Seated in the diner car ... for the duration of the trip ....

[Dixie]

Hello experts -- my sister boarded the Carolinian this morning with 7 others outside D.C. with a final destination of Charlotte; they were directed to sit in the lounge/cafe car because there are no other seats for them. I just texted her for an update and they still don't have proper coach seats (and says a troop of Girl Scouts has joined them). They keep asking periodically if they can move and haven't been able to. While it sounds like the group is taking the inconvenience in stride, I can't imagine this is standard procedure. They are supposed to have reserved (but not assigned) seats, right? Does it sound like the train is oversold, or is maybe a coach short? What other explanation could there be? I'm stumped.

 

[NY Penn]

I don't think Amtrak overbooks, so the only thing I can think of is that a coach had to be taken off at the last minute.

This is by no means standard procedure. While IMHO this does not warrant a call to Amtrak, it is an inconvenience and happens rarely.

 

[gatelouse]

Amtrak definitely overbooks given their liberal cancel policy. It's also possible that the train is short a car.

Generally oversales are put in the cafe or upgraded to biz/first. If kept in the cafe for more than a stop or two, I'd request a partial refund afterward.

 

[me_little_me]

Amtrak definitely overbooks given their liberal cancel policy. It's also possible that the train is short a car.

Generally oversales are put in the cafe or upgraded to biz/first. If kept in the cafe for more than a stop or two, I'd request a partial refund afterward.

Or a free drink? :giggle:

 

[CHamilton]

I'm on Cascades 507 now, and all the tables in the bistro car are taken. Some with laptop users., but some with folks who have no other seats. Business class is sold out too. This is common on weekends and in the summer on the Cascades.

 

[sechs]

Amtrak definitely overbooks given their liberal cancel policy.

They don't overbook reserved accommodations. On unreserved trains, they actually have no idea exactly how many people are going to board when.
It is standard procedure to send folks which can't be put into a proper seat to the lounge car.

 

[Trogdor]

Amtrak definitely overbooks given their liberal cancel policy.

They don't overbook reserved accommodations. On unreserved trains, they actually have no idea exactly how many people are going to board when.
It is standard procedure to send folks which can't be put into a proper seat to the lounge car.

Amtrak does overbook reserved coach. No overbooking on upgraded classes.

 

[Dixie]

It all worked out well. Thanks for sharing all your comments. My sister said they didn't mind being in the diner because they had room to stretch out, they had the tables, and were close to the food. They're ready to travel by train again, but in business class next time.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Amtrak overbooks, up to 15-20% iirc.

 

[Trogdor]

Amtrak overbooks, up to 15-20% iirc.

Usually more like 3%, but it depends on the route. On corridors, there are people with multi-ride tickets who aren't included in reservation totals. On some trains, sales are limited to a number lower than the total capacity to make room for those passengers, but it's generally a guess, and you can still wind up with standees.

Then there are cases where people wind up on a train other than the one they booked (such as when a train gets canceled).

 

[crazyrunner]

We rode the Palmetto 90 last Saturday (4/7) in business class and they announced that they needed all tables in cafe for coach overflow seating a few stops after we boarded in CHS.

Nothing like the "old" days of unreserved trains in the NEC between NYP and WAS around the holidays when people were lined up standing in the aisle of the coaches the entire trip!

 

[smurfmom]

I was on the Hiawtha running from Milwaukee to Chicago on Tuesday.. Way over sold, people we sitting on the floor, while other stood where ever they could. I was glad my niece and I got to the station early and got a seat!!!

 

[ParrotRob]

I was on the Hiawtha running from Milwaukee to Chicago on Tuesday.. Way over sold, people we sitting on the floor, while other stood where ever they could. I was glad my niece and I got to the station early and got a seat!!!

I got a picture of that train on Tuesday h34r:

 

[RRUserious]

If I were on a trip of 4-8 hours, I'd love a seat in the lounge car. I probably spend that much time there even if I have a sleeping room. For a long trip, probably not. Just incidentally, it sounds like good news that Amtrak trains are that popular.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

But congress still wants to get rid of amtrak. Amtrak could be so popular that no one flys at all anymore and they would still want to kill it cause they hate rail.

 

[gatelouse]

I was on the Hiawtha running from Milwaukee to Chicago on Tuesday.. Way over sold, people we sitting on the floor, while other stood where ever they could. I was glad my niece and I got to the station early and got a seat!!!

Technically not oversold since the train is unreserved. But the point is still taken.

This is why some unreserved routes go reserved during the Thanksgiving travel crunch!

 

[sechs]

Amtrak does overbook reserved coach.

I've never seen evidence of this; although, if they're doing it right, one never would.
Back in the day, I do recall a couple of situations where people boarded at unstaffed stations without tickets or a reservation. Since a seat wasn't reserved, the train couldn't technically be overbooked.

 

[Dixie]

LOL @ ParrotRob - my husband rode that train to Mexico City one Christmas Eve.

 

[RRUserious]

But congress still wants to get rid of amtrak. Amtrak could be so popular that no one flys at all anymore and they would still want to kill it cause they hate rail.

Probably more to the point, their SUGAR DADDIES hate it. Whatever the sugar daddy wants, the sugar daddy gets. Been true since 1950 when the onslaught began in earnest. "because for years I thought what was good for the country was good for General Motors and vice versa" as Charles E Wilson, Secretary of Defense and CEO of GM said in the 1950's.

 

[Texan Eagle]

LOL @ ParrotRob - my husband rode that train to Mexico City one Christmas Eve.

Wow that'd be one loooong journey, riding an Indian Railways train to Mexico City

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Do Indian trains look like that all the time, or was that a one-off?

 

[henryj]

I was on the Hiawtha running from Milwaukee to Chicago on Tuesday.. Way over sold, people we sitting on the floor, while other stood where ever they could. I was glad my niece and I got to the station early and got a seat!!!

I got a picture of that train on Tuesday h34r:

Haha is that what we will look like when population reaches one billion in the US? I tried to ride a Cascade from Seattle to Tacoma one Friday afternoon a couple years ago and they told me it was sold out. So they may 'overbook' but apparently there is a limit. I took light rail to the airport and a bus from there, but I really wanted to ride a talgo.

 

[Texan Eagle]

Do Indian trains look like that all the time, or was that a one-off?

One-off. That photo seems like it was taken when there was some major event like a fair or a religious ceremony attracting thousands of pilgrims to a small town with limited transportation options. The train shown in the picture is on a Meter Gauge line, which are now restricted only to a few rural routes. Regular mainline trains can get very crowded with people standing in aisles (that used to happen in Amtrak too, right?) but they are more likely to look like this-

The Indian Railways Fan Club website has a Photo Gallery showcasing pictures taken by railfans updated almost daily. If you scroll through several pages of photos, you'll still not find a scene like that one with hundreds of rooftop riders.