Looking to interview Amtrak commuters for Wall Street Journal story

[WILTONYP]

Hi everyone,

I am working on a story for The Wall Street Journal about the joys, frustrations, and expense of commuting on Amtrak.

(Full disclosure: In August, I started commuting from Wilmington to NYC 4 days a week).

I am looking to interview riders who buy monthly passes -- or are highly frequent Amtrak travelers -- and can talk about their experiences, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the service, guest rewards, etc.

Thanks,

Jeremy Olshan

Senior Editor

WSJ Digital Network/MarketWatch

212-416-2710

jeremy.olshan <at> dowjones <dot> com

 

[PRR 60]

We held this for a while while we checked to see if it was a legit request. It is. I'm bumping it back onto the first page in case anyone is interested in helping.

 

[Ryan]

You may want to do something about his email address so the scammers don't slurp it up.

Anyhow, passed this along to a guy I know.

 

[amamba]

I passed it along to my H!

 

[amamba]

Jeremy, can you tell us more about the angle of your story? The Wall Street Journal is well known to be a more conservative newspaper that often criticizes government spending. For instance, in October 2011 the Wall Street Journal wrote an editorial/opinion piece lambasting Amtrak even after it announced that its ridership was up.

The story is available here for WSJ subscribers.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204479504576637582056938182.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_AboveLEFTTop

My husband commutes daily from PVD - BOS and while he can certainly provide constructive feedback to amtrak, he doesn't want to have any part of an article that is going to give amtrak the same treatment that it normally receives from the WSJ.

 

[WILTONYP]

Sure. My angle is that while Amtrak has experienced record ridership in the past few years, the ranks of monthly commuters seems to have remained fairly small. Part of this is due to the sizable fare hike a few years back, but also to the fact that -- Joe Biden aside -- not everyone is up for spending a substantial portion of their day riding the rails.

I'm interested in profiling people who have been doing this to hear what they enjoy about the experience, to what extent it wears on them, and sort of the tricks of the trade that come from being a regular.

This would be for the Personal Journal section of the paper.

Thanks,

Jeremy

 

[saxman]

Many of us ride Amtrak often, but don't know of too many true commuters on the NEC. I did know one on the West Coast though. Flyertalk might also provide some commuters as well if you look in the AGR section.

 

[Ryan]

Yeah, he's got a thread over there too. The guy I passed along is from another (non train related) forum.

 

[Train Rider]

Jeremy, can you tell us more about the angle of your story? The Wall Street Journal is well known to be a more conservative newspaper that often criticizes government spending. For instance, in October 2011 the Wall Street Journal wrote an editorial/opinion piece lambasting Amtrak even after it announced that its ridership was up.
The story is available here for WSJ subscribers.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204479504576637582056938182.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_AboveLEFTTop

My husband commutes daily from PVD - BOS and while he can certainly provide constructive feedback to amtrak, he doesn't want to have any part of an article that is going to give amtrak the same treatment that it normally receives from the WSJ.

News articles are different than editorials and opinion pieces. Also, hiding from the newspaper with the largest circulation in the nation is not a good idea. A single opinion piece is not "normally received treatment". Amtrak fans need to quit being so defensive about an imperfect organization that could improve if it listened to some constructive criticism. I look forward to reading this story.

 

[Blackwolf]

News articles are different than editorials and opinion pieces. Also, hiding from the newspaper with the largest circulation in the nation is not a good idea. A single opinion piece is not "normally received treatment". Amtrak fans need to quit being so defensive about an imperfect organization that could improve if it listened to some constructive criticism. I look forward to reading this story.

*tosses out the soap box*

Exactly. Though, most articles in the media these days are about as constructive as pouring vinegar in your eye. Amtrak, the IRS, Public Education... Heck, our entire Union and society as a whole is an imperfect organization. Bearing in mind that one's opinion is just that, an opinion, and can be pretty much neutralized by one from an opposite perspective, criticism that is constructive in nature is very rare indeed.

That said, I love debates that actually happen between open-minded individuals who will not only present their close-held views but just as willingly listen to others around them. I'll save any kind of judgement until said story is published; nothing against the WSJ writer asking for information, that is very accepted and welcomed. Present the information in a neutral and unbiased manner that allows the reader to make up their own mind without any input either way on the subject aside from raw facts, or start out stating that the story is biased and weighted one way or the other up-front.

You can either present news, or give entertainment. I hold the belief that the two do not go hand-in-hand.

*steps off soap box*

 

[Gratt]

Mr. Olshan I just wanted to thank you for writting an article on this subject. My wife and I are paid subscribers of the WSJ and we plan to be for a very long time.

We are looking forward to reading your story.