Here is the list, by affected train and closing date. An asterisk (*) indicates that the station is currently staffed for all arriving and departing trains and therefore offers checked baggage service and assistance for travelers with disabilities:
Southwest Chief (5): Lamy, N.M.(July 31)*; La Junta, Colo.(June 1)*; Topeka, Kan.(May 20)*; Garden City, Kan.(May 15); and Fort Madison, Ia.(May 16)
Crescent (2): Meridian, Miss.(May 17)* and Tuscaloosa, Ala.(May 21)*
Texas Eagle (2): Texarkana, Ark.(May 15)* and Marshall, Tex. (June 29)
Empire Builder (2): Havre, Mont.(June 1)* and Shelby, Mont.(June 5)*
Cardinal (2): Cincinnati, Oh. (June 5)* and Charleston, W.Va.(June 6)*
California Zephyr (1): Ottumwa, Ia.(May 19)
City of New Orleans (1): Hammond, La.(May 15)*
Magliari tells Trains News Wire that whether passengers will be offered trainside checked baggage at any of the stations losing that service has not been determined, but that decision will happen soon.
“The different dates depend on the staffing in the area and also whether agents are moving from station to station as a result of attrition (retirements),” he says. A total of 22 jobs are being eliminated, but agents can exercise seniority rights, so people at other locations are affected.
No station is being closed, since caretakers are being hired to open waiting rooms before train time. Amtrak management has been transitioning staffing at small town stations in this manner over the last several years with the migration of payment and ticketing to www.amtrak.com. Magliari says only one in 10 reservations are booked by station agents on a nationwide basis, but the company has been hastening the process by offering discounts only on its website.
Passenger rail advocates took the news harshly. “This seems to be part of Amtrak’s new cost-savings strategy under CEO Richard Anderson to cut station staffing and on-board service to the long-distance national network”, said Peter LeCody, Rail Passengers Chair and President of Texas Rail Advocates. “In Amtrak’s last fiscal year the Texas Eagle service had the highest gain in ridership and one of the highest gains in revenue among the 15 long distance trains. Why in the world would you want to cut service to these cities when you are on the upswing? Removing the local agent means no ticketing or information service available locally, no checked bag service, and the loss of an interface with tourism to the economies of Marshall and Texarkana.
“I’d like to see how much local marketing and local outreach was done in these communities in the past year to actually attract more riders to alert them there is actually train service available”, LeCody added. “Knowing how local marketing and outreach efforts were cut in Texas it would not surprise me that the other towns and cities were also ignored. Why not try to build up ridership before you go and make cuts?”
The loss of the Charleston agent follows the loss of agents at Huntington and Prince, leaving the state with no stations with agents on the route of the Cardinal.
The job cuts come on the heels of Amtrak’s decision to eliminate freshly-prepared hot meals and the dining car staffs who prepare them on the Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited beginning June 1.
Chase Gunnoe contributed to this report.
