Airline style boarding on trains

[Matthew Buchanan mattbuch-/[e-mail] [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]]

The US congress is investigating Amtrak's airplane style boarding procedures where everyone has to line up single file. I believe VIA is infected with the same belief that trains are basically wingless airplanes. The way it is now train travel is starting to have all the discomforts of air travel with none of the benefits.

http://itineranturbanist.wordpress.com/2014/09/11/are-we-finally-getting-somewhere-with-amtraks-boarding-procedures/

Matthew Buchanan
Coquitlam BC

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Posted by: Matthew Buchanan <mattbuch-/***@public.gmane.org>
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For help, send an email to Canadian-Passenger-Rail-help-***@public.gmane.org

['Mike J.' [e-mail] [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]]

I think it depends on which VIA and Amtrak service you are using. Here are
my experiences in various classes:

1) Taking coach anywhere in the corridor from Toronto's Union station:
business class customers have their own lounge were led out separately to
the train. Coach passengers usually only have one line up to the train
before being divided based on what their final destination is.
2) Taking the Canadian from Toronto's Union Station, sleeping class
passengers were boarded separately from coach
3) Taking the Canadian from Edmonton: Two different lines, one for coach,
one for sleeping class.
4) The Ocean departing from Halifax: two separate lines for sleeper vs coach
passengers.
5) Business class from Montreal: Business class passengers were boarded
first.
6) Business class eastbound from London, ON. The only perk was the Business
Class lounge. I had to line up in single file with everyone else.
7) Business class eastbound from Oshawa, ON. No perks but at least Oshawa
has a decent sized area to wait due to the recent catwalk installation.
8) Amtrak from New York to Orlando, FL. No perks other than a business
class lounge.
9) Amtrak from Buffalo (Depew), NY to New York City. No perks as there's
only one lounge. We all had to line up single file outside to be sorted
into cars. Was the same for a trip to Chicago.
10) Amtrak from Chicago to New Orleans: This was the best perk for sleeping
class passengers. We all waited in the sleeping class lounge and had our
own door out to the platform. We were boarded before coach class.

I think if VIA is going to start giving more perks for its more frequent
Preference travellers to differentiate from airlines, they should do so.
Let them board first as a thank you, even if they are only in coach class.

Mike
Oshawa, ON

-----Original Message-----
From: Canadian-Passenger-Rail-***@public.gmane.org
[mailto:Canadian-Passenger-Rail-***@public.gmane.org]
Sent: October 2, 2014 1:01 AM
To: Canadian Passenger Rail
Subject: [CanPassRail] Airline style boarding on trains

The US congress is investigating Amtrak's airplane style boarding procedures
where everyone has to line up single file. I believe VIA is infected with
the same belief that trains are basically wingless airplanes. The way it is
now train travel is starting to have all the discomforts of air travel with
none of the benefits.

http://itineranturbanist.wordpress.com/2014/09/11/are-we-finally-getting-som
ewhere-with-amtraks-boarding-procedures/

Matthew Buchanan
Coquitlam BC

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Posted by: Matthew Buchanan <mattbuch-/***@public.gmane.org>
------------------------------------

For help, send an email to Canadian-Passenger-Rail-help-***@public.gmane.org
------------------------------------

Yahoo Groups Links





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Posted by: "Mike J." <mjacula-***@public.gmane.org>
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For help, send an email to Canadian-Passenger-Rail-help-***@public.gmane.org

['Mark W. Walton' [e-mail] [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]]

Ottawa-Montreal and Ottawa Toronto: Business Class passengers have a
Panorama Lounge, and are pre-boarded.are

Mark Walton
mark.walton-***@public.gmane.org

-----Original Message-----
From: Canadian-Passenger-Rail-***@public.gmane.org
[mailto:Canadian-Passenger-Rail-***@public.gmane.org]
Sent: Thursday, October 02, 2014 1:26 AM
To: Canadian-Passenger-Rail-***@public.gmane.org
Subject: RE: [CanPassRail] Airline style boarding on trains

I think it depends on which VIA and Amtrak service you are using. Here are
my experiences in various classes:

1) Taking coach anywhere in the corridor from Toronto's Union station:
business class customers have their own lounge were led out separately to
the train. Coach passengers usually only have one line up to the train
before being divided based on what their final destination is.
2) Taking the Canadian from Toronto's Union Station, sleeping class
passengers were boarded separately from coach
3) Taking the Canadian from Edmonton: Two different lines, one for coach,
one for sleeping class.
4) The Ocean departing from Halifax: two separate lines for sleeper vs coach
passengers.
5) Business class from Montreal: Business class passengers were boarded
first.
6) Business class eastbound from London, ON. The only perk was the Business
Class lounge. I had to line up in single file with everyone else.
7) Business class eastbound from Oshawa, ON. No perks but at least Oshawa
has a decent sized area to wait due to the recent catwalk installation.
8) Amtrak from New York to Orlando, FL. No perks other than a business
class lounge.
9) Amtrak from Buffalo (Depew), NY to New York City. No perks as there's
only one lounge. We all had to line up single file outside to be sorted
into cars. Was the same for a trip to Chicago.
10) Amtrak from Chicago to New Orleans: This was the best perk for sleeping
class passengers. We all waited in the sleeping class lounge and had our
own door out to the platform. We were boarded before coach class.

I think if VIA is going to start giving more perks for its more frequent
Preference travellers to differentiate from airlines, they should do so.
Let them board first as a thank you, even if they are only in coach class.

Mike
Oshawa, ON

-----Original Message-----
From: Canadian-Passenger-Rail-***@public.gmane.org
[mailto:Canadian-Passenger-Rail-***@public.gmane.org]
Sent: October 2, 2014 1:01 AM
To: Canadian Passenger Rail
Subject: [CanPassRail] Airline style boarding on trains

The US congress is investigating Amtrak's airplane style boarding procedures
where everyone has to line up single file. I believe VIA is infected with
the same belief that trains are basically wingless airplanes. The way it is
now train travel is starting to have all the discomforts of air travel with
none of the benefits.

http://itineranturbanist.wordpress.com/2014/09/11/are-we-finally-getting-som
ewhere-with-amtraks-boarding-procedures/

Matthew Buchanan
Coquitlam BC

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Posted by: Matthew Buchanan <mattbuch-/***@public.gmane.org>
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Posted by: "Mike J." <mjacula-***@public.gmane.org>
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Posted by: "Mark W. Walton" <mark.walton-***@public.gmane.org>
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For help, send an email to Canadian-Passenger-Rail-help-***@public.gmane.org

[Tom Box [e-mail] [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]]

Post by Matthew Buchanan mattbuch-/***@public.gmane.org [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]
The US congress is investigating Amtrak's airplane style boarding
procedures where everyone has to line up single file.

Many Canadian rail advocates feel that VIA's relationship with
government should be more like Amtrak's. While there's some merit
to that viewpoint, the above suggests that Amtrak's situation is
not ideal. I don't think that level of micromanagement of Amtrak
operations by Congress is a good thing (entirely apart from the
merits or demerits of Amtrak's boarding procedures). Nor it that
an isolated case -- Congress has issued many directives to Amtrak
about minor details of its operations.

Post by Matthew Buchanan mattbuch-/***@public.gmane.org [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]
I believe VIA is infected with the same belief that trains are
basically wingless airplanes.

Some new initiatives do suggest that -- e.g. renaming tickets to
"boarding passes". But there's really not much new about boarding
procedures. I can recall lining up at the bottom of the stairwells
in Toronto Union Station in 1977, and not being allowed onto the
station platforms until the train was ready to board passengers.
There is now more checking of tickets before you're allowed to go
up to the platform, but it's spotty -- not like with airlines.

I think it [boarding procedure] depends on which VIA and Amtrak
service you are using.

True, but the biggest determinant is what station you're leaving
from. The requirement to line up and wait before you can gain
access to the station platform is usually only at a few of the
busiest stations, on both VIA and Amtrak.

I think if VIA is going to start giving more perks for its
more frequent Preference travellers to differentiate from
airlines, they should do so. Let them board first as a thank
you, even if they are only in coach class.

VIA has been doing exactly that for gold-level VIA Preference
members, ever since they brought in the three-level structure
for the program. The perq is less valuable now that VIA has
brought in assigned seating on almost all corridor trains, but
it's still a factor for boarding #650 in Toronto. Many of its
passengers are commuter pass users, who travel frequently
enough to be at the gold level. They board first and have
their choice of seats. When VIA tried to introduce assigned
seating, they complained so much that VIA backed down and
eliminated assigned seating on that train and its westward
counterpart, #651.

The chart at
<https://www.viapreference.com/en/program/preference-privilege-and-premier-levels>
lists "Priority boarding in Montréal, Toronto and Quebec city,
Business or Economy class" as a perq of the gold level. The
restriction to those three stations is fairly new. Does anybody
know when and why that limitation was introduced? Gold level
members used to be entitled to preboarding at all stations.

Tom Box
tbox at ncf dot ca
Port Hope, ON, Canada


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Posted by: Tom Box <tbox-***@public.gmane.org>
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