I’ll preface this by saying that I am not a fan of NARP at all. I have never been a member, and under the present circumstances, will never be a member. Why?
NARP should be an advocate for railroad passengers. After all, that is what their name says they are. They are not, at least that is not their primary mission. NARP is an advocate for Amtrak. What is good for Amtrak is sometimes good for passengers, but sometimes not. Too often NARP serves as an Amtrak mouthpiece, bemoaning lack of funding, micromanaging, and generally reinforcing the victim mentality that so underlies Amtrak’s existence. I can not remember any occasions when NARP ripped Amtrak for the things that happen that can be corrected by Amtrak. NARP should have been all over Amtrak for the silly, economically insignificant downgrades in sleeper and dining service. I can’t recall hearing a single word from them about Amtrak’s limiting water or coffee or amenity packs, except maybe to blame congress, as if congress cares about 50 cent water bottles.
To my mind, there is simply too cozy a relationship between Amtrak and NARP. You need look no further than the payments NARP receives from Amtrak for running the customer advisory council (about $50,000 a year), and the 10% discount Amtrak affords NARP members for travel. Are those considerations provided by Amtrak out of the goodness of their heart, or are they provided as a thank you to NARP for being a loyal supporter – with the implied meaning that continuation of those considerations is contingent on NARP remaining loyal. If NARP is the advocate for rail passengers, should they really be taking gratuities from the organization they are supposed to be watching? A first step to gain my respect as an advocacy group for railroad passengers would be for NARP to remove itself from the advisory council work, and drop the 10% discount. Show perspective members that they are truly independent and will, if needed, take Amtrak to task.
Were I to suggest things for NARP to pursue, I would aim at things that Amtrak can control today. I would call for more liberal same-day change policies, particularly for elite members of the Amtrak Guest Rewards program. It is nuts that an Acela passenger at the Select Executive level can be hit with a huge fare change for wanting to use a train an hour earlier or later than planned. I would call for some accommodation for sleeper passengers to obtain snacks and beverages off-hours in the lounge. If you have paid several hundred dollars for your ticket, should you really have to pay an additional $4.50 for a can of soda and a bag of chips at 10pm. I would call for a limited rollout of assigned seating in coach, business class, and Acela First Class. Not every seat (maybe 50%), but enough seats to permit a couple or family to be assured of sitting together if booked weeks or months in advance.
These are not new routes, or new frequencies that require lots of funding and years of planning. It is not calling for action by host railroads, that may or may not be possible. These changes do not require congressional or state action. It just requires someone pushing Amtrak to try something new and break with the “it’s not the way we do things” mentality that they have had for 43 years. With the degree to which NARP is beholding to Amtrak and seemingly fearful of poking the bear, I don’t see them as an agent for change within Amtrak to benefit their members.