6 Things Passengers Do That Drive Amtrak Staff Crazy

I don’t think some passengers realize just how hard/heartbreaking the work can be for Amtrak staff. I’ve witnessed so many things. Verbal abuse from passengers, messy passengers elder passengers that are traveling alone (and often times shouldn’t be) expecting attendants to treat them like a personal nurse and the worst was seeing two male passengers traveling in the middle of the night with a young boy (about 4 years old). The men were physically and verbally abusing the child. The female attendant was trying to keep the child safe (and warm..the poor boy was barely dressed for it being Winter). The attendant suspected what I was suspecting, the child wasn’t theirs and potentially being a victim of human trafficking. That brave attendant calmly kept the child safe, alerted the Amtrak who in turn alerted police at the station the men were set to depart at. The attendant offered to carry the young boy off the train onto the station platform where police (discreetly) were waiting for the men and young boy. This was on the Coast Starlight coming into the Dunsmuir station in the middle of the night. That female Amtrak staffer went BEYOND what most people would do.

I think the biggest I've seen, is with the restrooms.. Passengers seem to always plug them up, piss on the floors in them, or throw tissue or toweling on the floor.. Passengers can be really dirty and nasty 🤢🤮

I travelled coach so I didn't need anything form a car attendant, but the staff was pleasant. What really made me feel good was the conductor saying, with great sincerity, that he knows we have all kinds of options for travel and that he and the staff appreciated us choosing Amtrak. It was more than the usual spiel of 'Thank you for choosing Amtrak', he really meant it,

Maybe not drive the staff crazy but, for sure drive me crazy: a person talking overly loud (and maybe using foul language), on the phone.

A few months ago I was travelling coach out of Chicago. While waiting at Union Station a security team with a sniffer dog ID'd this man's bags and the team did a search. Apparently they must not have found anything because the man ended up in the same coach car I was in and he was going on about how they kept asking him if he had any marijuana and how he was gonna "sue the pants off of Amtrak" and whatnot. Well he eventually quieted down, but about an hour into the trip, lo and behold, I smelled weed. Not long after I went to the lounge car, where at the next stop I saw this man being escorted away from the train by Amtrak crew and local police. Kudos to the crew that day for dealing with the situation swiftly and discreetly. (Not sure how security in Chicago missed it though lol)

#1 is disturbing. So many people so afraid of one another that they can’t just say, “Hey there, sorry to bother you, and maybe I’m wrong, but is this my seat or yours?” Then show the person your friggin ticket, like you need their help. Non confrontational, but effective. Strange world.

Sneaking someone into the sleeper car is a form of stealing, but sleeper car passengers paid for their meals in the Dining Car. If they ate part of their meals in their room and took the leftovers to the observation car (where their teenager ate them), no one would notice. If they ask for a second dessert, that's another story

I've never once thought "Gee, the attendant doesn't have much to do." I'm always amazed how much they do.

When I was five years old my Grandmother and I took the train from Detroit to Los Angeles in 1952 and my most vivid memory was having French Toast for breakfast after using a “finger bowl to wash my hands with the help of the porter! That started my love for train travel that has continued to my taking my children on several trips!!

I have no problem speaking up if someone is in the assigned seat I paid good money for, and I don't need the conductor unless they refuse to move. It's called having a conversation, more people should get their heads out of their phones and learn it.

My daughter and I took a trip from Erie PA. to Moorepark in CA. We rode the South West Chief and I can say that the entire Amtrak Staff were wonderful. From the people at the counter to all of the staff on the train. It was a wonderful experience. I plan to do a trip again just because of what a wonderful experience I had.

After my first long trip, where I saw the hat the car attendants do, I have a set proceedure now. I let them know that once my room is set for sleeping, leave it. I'm more of a couch flopper than chair sitter anyways, so it's more comfortable for me, and no, I will make my own bed, thank you. Being a smoker, I also set my alarm for late night smoke stops instead of having to have the attendant wake me up. It might be small, but it's one less thing they are asked to do. And for the love of all things holy, tip your attendant! Especially if you request "extra"...

Maybe you should do one of these for things that staff do that drive passengers crazy! I'll start 1.Conductors and car attendants who disappear except for when they are onboarding and collecting tickets, especially the ones who don't bother to come through and tell you the exit car when you're getting off the train in the middle of the night 2. Staff who don't enforce rules (like no vaping) because they just can't be bothered or want to avoid conflict 3. Staff who don't seem to notice that the PA system in a car doesn't work so passengers can't hear the announcements 4. Conductors who walk thru the cars with their VERY loud walkie-talkies turned on, even in the middle of the night

My favorite incident involved a southbound trip on the Coast Starlight. During the night, one passenger decided the seat wasn't comfortable enough, and chose to sleep in the aisle! The staff stood around him at three am trying to wake him up. You have to admire them for what they deal with.

Good information, thanks. The only thing I disagree with is that two people eating 2/3 of meal each technically does not increase the cost of the food for others unless you’re thinking of it in terms of lost revenue from them buying their own meal at the café.

March 2024: A group of four women was seated all the way across the row ahead of me for 19 hours. They were all asleep when I boarded mid day. They were loud, cussy, messy, and inconsiderate. During the night they played videos without headphones, Played audible phone games, made and received phone calls, notifications were not muted. They were asked many times to be more thoughtful to those around them. Their response was to always be on the lookout for staff, but continue as usual. They ended their trip by dropping an empty drink bottle in the aisle next to me and spilling laundry detergent in the aisle. I couldn't tolerate the detergent's fragrance and had to flee the car before the building allergic reaction could fully manifest. The headache lingered for two more hours assuring I got less than half the sleep I desired.

I watched to make sure I wasn't doing anything to annoy staff. Whew! I'm off the hook. I have had nothing but great attendants and staff. A few years ago, I was coming back on the Empire Builder from MT to Chicago, and the train was 24 hours late. I spent, unplanned, Christmas day and evening on the train. The staff was so accommodating, they were even giving free food away to coach riders. I'll ride again in a heartbeat. Thanks for your posts. They have been so helpful.

Hello guys. In 2021, I was on the Cardinal when the conductor had to put someone off the train in a different state from their initial destination for having his mask off. The conductor had a 3 strike system. 1st ask you, 2nd tell you 3rd your off the train at the next stop No refund.

You guys are such great role models for good behavior that I thought of you when I took a trip to Montreal. As you have noted before, the bathroom in coach was a bit messy with used towels on the floor and the trash bin overflowing. I took it upon myself to pick it all up and jam it well down into the trashcan. My experience on trains is the mess tends to snowball. A towel tossed into the sink clogs the drain. The next person uses the sink and it fills up and sloshes over the rim and onto the floor. Then the floor becomes muddy, and the cuff of your pants picks up that mud and you can't wash your hands. And so it goes. So, thanks for reminding everyone to do their bit to make the ride nicer for every rider and for every staff member. It makes a difference. We need the reminder to initiate the change we'd like to see.

The most annoying thing I encountered in coach was a lady talking on her phone for over an hour...and she was loud, ruined that part of trip!