Mr. David Hughes
Acting President and CEO, Amtrak

Dear Mr. Hughes,

As a fellow frequent traveler on the Northeast Corridor, I have a few questions about how you might respond to certain hypothetical experiences during your trips.

1) You are running late for a train which is boarding from Gate B at Union Station. You enter the platform from the Metro entrance at Gate A, carrying your ticket out in your left hand. You are within five feet of the platform when you are stopped by two armed police. They direct you to reenter through Gate A, walk around the 200 MARC travelers waiting for their train, and come back in through Gate B. How do you reward your officers for preventing such an obvious threat to safety?

2) Onboard the train, the conductor is approaching and you know you have to sign your ticket. You know from past experience, when your ticket was stolen, that your signature is solely for the convenience and security of Amtrak. You ask the conductor, “Do you have a pen?” He replies, “Yes,” and makes no motion to give one to you. According to your training manual, should he have replied, “Yes, sir?”

3) You move from one seat to another to get out of the sunlight glare, and neglect to take your seat check. A conductor asks you for your ticket again, and you tell her that your seat check is nine inches from her right shoulder. Should she: a) move the seat check for you, or b) tell you to get it yourself? Presume for this hypothetical that you are in the window seat with a laptop in your lap, with luggage in the aisle seat, and the aisle tray table is down with your work spread out on it.

4) You are trapped in an elevator for four hours with the Pepsi-Cola delivery guy. You are thirsty. He proposes to sell you a can of soda for $1.75, which you know to be a profit markup of at least 2,088%. Do you feel warm and amiable towards him afterwards?

My one-way travel today cost $71.25. There is a bus I can take for $15. I take the train because it is a more pleasant experience. Or at least, it used to be.

Best,
Jeff Porten