HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE PEOPLE
Horrible horrible customer service and employees - rude, impatient, the customer care line employees are the absolute biggest idiots in the world and couldn’t even change a lightbulb let alone try and help. Was on hold for 4.5 hours, transferred to 3 different people. Still no resolution.
Date of experience: 05 March, 2026
They told me they were putting me off the train at the next stop with no way to get another train in either direction till the next day.
As briefly as possible, this is what happened. Let me start by saying that, while I raised my voice, at no time did i yell or use bad language. Train #79, The Carolinian from Balti. to Raleigh N.C. on Sat Dec. 28. I'm sitting in the front of the car, behind the disabled seats, which were not occupied. A young woman, I guess in early 20"s sits down in the disabled section which is an additional charge and noted on your ticket. Female ticket taker, with no name ID asks for her ticket. "Get up, lets go you don't have a ticket for this seat" in a brusque and I mean brusque voice. "I'm sure I that is what I purchased" the young girl quietly replied. "I have the Amtrak app let me check" Oh I'm so sorry, I'm having trouble can you help me" in a soft voice.? "I don't help with apps especially with adults now get your bag and follow me" as she turned and walked away while the young lady was trying to get her bag and mumbling "It hurts for me to walk in a soft voice with pain and distress showing on her face.
Now the meat of it, ten minutes the same ticket take comes back thru the car. I said to her Were you able to accommodate that young lady? That's none of your business she replied. I thought you could have been more nicer when you talked to her. What is your name? You need to not worry about what it, she replied. I said I'd like to speak to the conductor. She turned her back leaned over the people seated opposite me and said, loud enough so that I could hear, "I don't have to put up with that racist" (Should tell you now she is black, passenger she is addressing is black, I'm white.) I raised my voice in reply, "Don't play the race card with me" and again told her I wanted to see the concuctor.
Five minutes later a younger black woman comes back and identifies herself as the Assistant Conductor" and do I have a problem? As I start to speak she literally turns her back and takes a couple of steps away. I said i would like you to turn around and listen to what I have to say. I then said I would like to speak with the conductor. Ten minutes later the first ticket taker says the Conductor wants to see you. I go up three cars and see him. Before I can say a word he says "I'm putting you off at the next stop, Quantico". i said why? His reply I will not allow abuse of my crew" I said can I tell you my side. "No your getting off at the next stop"
So as I set and talked with my friendly seatmate, about twenty minutes later I was again told to see the conductor, not at the Quantico stop but all the way down to Richmond, Va. As I reached the conductor he said he was not going to put me off unless I interfered with his crew again. I started to say something, bit my lip and said thank you and got off at my destination in Raleigh. ( Why they didn't put me off I don't know but I think they were behind schedule and didn't want to take the time to get my baggage (which was loaded in Baltimore) and that would have taken too much time).
Otherwise, the baggage agent in Raleigh was very friendly and helpful in getting my baggage, as the Balto. agent did not give me my claim stub.
The scenery on the route is not interesting but the seat was comfortable and I would have liked to read that book I brought with me.
Will i take the train again? Yes. Will I speak up for someone is being abused? I don't know.
Left my iPad on a train. Immediately filed lost item report (#37215409). Apple Find My Device shows exactly where it is - Sunnyside Yard & Facility, Long Island City, NY. But three weeks later, the very nice Customer Relations staff at Amtrak still can't get anybody in New York to answer their emails asking them to put my iPad in the system and get it back to me. So much for customer service!
Exciting
What is the best part of working at the company?Great teamwork and dedicated Mangers & ForemanWhat is the most stressful part about working at the company?Not stressful at all ! Work safe environment! People who actually care about employees!What is the work environment and culture like at the company?Family environment & Multi cultural environment as well What is a typical day like for you at the company?Safe free relaxing day & not stressful also, great communication on all departments throughout the company
Dysfunctional lost and found
Left my iPad on an Acela. Immediately filed a lost item report (#37215409). Apple “Find My Device” shows exactly where it is (Sunnyside Yard & Facility, Long Island City, NY). However, the nice people at Customer Relations can’t get anyone in NY to get off their butts and return it - for three weeks and counting!! So much for customer service!
Public Transportation is America
Embarrassingly subpar. After experiencing Japan’s transportation, Amtrak feels outdated and poorly managed. No communication during delays, filthy restrooms, and unhelpful staff. America, we can do better.
Disappointed and False Advertising
So I needed to take the train to NYC on New Year’s Day to pick up my vehicle that my daughter no longer needs to borrow. I decided to bid on a sleeper room based on the advertised benefits. The specs for the upgrade to a roomette included a room with 2 beds, a porter designated to the car and a shared bathroom and shower. It said towels will be provided for the shower and 3 meals would be included as well as a complimentary cocktail with dinner. I believe I read that you could also have regular beverages by simply asking. My roomette wasn’t ready when I boarded, so I was directed to the dining car and sat down. My expectations were not high. I am a self proclaimed food critic after all. I opted for the crepes with apples and raisin compote and anglaise as I don’t like feggs (fake eggs) so I felt it was a safer option than the omelet and an allergy prevented me from selecting the continental breakfast. The crepes were a soggy mess. Okay, whatever. The orange juice was good. Made my way to the roomette and the porter knocked and said, you’re supposed to have 2 waters then proceeded to hand me one bottle and kept moving. Ummm, okay? The room actually has its own toilet and sink. They were both filthy. I was alone, so using the toilet would have been weird, but doable since it’s just there in the open with no curtain or door. (Think jail lol) it was nasty and I will spare you the disgusting details, so it was a no go for me. I didn’t shower that morning because I figured with 9+ hours to kill, it would give me something to do. NOPE! The shower was stacked full of dirty laundry and luggage. Thanks for providing the body wash and hair conditioner, but what is it for? Lunch. I tried to be as upbeat and friendly as possible on the first day of the new year. I greeted the staff and said ‘happy new year’ and ‘how are you doing?’ The woman working in the dining car seemed to lighten up a bit from this. The food was…eh. I got the beef paprikash. The beef was actually tender and edible. Surprising. The pasta was okay, but the sauce had a weird flavor, but only in spots. It was strange, so I tried to avoid the sauce and took the butter cake dessert and a cup of hot tea with me back to the roomette. Time for a nap. I couldn’t find the porter, so I made up the bed myself. It wasn’t rocket science and it turns out sleeping on a moving train is nice. There was a stop to separate the train and the porter said he needed to make up the bed, so I guess my nap was over. The layover was a little more than an hour, so I used the restroom in the station and grabbed a magazine. I would have ventured out to find a snack had I known they were going to skip the dinner service. So much for the complimentary cocktail.When I got back I washed up using the sink in the room because I didn’t get my shower, but first I had to clean the sink. Glad I had Clorox wipes to get the last person’s toothpaste cleaned out. Gross! Summary: My expectations weren’t high for the food, and I didn’t get to try another entree to review, no shower or complimentary cocktail, but the sleep was good. I waited out the rest of the trip while I snacked on some purse peanuts (IYKYK) and the butter cake, which was sweet and enough to share for sure. Out of curiosity, I snooped around in the bedroom which is twice the space to see what the bathroom looked like. There is door and a shower. It was tiny, kind of like on a cruise ship where you have to straddle the commode and use a hand held sprayer, but it’s your own. The bedroom had an additional chair and more storage including a little closet, that had garbage in it btw. And the bunks looked bigger than the ones in the roomette. If I had someone to share the expense, I might have considered it. Hope this helps someone considering splurging.
We traveled for the first time and it was an amazing experience. We had a private room which included all meals and drinks. We waited in the VIP Lounge prior to departure and from the start, everyone was inviting, caring, and professional. Alex was a wonderful train concierge/attendant. Flavio and another dining host was also awesome. From the conductors to the entire staff, everyone was kind. The only take away was that Amtrak does not have WIFI which was surprising -but we used our own hotspot which worked out fine.
arrived at the LA Union station 25 minutes before my train and wasn't 100% sure where the trains were so I asked a man walking near me if this were the correct way to the Amtrak trains. He turned out to be the southwest chief conductor and was quite friendly in helping me get to my train.
When I got to my sleeper car, Cynthia, my car attendant, was waiting outside and after scanning my ticket said that she could bring my luggage to my room for me. In all my times of traveling Amtrak, no one had ever offered to help me nor anyone else. In fact, I've watched older people really struggle by themselves while the attendant watches and doesn't help.
Cynthia had made the car festive as this was getting close to Christmas. There were snowmen decals on one of the windows, plus cozy festive creamers and sugars by the coffee station. Each evening she had a sign in sheet to choose when we wanted our beds turned down, and every morning we signed in to let her know we were up. As I was traveling alone, I appreciated that she made sure I was alive and well each morning. She'd also announce over the PA throughout the trip when there was an excitement landmark or something ahead. I asked for a couple meals to be delivered to my room and she always brought them prepared with care and seemed to actually enjoy her job.
The meals on this route were superior to my experience on the zephyr. They were served with a dinner roll, u like the zephyr. The continental breakfast on this route came with an overflowing bowl of mixed berries whereas the zephyr just had a tiny amount of strawberries.
The views aren't as dramatic as on the zephyr but they're still beautiful and worth seeing.
Honestly, Amtrak is the way to go. Airports are a hassle with little room and with great uncertainty. I have taken the Amtrak to New York, Baltimore, D.C and Roanoke VA in the last 2 months and every experience exceeded expectations along with reasonable prices.
Amtrack staff rude and disrespectful and filthy washroom’s
The trip was horrible the staff were horrible and the washrooms were filthy and top it off the microwave food they sell Staff were harassing discriminatory and very an helpful if you want to find them you will always fine them in the dining cart hanging out with each other I cancelled my trip back and booked a flight that’s how bad the experience was. seat was empty beside my husband stay I think his name was Ray kept telling me get out of the seat even though it was empty and to make me stop even though they don’t assign seats they told this gentleman that go sit in the seat number There was a little girl on the train they let her take two seats and make a bed no problem People should be treated equally then 4 hours in the trip one if the attendants wakes up my husband to s an the ticket just so he could know my name and makes a threat I know your name what kind of people is Amtrak hiring they should teach them customer service and not have their staff fight with the paying customer Never would go on Amtrak again and would not recommend
Amtrax over books trains and smells horrible,staff is very rude
Horrible experience over booked both times .I took my 15 year old daughter and my 13 year old son from Jacksonvillee fla to Philly just to see snow .We went there and turned around came back home same day..She was so surprised and happy to touch real snow.when we got ready to board the train they placed my kids in the very back and placed me in the very front.Totally killed our celebration.Amtrax I want my 3000.00 back.You need to stop over booking your trains.clean your restrooms cause they stink and reap of urine and teach your employees to be respectful when speaking with the people who are customers The 97 Silver Meteor staff was rude on the way up to Philly and on my way back.I will neva travel via Amtrax.Send my money back.Philly was good to us.
Never again, not ever.
A 5 hour train trip turned into a 12 hour ordeal.
Train was filthy, multiple unexplained delays, staff all REEKED of marijuana.
No matter the destination, next time I would rather walk.
You are absolutely the worst organization ever. Your schedules and your timing does not coordinate or even sync together. You are absolutely the worst organization I've ever seen in my life and I hope you go out of business tomorrow. You've caused my entire family, a holiday ripple of effect of horrification regarding scheduling
It can be both boring and busy at times
Day shift is pretty boring because you can't do much while trains are running. Night shift is more busy and you learn more. I would say the most negative thing about being an ET Lineman is dealing with people's ego and attitude.
Recently took the Amtrak Empire Builder from St Paul Minnesota to Chicago.
It does not have Wi-Fi, but we had pretty good cell signal most of the way. There were a few times I had to keep refreshing to get service, but it was better than I expected.
They allow you to bid on upgrades and my boyfriend did the lowest one and we got it.
When you upgrade to the Roomette, the cafe food is included. We got breakfast and lunch with it. It isn't the best food, but I never expected it to be. The waitress was very kind though and it had nice views out of it.
I didn't like that they try to sit you with other people. Since there were 2 of us, both times we had to sit across from other people at our table which was awkward.. even when we were the only people in the cafe..
As for the Roomette, I found it cozy. It had a trash can, storage above, it turned into a bed and a table could come between the chairs. It had a curtain and you can have privacy while you sleep. You could also lock the door. It had an outlet in there and the ability to control the air/temperature. Plus, it had a call button to get an attendant to come to you.
If you were in a Roomette, you also got free bottled water and coffee.
Five Stars Texas Eagle From Longview to Chicago
I boarded the Amtrak bus from the Houston Station, very easy to check luggage and getting a seat on the coach bus was smooth. Very comfy seats. Ride to Longiview with a stop at Nacadoches Wattaburger and convient store, then onto Longview to board Texas Eagle. I purchased a Family bedroom and was greeted by my First class Room attendant Jonathon. Very helpful in explaining how the lights worked and turned my bed down for me, ample amout of pillows and blankets in room It sleeps 4 comfortably. Two kids and Two adults. Full size bed and then three other beds. see below. The showers and toliets on same floor very clean. I bring wipes in case'clorox' . the room locks from inside but not outside, i brought my purse with me incase.. your door does close.. windows on both sides of the car so great views. Upstairs is the dining car and cafe car. They have Flex dining so you could order your food from room and have it delivered. plenty of options as well. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were great. Hot and fresh. Yvette is the best dining room attendant. She gets your drinks and food with a smile and she is a very hard worker. Please tip the attendants. They work hard to make our experience memorable and comfy. Drawback, no observation car, Air condition is on a cool but i am hot blooded so i got to hot, if you are normal its perfect. I love it. and will do again .. My trip is from Longview to Chicago and back. On my trip back I will be in a bedroom that has a shower.
Floridian train (from Chicago to Miami) now has true dining car! In addition to cafe car. Custom cooked meals Flat Iron steak was excellent. Included with sleeper cars; can be purchased by all, tho Btw- use wax earplugs to quiet train noise (mainly just the horn from time ti time) I am 6' 5" and roomette beds ARE comfortable
Demolition custodian, installing new materials on train2024.12.08
Verified
Great career
Temporarily work work Amtrak though a contractor was very great nice cool pay but more an good respect worker plus the work is not hard but make your mind work plus it’s hand on things at work Pros: Working hard Cons: When you setting arond
We recently took the Amtrak train from BWI to New York City. We had buisness class tickets which I am not sure I would pay extra for this again. The business car is in the rear and we swish..and jolted all the way to NY. That was not the main reason for this review, it was so cold in the train that we wore hats, gloves and i wish we woudl have had a blanket. When I asked if there's heat the attendant said "i wish". This way of travel was very expensive and not to have heat...will not do that again in the winter for sure. We have heard from several people that they would drive from Maryland and pay the $100. a day parking instead of taking the train. Way to go AMTRAK!!!!
Verified Company
