Amtrak stories

[Anonymous]

Since the thread about the mother “voluntelling” people to move for her child got locked, starting this one to share stories of etiquette or lack there of on the Amtrak regional. I’m starting a weekly commute on Amtrak this week and can’t wait for the people watching (oh and don’t want to be a jerk either!).

I’ll start with one of my own. When I was in college over 20 years ago I was on the southbound train from NYC and it was really empty until we hit Philly. I had an empty seat next to me and had put my coffee cup on the tray of that seat. I was napping until I was loudly awoken to a woman yelling into her cell phone about how a b-word was hogging a seat. I promptly moved my coffee cup but never forgot that moment. I was in the wrong but I never forgot how snooty that woman was (oh and there were other empty seats around…)

[Anonymous]

When I was in my 20’s I sat next to this married guy who was telling me all about his wife and kids. When he got off at his stop, he asked me for my number and if we could meet up when he was in my city. I told him to F off.

[Anonymous]

I live in a town with an Amtrak station. Not on the NE corridor. But my Amtrak train experience has mostly been with the DC to NYC run, which is pretty functional.

Sadly, the line near me is usually slower than driving to the same destination. So I've never used it in 20+ years of living here. My kid has used it for school field trips but it's been converted to bus transport at times due to mechanical issues.

And, twice when my parents have taken the train on long cross-country trips, people have died on the train due to natural causes. Delaying the train for hours and causing missed connections.

In principle, I'm supportive but not sure if conditions will ever be right to make it a real, reliable mode of passenger transport out my way. Commuting adults mainly use it when they need to get to Chicago and the highways might be dangerously snowy.

[Anonymous]

Post-covid people in the quiet car seem to have completely forgotten quiet car rules. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt and assume they don't realize that they are in the quiet car. But I do regularly have to remind people to keep a library-like atmosphere and stop talking on their phones.

[Anonymous]

I don't have any stories yet. In practice, people aren't nearly as awful as they claim to be on Dcum. If they see you looking at a seat, preparing to sit down, they'll move their stuff out of the way. If you have a kid, they'll offer to move.

But I'm thrilled that there are so many people that would be happy to sit to my 7-year-old. He doesn't know the concept of strangers, and will treat you like his best friend. He also loves laptops, and knows how much you'll like his favorite videos on youtube.

Just remember, if a parent is happy to sit apart from their child, there might be a good reason for that...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I don't have any stories yet. In practice, people aren't nearly as awful as they claim to be on Dcum. If they see you looking at a seat, preparing to sit down, they'll move their stuff out of the way. If you have a kid, they'll offer to move.

But I'm thrilled that there are so many people that would be happy to sit to my 7-year-old. He doesn't know the concept of strangers, and will treat you like his best friend. He also loves laptops, and knows how much you'll like his favorite videos on youtube.

Just remember, if a parent is happy to sit apart from their child, there might be a good reason for that...

Can you please not bring your freaking drama to this thread? It’ll get shut down, too.

[Anonymous]

I took the northeast corridor a time or two 30 years ago. I remember it being dead of night, North past NYC, full train, everyone asleep, pretty full train.

A woman got on and yelled up and down the aisles "wake up. me and my baby need a place to sit." Over and over. I was already sitting next to some stranger but I'm sure she was trying to shame the people who had fallen asleep over two seats. Good on her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I don't have any stories yet. In practice, people aren't nearly as awful as they claim to be on Dcum. If they see you looking at a seat, preparing to sit down, they'll move their stuff out of the way. If you have a kid, they'll offer to move.

But I'm thrilled that there are so many people that would be happy to sit to my 7-year-old. He doesn't know the concept of strangers, and will treat you like his best friend. He also loves laptops, and knows how much you'll like his favorite videos on youtube.

Just remember, if a parent is happy to sit apart from their child, there might be a good reason for that...

There’s no difference sitting across the aisle vs sitting in a row. Control your kid and don’t feel so entitled that you can make people move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I don't have any stories yet. In practice, people aren't nearly as awful as they claim to be on Dcum. If they see you looking at a seat, preparing to sit down, they'll move their stuff out of the way. If you have a kid, they'll offer to move.

But I'm thrilled that there are so many people that would be happy to sit to my 7-year-old. He doesn't know the concept of strangers, and will treat you like his best friend. He also loves laptops, and knows how much you'll like his favorite videos on youtube.

Just remember, if a parent is happy to sit apart from their child, there might be a good reason for that...

There’s no difference sitting across the aisle vs sitting in a row. Control your kid and don’t feel so entitled that you can make people move.

Nobody but the operators can force you to move. So if you don't want to move to a different seat so a parent can sit with their young child, just say no. No is a full sentence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I don't have any stories yet. In practice, people aren't nearly as awful as they claim to be on Dcum. If they see you looking at a seat, preparing to sit down, they'll move their stuff out of the way. If you have a kid, they'll offer to move.

But I'm thrilled that there are so many people that would be happy to sit to my 7-year-old. He doesn't know the concept of strangers, and will treat you like his best friend. He also loves laptops, and knows how much you'll like his favorite videos on youtube.

Just remember, if a parent is happy to sit apart from their child, there might be a good reason for that...

There’s no difference sitting across the aisle vs sitting in a row. Control your kid and don’t feel so entitled that you can make people move.

Nobody but the operators can force you to move. So if you don't want to move to a different seat so a parent can sit with their young child, just say no. No is a full sentence.

Okay, no. I’m not moving. I purposely sit in the window to have access to the plugs.

Now back on topic.

[Anonymous]

The only time I've had any kind of drama on a train wasn't in the US. A conductor made me hold my four year old in my lap on a train in Germany, even though I'd paid for a reserved seat for both of us (even had our names on the little digital display above the seats).

Amtrak has been much easier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only time I've had any kind of drama on a train wasn't in the US. A conductor made me hold my four year old in my lap on a train in Germany, even though I'd paid for a reserved seat for both of us (even had our names on the little digital display above the seats).

Amtrak has been much easier.

That’s really annoying. The Germans are usually so ridged. Why did they make your child move?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only time I've had any kind of drama on a train wasn't in the US. A conductor made me hold my four year old in my lap on a train in Germany, even though I'd paid for a reserved seat for both of us (even had our names on the little digital display above the seats).

Amtrak has been much easier.

That’s really annoying. The Germans are usually so ridged. Why did they make your child move?

Train was completely packed and they were trying to squeeze more people on. It was a long train ride.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only time I've had any kind of drama on a train wasn't in the US. A conductor made me hold my four year old in my lap on a train in Germany, even though I'd paid for a reserved seat for both of us (even had our names on the little digital display above the seats).

Amtrak has been much easier.

That’s really annoying. The Germans are usually so ridged. Why did they make your child move?

Train was completely packed and they were trying to squeeze more people on. It was a long train ride.

I’ve been on oversold Amtraks. It used to be you could just get on an unreserved train but they did away with that a while ago…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I don't have any stories yet. In practice, people aren't nearly as awful as they claim to be on Dcum. If they see you looking at a seat, preparing to sit down, they'll move their stuff out of the way. If you have a kid, they'll offer to move.

But I'm thrilled that there are so many people that would be happy to sit to my 7-year-old. He doesn't know the concept of strangers, and will treat you like his best friend. He also loves laptops, and knows how much you'll like his favorite videos on youtube.

Just remember, if a parent is happy to sit apart from their child, there might be a good reason for that...

There’s no difference sitting across the aisle vs sitting in a row. Control your kid and don’t feel so entitled that you can make people move.

I don't know why you keep thinking I want people to move. I'm not the OP from the other thread. I would be more than happy to sit apart from my child.

Perhaps the seat across the aisle from you is open, perhaps not. Even if it is, and even if I sit there, I'm not always going to notice what they're doing.

Maybe you're one of the posters that said they like kids, and you'll enjoy hearing about trains, animals, and everything that appears outside the window.

And if you don't, well, as your own attitude demonstrates, you're not entitled to sit next to a courteous passenger. Some will be chatty. Some invade your space, either because they're morbidly obese or because their elbows keep jabbing you as they attempt to work on a laptop.