By Lauren Kaszuba
Co-Arts Editor
As a college student who is from Syracuse, New York, I will head home a few times during the semester, just like any other college student usually would. For me, the easiest way to get there is by train, well, sometimes. Please take the adjective “easiest” lightly.
Before I begin, I want to clarify something. I am actually an Amtrak Rewards Member and a usual customer of Amtrak. I typically prefer Amtrak over taking the bus.
With that being said, I’ve had countless amounts of problems with Amtrak. I’ve had multiple people tell me I could write a book about the issues I’ve had with them. From delayed trains to running through Penn Station just to get a spot in line, I can say that is certainly not easy being a regular customer with them.
When I was younger, I would take the train to Philadelphia quite a bit to visit family. Traveling from Syracuse to Philadelphia involves a transfer in New York’s Penn Station, and as a child, I was absolutely terrified of getting lost in that station. Despite this, I never had any problems traveling then. My dad always seemed to know what he was doing and I suppose he never had any bad travel luck like I would receive in the future.
My issues with Amtrak started when I began traveling alone. Again, I am convinced I have the worst travel luck, whether it’s traveling by plane, train, or even by car.
The earliest issue I can recall is getting stuck at the Syracuse station for hours and missing my connecting train in New York to get to Philadelphia.
They’re actually pretty good about letting you on the next train that heads to Philadelphia, considering there are many that depart Penn Station with stops in Philadelphia. I’ll give them that.
Don’t let this be a pass completely, though. Most of my problems occur when I’m traveling between Albany and Syracuse.
You’re probably thinking, “Well, it’s not even that far.”
I always think the same thing to give myself hope. It’s only a three hour ride.
I once had my train delayed last semester leaving the Albany-Rensselaer station. I know this is typical, it happens to everyone, but hear me out on this. It was delayed due to broken track outside of Penn Station, which is where the train originated from. Another train that was en route to Chicago, stopping in Syracuse, was minutes away from Albany.
I made my way to the customer service desk and was rudely told to take a bus. The employee’s coworker then said I should rent a car. They didn’t even offer me a refund, they just told me I should try to get home some other way. They didn’t bother to answer my question, either. I sat there for a couple more hours and eventually got home.
Another time last semester, I took a train home and we stopped in Utica due to extreme weather. I believe there was either a tornado watch or warning and while I appreciate their safety concerns, I didn’t appreciate buying food at their costly prices just to realize five minutes later they were handing out free food to passengers since we would be stuck on the tracks for quite a bit.
Last weekend, I took the Lake Shore Limited to Syracuse. We sat in Albany-Rensselaer for longer than usua. They do an engine change and a refuel so I understand we’ll be sitting there for a few minutes, but not an hour or two, with no explanation.
I find that this is what Amtrak does best – they delay, cancel, or the train just sits on the tracks for quite a bit of time with no explanation. This is probably the most frustrating thing, in my opinion.
Of course, I could mention the times where I’ve gotten pummeled trying to catch a Northeast Regional train to Philadelphia from Penn Station, but that’s not Amtrak’s fault.
I truly believe people are convinced that the train won’t sit in the station for more than one minute and/or they’re going to run out of seats. This is a world where people want to get places fast.
This, I understand. Also, may I mention that these trains are huge? Seats won’t run out.
Those were just a few of my experiences with Amtrak. I think Amtrak is extremely convenient, and despite my ongoing issues, I’ve always mentioned how I’d like to try and take a long distance train with a sleeper car one of these days just for the experience.
Then again, I always end that story with, “…and then never do it again” because I know that the trip would most likely be filled with frustration.
Delays and cancellations aren’t always Amtrak’s fault and I strongly believe that the safety of the passengers is their top priority. I can’t blame them when a piece of track breaks or when there is bad weather.
However, with a tweak in their customer service and focusing to keep their passengers updated in a more timely manner, I wouldn’t be so frustrated when it came to taking the train to travel.
