Southwest Airlines does.

Don't get me wrong .. I love trains and like Amtrak. But I also see wasted potential with their operations and a seeming lack of focus on what it is their customers experience. The operation seems oriented more on what is best for Amtrak and its staff rather than what's best for its customers.

Blue skies ...

Edited to fix typo.

 

[oregon pioneer]

Back to the Kindergarten Walk topic -- I actually thought of starting one titled thus, after reading some of the snarky comments about it on other threads. Some people seem to assume that "adults" use redcaps, and that if you walk to the train, it's because you're either cheap or naive, or something. Now, I've been reading lately about how sitting too much is hazardous to your health. Personally, I like to walk, and I like to take one last stroll before I'm going to be sitting for an extended period of time. Maybe I'm weird, but I also like to get off at the smoke breaks and walk AWAY from the smokers, just to get the blood flowing and my muscles moving! BTW, I am over 60, and still enjoy getting some exercise, and I don't intend to quit until I have to, which I hope is somewhere north of 85, ha, ha!

 

[the_traveler]

Since I have never "walked the walk," (and we wll be taking an EB sleeper originating in Chicago) I guess I have to ask: If we are in the Metropolitan Lounge will a announcement be made that the sleepers are boarding and an Amtrak representative offer to lead the walk?

Yes. If you are in the metropolitan lounge and need a Red Cap, they announce you are to meet the Red Caps at the front door of the lounge. If you do not need to use a Red Cap, they announce for all passengers to wait at the back door of the lounge - and then you all do the Kindergarten Walk! (Holding hands is optional! :giggle: )

 

[rusty spike]

Yes, you have defined the walk correctly. While it may appear to be somewhat childish, it certainlybeats the charge of the coach passengers!!

Yes, i had visual images in my mind as we participated in the kinder walk at LAUS last spring. The ghost of Ms. Joslin, my kindergarten teacher, leading us thru the tunnel. :giggle:

 

[battalion51]

It doesn't count if you don't walk with your pointer finger on your lips... :giggle:

 

[rusty spike]

Don't get me started on our inability to assign a specific seat for a reserved train. Again, our counterparts abroad manage to take (and sometimes require) reservations for intercity trains with said reservation including a specific seat assignment in a particular carriage and seat/compartment. Doing so here is perfectly possible from a technology, yield management, and operational perspective and it would eliminate the seemingly arbitrary exercise of discretion displayed by on board staff in the name of accommodating families or couples wanting to stay together boarding at down line stations. IMHO, Amtrak ought to either assign seats when the reservation is made our they ought to fully embrace the open boarding system of unassigned seating and let the customer choose a seat during boarding as Southwest Airlines does.

Don't get me wrong .. I love trains and like Amtrak. But I also see wasted potential with their operations and a seeming lack of focus on what it is their customers experience. The operation seems oriented more on what is best for Amtrak and its staff rather than what's best for its customers.

Don't get me wrong either--Amtrak does a pretty decent job given what they have to work with. But they are, after all is said and done, a quasi-government entity, with a board of directors appointed by politicians versus private enterprise companies, like Southwest, who work to maximize profitablity by enhancing the customer experience. It's not a fair comparison, but, without Amtrak, you have nothing! There is no real competition. Without Southwest, you still have number, albeit a shrinking number, of competitors.

The technology to assign seats is there. I have no idea why they don't implement it, at least for the LD trains.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

At least they don't use a Daisy Chain Leash where everyone is tied together into a consecutive chain. I see that all the time at some of the day care centers around the OU Campus with the teacher towing the children along in an organized unbreakable line as they go on an outing.

 

[chakk]

I confess, I've been reading/posting for several weeks, and I just now understand what this kindergarten walk is that you speak of. :giggle: Even after doing it last week at Union Station in CHI, it didn't occur to me that it was the kindergarten walk. I finally got it after reading another post. Anyway, I liked the kindergarten walk. If I'm understanding correctly the walk is when sleeper-car passengers are directed from the lounge to the train.

I thought the passengers all have to hold hands with each other, with an Amtrak employee on the front and rear ends of the line.

 

[rusty spike]

I thought the passengers all have to hold hands with each other, with an Amtrak employee on the front and rear ends of the line.

You mean like an "engine" and " caboose". But instead of holding hands (unsanitary), please extend your arms and rest your hands on the shoulders of the person in front of you and make like a train.

 

[the_traveler]

And you yell out "choo-choo" every 3 seconds too! :giggle: (But no smoking allowed! )

 

[white rabbitt]

in austin i can walk to the train,

but chicago it is such a long walk .

i got real bad legs, i have to take a red cap to the train.

 

[battalion51]

The technology to assign seats is there. I have no idea why they don't implement it, at least for the LD trains.

If you recall, they attempted to do this with the initial launch of Acela they tried to do this, and you could see the flames shooting out of that (not literally, but close enough). On Long Distance trains it would be even more of a failure. If you let people pick their seats you'd end up with unutilized inventory because someone could book a seat say NYP-RVR, someone else books the same seat JAX-MIA, but someone who wants to go ALX-WPK might end up blocked out because the seat isn't available continuously. Additionally, it'd become a logistical nightmare for the on board crews working at low platforms. At JSP which is a short platform, you could have four people getting off and they're in four different cars, rather than just being right next to each other. Don't fix it if it ain't broke, and it ain't broke. Spend that capital expanding capacity instead of trying to fix problems that aren't problems.

 

[white rabbitt]

:giggle: here is the kindergarden walk

chicago union station

 

[jis]

The technology to assign seats is there. I have no idea why they don't implement it, at least for the LD trains.

If you recall, they attempted to do this with the initial launch of Acela they tried to do this, and you could see the flames shooting out of that (not literally, but close enough).

The primary reason that it did not work on the Acela is because Amtrak chose to not tell anybody anyting about it, and just sprung it on the unitiated and unsuspecting one fine day. Almost anything will fail if it is introduced in such a ham handed fashion, and therefore that one example does not indicate anything about whether something wil succeed or fail if introduced properly.

 

[battalion51]

True, but you'll still run into seat maximization issues. There's a very clear parallel to the airlines. They can get away with allowing seat assignments because most flights run non-stop, everyone piles off, and then it becomes a new flight. But, the one airline that loves to make stops (Southwest) does festival seating. Why? Seat maximization. You buy the rights to a seat on Southwest, not a particular seat. Same principle applies on Amtrak.

 

[the_traveler]

But the problem on Acela is that half the seats ave backwards. And because they told no one, half of the passengers were assigned backward facing seats. Many did not like riding backwards, especially from the first stop to the last stop of the run. And even if this was not the case, they biased mid trip, found they were assigned a backwards facing seats and observed that there were 5-8 empty forward facing seats. So they moved.

The samè thing could also happen with LD trains. You could be assigned a enter if the car seat on a Superkiner near the stairs, where the light I'd in full power all night.

And the cars mat be bad ordered and a car with different seating is substituted. Have Tim ever seen what airlines go they when they substitute a (say) 767 for a 757, or even a 737-500 fir a 737-300?

 

[TraneMan]

On our trip back home from CHI, the guy who lead us made it fun.. He would say, "Everyone ready to ride the Empire Builder???", and people would go yeah... he said, I can't hear ya! So, is everyone ready to ride the Builder!?" everyone goes Yeah!!!! then out door we went!

 

[PRR 60]

True, but you'll still run into seat maximization issues. There's a very clear parallel to the airlines. They can get away with allowing seat assignments because most flights run non-stop, everyone piles off, and then it becomes a new flight. But, the one airline that loves to make stops (Southwest) does festival seating. Why? Seat maximization. You buy the rights to a seat on Southwest, not a particular seat. Same principle applies on Amtrak.

This is 2013, not 1971 or even 2000. There are processing routines that can overcome the seat maximization issue.

Using your Southwest analogy, on WN you can purchase the right to the best seats through Business Select or EarlyBird check in. Amtrak could do the same sort of thing by setting aside a portion of each train's inventory for assigned seats with an extra fee. It is not an all or nothing deal.

You say "it ain't broke." It sure is broke when a family of 4 can book travel months in advance and not have assurance that they will be able to sit together. It sure is broke when a retired couple in the Philadelphia area will not consider Acela First Class for travel because the ability to get seats together in F at PHL is pure luck.

 

[amamba]

You say "it ain't broke." It sure is broke when a family of 4 can book travel months in advance and not have assurance that they will be able to sit together. It sure is broke when a retired couple in the Philadelphia area will not consider Acela First Class for travel because the ability to get seats together in F at PHL is pure luck.

I will add that this is a problem in BC, too, on acela when boarding at many mid-point stations like PVD, New Haven, BWI, PHL, etc.

 

[PRR 60]

You say "it ain't broke." It sure is broke when a family of 4 can book travel months in advance and not have assurance that they will be able to sit together. It sure is broke when a retired couple in the Philadelphia area will not consider Acela First Class for travel because the ability to get seats together in F at PHL is pure luck.

I will add that this is a problem in BC, too, on acela when boarding at many mid-point stations like PVD, New Haven, BWI, PHL, etc.

And while I'm all worked up, let me add this. My first long distance train trip was in 1963: Philadelphia to San Francisco to Los Angeles to Philadelphia. It was a family trip, coach all the way. What's the big deal about that? Every seat on every train was pre-assigned at booking. Every one. In 1963, FIFTY YEARS AGO.