Lake Shore Limited Sleeper confusion

[Ryan]

I think that on the 20th, the BOS section will be operated with a train and will be a cross-platform transfer. I think the reason they booked 4920 for you is so they make sure you are assigned seats in business class on the stub train. (Those can not just be booked - they're only for the sleeping car passengers.) So the "room" on 4920 will actually be a business class seat.

Just my guess.

I'm not sure why you would think that when Thirdrail7, who is in a position to know exactly what is going to happen, has already said otherwise.

 

[wiscooperator]

For what it's worth, in early October I booked a sleeper on the 449 from Albany to Chicago for late December. I received an automated call from Amtrak this week telling me my reservation had been canceled and that I should call for rebooking. I called and they simply rebooked me on the 49, but allowed me to keep the lower price I'd gotten on the 49 reservation.

 

[LakeShoreLtd.]

For what it's worth, in early October I booked a sleeper on the 449 from Albany to Chicago for late December. I received an automated call from Amtrak this week telling me my reservation had been canceled and that I should call for rebooking. I called and they simply rebooked me on the 49, but allowed me to keep the lower price I'd gotten on the 49 reservation.

My friend had booked 449 from Syracuse to Cleveland for next Tuesday, and her reservation was cancelled and 49 was sold out on her. My reservation on 49 from SYR to TOL was safe, but if everyone that booked 449 had their reservation cancelled, that's a lot of lost revenue for the holidays

 

[jersey42]

For whatever it is worth, I recently booked a roomette from NYP-CHI on the 49 for travel the first week of December. I have been assigned car 4920. So it certainly looks like the "Boston sleeper" will still be going to and from New York in early December. As others has said, Amtrak.com shows no 449 sleeper service available before Feb 1, 2016.

 

[PaulM]

My friend had booked 449 from Syracuse to Cleveland for next Tuesday, and her reservation was cancelled and 49 was sold out on her. My reservation on 49 from SYR to TOL was safe, but if everyone that booked 449 had their reservation cancelled, that's a lot of lost revenue for the holidays

The title of the thread is "Lake Shore Limited Sleeper confusion". This adds to the confusion.

From the various posts, it sounds like Amtrak thought the Albany construction would be completed at some point. So sleeping car tickets on a through 449 were sold. Then it was determined that the construction wouldn't be completed until February; and only the stub train would be run between BOS and ALB.

But why wouldn't those already booked get first crack at the 4920 sleeping car, which if the past is any indication, would be running between NYP and CHI. Someone going between Syracuse to Cleveland shouldn't be affected anyway. If you friend was really dumped from 4920, then where is the sleeper going?

 

[Thirdrail7]

Indeed, PaulM. In the OP's post, I can see what happened. However, CLE-SYR passengers shouldn't have received notices of cancellation.

Either the computer is making bogus calls or the third sleeper is unavailable?

 

[neroden]

For what it's worth, in early October I booked a sleeper on the 449 from Albany to Chicago for late December. I received an automated call from Amtrak this week telling me my reservation had been canceled and that I should call for rebooking. I called and they simply rebooked me on the 49, but allowed me to keep the lower price I'd gotten on the 49 reservation.

My friend had booked 449 from Syracuse to Cleveland for next Tuesday, and her reservation was cancelled and 49 was sold out on her.

That's unacceptable behavior by Amtrak. Seriously, ***, management. SYRACUSE TO CLEVELAND. There's no excuse for cancelling this.

Your friend ought to escalate this as much as humanly possible. Joe Boardman needs to know what his management is doing, because this is totally unacceptable behavior.

 

[neroden]

My last LSL trip was in June, and the 4920 car existed, but it was pulled up from and back to NY. The Boston sleeper passengers rode the BC half of the cafe and got the sleeper from Albany. There is a real good chance of that happening if the scheduled return to normal ops does not occur as scheduled. As others have stated, it was set to return to "normal", but we are talking Amtrak.

It is still scheduled to return for the holidays...but there is more to this than meets the eye. Two days ago, I would have bet money things would return to normal.

Now........... :blink:

I'm keeping a sharp watch, though.

The only legitimate reason for removing the sleeper permanently would be something completely and utterly wacky like a deal between Massachusetts and New York to send the Adirondack to Boston instead of New York City, taking the LSL's slot.

But Amtrak management is well-known for doing stupid things for illegitimate reasons.

 

[fulham]

I thought I would provide a follow-up on my journey aboard the Lake Shore Limited from Boston to Chicago, and the Zephyr between Naperville and Nebraska. I left Boston Friday Nov. 20th.

As I earlier posted I had reserved a sleeper between Boston and Chicago on Amtrak's website. Several days later Amtrak called me and informed me there would be no sleeper between Boston and Albany, and I would be in coach. I would transfer to 49 in Albany and be in a sleeper to Chicago. I was also informed at that time there would be no food service between Boston and Albany on the 449 stub train. I called Amtrak Guest rewards and was also told there would be no food service on the 449 stub train between Boston and Albany.

The morning of the 20th I go to South Station. I went to the ticket counter to change my Zephyr ticket from Naperville to Nebraska as opposed from Chicago to Nebraska. I planned on meeting friends in Naperville on Saturday 11/21 and was betting the Lake Shore would not be too late and that I could catch the 10:40 Metra train to Naperville (this did occur and I made the 10:40 train to Naperville and then left on the Zephyr out of Naperville).

I asked the ticket agent at South Station if there would be food service on the 449 stub train to Albany. She said no...I asked why...she said "oh they are doing maintenance on the cars". I say "OK" and go to the CVS in South Station to buy a few snacks for the trip.

About 12:30 449 the Lake Shore Limited to Chicago is called for track 10. I go out to track 10 and look at the consist...one Viewliner baggage...2 Amfleet coaches... and you guessed it A AMCAFE CAR! And it was working...once we were out of Back Bay the LSA comes on the PA and says the cafe car is open.

After Springfield I go to the cafe car to get something the drink. The LSA was very nice and I told her of the misinformation regarding food service between Boston and Albany. She apologized and that was it.

So my question is to anyone from Amtrak on this board...how did this occur? Here was a fully stocked, functioning cafe car with an employee being paid to sell snacks, etc. to passengers, and the Amtrak reservation, customer service, ticket agents were adamant this car would not be on the train. Here Amtrak is trying to cut F&B losses and this type of BS occurs. Isn't there any communication between the person who supposedly "oversees" this train and the customer service, reservation people, etc.? Sometimes I think the people Amtrak hires for customer service, reservations, etc. don't really have a clue as to what they are selling. Hate to say this, but it is a sad state of affairs when your passengers know more than the people who work for the company. To be honest I was not surprised that there would be a cafe car on 449. I should never have bought those snacks!

 

[caravanman]

There tend to be two types of employees, the old timers who know the job inside out, and the Amtrak employees who have never been on a train. If you are trying to get the latter type to help you, it can be hard going...

Ed

 

[PVD]

A very large part of people's frustration with Amtrak stems from exactly what you describe. Poor communications. Riders who woul be understanding about a situation if they knew what was going on, become incensed when they are kept in the dark. How many times has a poster had to deal with the "musical agent" game to get a reservation "modified" instead of cancelled, rebooked, and repriced. Other examples are endless. They don't do a good job of letting folks know the good things, and they are even worse at explaining, not glossing over the real problems that invariably occur. In your case, they did something they should have, and kept it secret. Why does the food service car have to be like the "doomsday Machine" in Dr. Strangelove?

 

[OBS]

I thought I would provide a follow-up on my journey aboard the Lake Shore Limited from Boston to Chicago, and the Zephyr between Naperville and Nebraska. I left Boston Friday Nov. 20th.

I asked the ticket agent at South Station if there would be food service on the 449 stub train to Albany. She said no...I asked why...she said "oh they are doing maintenance on the cars". I say "OK" and go to the CVS in South Station to buy a few snacks for the trip.

So my question is to anyone from Amtrak on this board...how did this occur? Here was a fully stocked, functioning cafe car with an employee being paid to sell snacks, etc. to passengers, and the Amtrak reservation, customer service, ticket agents were adamant this car would not be on the train. Here Amtrak is trying to cut F&B losses and this type of BS occurs. Isn't there any communication between the person who supposedly "oversees" this train and the customer service, reservation people, etc.? Sometimes I think the people Amtrak hires for customer service, reservations, etc. don't really have a clue as to what they are selling. Hate to say this, but it is a sad state of affairs when your passengers know more than the people who work for the company. To be honest I was not surprised that there would be a cafe car on 449. I should never have bought those snacks!

The only explanation I can offer is that internal communication to the "front line" employees, from Management, has never been a strong suit of Amtrak. That and the fact that the BOS ticket agents have very few dealings with this train compared to the rest of the corridor and so experience is limited.

 

[PVD]

The other looming question, was it the food service car set up with the B/C seats at one end which have been offered to displaced sleeper passengers, or a regular cafe with tables both ends?

 

[fulham]

The AmCafe in question did have the B/C seats in the forward part of the car. All the B/C seats were unoccupied.

 

[OBS]

The AmCafe in question did have the B/C seats in the forward part of the car. All the B/C seats were unoccupied.

I think this is another example of one hand not knowing what the other hand is doing...

The B/C seats are on there intentionally to accommodate displaced sleeper pax, yet nothing is done with ticketing to differentiate "who" should be allowed to utilize these seats...

 

[oregon pioneer]

The AmCafe in question did have the B/C seats in the forward part of the car. All the B/C seats were unoccupied.

I think this is another example of one hand not knowing what the other hand is doing...

The B/C seats are on there intentionally to accommodate displaced sleeper pax, yet nothing is done with ticketing to differentiate "who" should be allowed to utilize these seats...

This is only one of the reasons I changed my reservation to depart from New Haven on my return trip (the main one is I decided it would actually work better for me than returning to BOS and departing from there).

When they originally notified me of the "cancellation" and directed me to call for re-booking, I pressed the agent hard about the presence or absence of the cafe car, and she put me on hold to ask a higher-up. She came back on the line to tell me that, yes, there actually WOULD be a business class/cafe car on the stub train. So why are they not booking sleeper pax into that car?? I guess if you insist, when you board, that you are a sleeper passenger and SHOULD be in there, they will accommodate you, but you have to know that you are entitled to it.

After changing my AGR redemption reservation (luckily there is as-yet no penalty for that) to leave a day earlier, and from New Haven, I am now booked on car 4920 out of NYC. Is that the "Boston sleeper"? I hope I did not, by changing days, take a roomette that someone else got canceled out of...

Anyway, at least I will be in a sleeper all the way from NYP, and get to see the lights over the Hudson as we roll to Albany. Another new leg for me.

 

[PVD]

"We got the wrong play, the wrong director, the wrong cast. Where did we go right?​" Max Bialystock in The Producers

Amtrak got the right car, stocked it with food, staffed it, and still got it wrong!