United Rail Passenger Alliance

Volume 4 Number 2

1. Last week’s This Week at Amtrak brought some interesting comments this week. One, from a middle-aged wag in California noted how difficult it often is to find an Amtrak train station in any given city or town. He, and another gentleman noted that road signs appear for almost any reason these days along public right-of-way, announcing the smallest and most insignificant public park, tourist trap, or commercial venture, yet, rarely do signs appear directing the general population to the nearest Amtrak station.This problem was solved a number of years ago here in Jacksonville because URPA founder Austin Coates made it his mission to badger the Florida Department of Transportation into erecting signs along Interstate 95 and other feeder roads to the specific Jacksonville Amtrak station. In North Carolina, a state which has a high interest in passenger rail, many signs are present along I-95 directing drivers to the various stations in the state. This is true elsewhere, but not everywhere.Is this yet another worthy and inexpensive mission Amtrak has failed to spend the salary of a junior manager on to reap hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of free publicity by announcing to all drivers directions to the nearest Amtrak station? Isn’t this something that could become a motivating project for a rising young star in the Amtrak firmament; a year’s worth of effort that would produce incalculable amounts of revenue for years to come? Can someone start working on this, today?
2. Another area of consideration are official state tourism Internet sites. Every state has one, but not every state mentions Amtrak as a way or getting to or getting around the state. This is another case of “Amtrak blindness,” where travel planners and promoters have no idea Amtrak exists, or, if it does, it goes anywhere someone may want to travel. The same holds true for state department of transportation Internet sites. Lots of things about highways and interstate highways, but, often, not a word about passenger rail. At least, we could hope Amtrak becomes an afterthought, instead of no thought at all.
3. If you love to go to the movies, you know it has become common practice to screen commercials before the movies, in addition to previews. Some of this movie theater commercials, such as the famous Coca-Cola Christmas bears are great fun and have a huge impact. These commercials are generally considered institutional advertising, versus a specific type of advertising which has a call to action.A dark movie theater with a huge screen provides the most conducive atmosphere for absorbing visual images accompanied by high quality sound. Imagine what an impact a wide screen movie theater commercial for Amtrak could have on people who have never ridden a passenger train, much less seen a train. A clever marketer could find a way in a short commercial to introduce the high points of train travel such as accommodations, scenery, the ability to move around, food service, and much more. All on a huge movie screen in a slickly produced advertisement.
4. Here in Florida, tourism is big business. In fact, we rely on tourism so much that everything we do in Florida is geared to the Yankee tourists. We don’t have rain in Florida – we have liquid sunshine, so we don’t scare the tourists away.As a result of this we’ve learned a few things about reaching tourists. One of the best way to reach tourists is through the paid brochure racks at Florida Welcome Centers and in motel lobbies. These racks feature all sorts of tourist attractions, discount books, and more. The racks are found not only in Florida, but almost anywhere there are travelers. The cost of stocking these racks is cheap, and the cost of printing in huge bulk quantities is often much cheaper than reaching targeted demographics in traditional publications.If Amtrak used these racks, it’s doubtful anyone already on a trip would change their mode of travel. However, we know materials picked up from these racks are read and absorbed (and can be tracked through coupon codes and other ways) and acted upon. A brochure read today may not cause an instant reaction, but a brochure read today may cause a reservation for the next holiday trip.
5. Let’s go through an exercise together as to how Amtrak can greatly improve its financial fortunes with a relatively small cash investment.Here are some things we know: Read more…

Volume 3 Number 48

1. In years past, Amtrak in Chicago has struggled, often without success, against the cruelties of harsh winter weather. It has often appeared that like clockwork, Amtrak in Chicago has been caught totally unaware that winter was coming, and preparations should have be made for the convenience of passengers and personnel.This year, Amtrak Chicago boss Don Saunders and his many employees appear to have “gotten the drop” on Old Man Winter, as he blew in with a late fall visit to the Midwest.Here is a December 1st internal Amtrak report of the preparations made in Chicago last week in preparation for the coming pre-Winter killer snow and ice storm. Read more…