Dear Mr. Gunn:

We live across the street from the Amtrak station in Providence, so taking the train to New York is very appealing to us. The ride is smooth and quiet, there is plenty of legroom, and the views of the coastline are quite beautiful and relaxing. Only Amtrak could turn this trip into a nightmare.

As you know, the "bugs" that accompanied the inauguration of Acela service have never been worked out. Every trip to New York is approached with trepidation. Will the train be on time? Will there be a train? Will the tracks be safe? Will the undercarriage buckle? This trip was no exception.

We had booked Train 191 from Providence to Pennsylvania Station on December 7. The train, which was to depart Providence at 7:10 AM, didn’t even leave Boston by that time. We arrived in New York one and a half hours late, thereby missing our lunch date with friends.

On Sunday, December 8, I arrived at Pennsylvania Station only to find that Train 194 would be an hour late. In fact, I arrived in Providence one and a half hours late.

May I say a few words about the quality of customer service that you have at Penn Station. It’s service with an attitude. When I arrived there on Sunday and approached the service agent at the entrance to the Amtrak waiting area, here was the conversation that ensued:

ME: Train 194?

AGENT: Sit down inside.

ME: The train to Boston?

AGENT: I told you…just have a seat.

ME: Is the train on time?

AGENT: I don’t have a track.

ME: I understand, but is it on-time?

At this point, the agent was forced to do some work, which he did with a sigh. He punched up the train on his computer and said that it would be an hour late. He made me feel that it was my fault for asking him to check.

I went to the customer service center and asked that since the train would be an hour late, if I could make up the time by taking the Acela Express that was leaving at the same time. The agent there, without looking up, said, "You’ll have to exchange your ticket and pay for the difference." Mr. Gunn, no airline would treat its passengers this way.

As you know, the cleanliness and maintenance of Penn Station is very poor, reminiscent of a run-down bus station in the Dominican Republic. The restrooms are a public health menace.

You are competing against the airlines, which offer faster service, clean facilities, and personnel who try to be polite and helpful. They are more expensive, but only a tiny bit more expensive than the Acela Express.

And you are competing against the buses. Here, the service and facilities are comparable to Amtrak, but the price is less than half.

You want Congressional subsidies? You should be out of business and we should have nationalized railroads, just as they do in every civilized Western country, where rail travel is fast, pleasant, reliable, and cheap.

Enclosed are three ticket stubs. Please send us reimbursement checks or credits.

Thank you very much.

 Sincerely yours,
 
 

 Michael A. Ingall, M.D.
 
 

 Carol K. Ingall, Ed.D.