> and a grand time was had by all who were still awake.
Who wrote this crap? Were you on the same train I was??? My guess is you are an Amtrak Public Affairs guy trying to smooth over a poorly handled situation.
After the derailment, we sat there for four hours with interior temperatures in the mid 80's and windows that did not open. Restrooms were not funtional the last hour and since we were not permitted to leave the train, some people chose to urinate in the sinks. Yes, snacks and water were passed out, but the snacks were small and weren't very good and the water was pretty darn warm. Maybe better items were given out free in the observation car, but we were not permitted to leave our car.
Communication from Amtrak employees was an incredible disappointment. When asked what had happened, one employee said, "Don't worry about it." An hour later we discovered what really happened. When asked about our 23 Scouts getting to Philmont Scout Ranch on time, employees did not have a clue. Once we were pulled back to the nearest station, our group could not find Amtrak employees to tell us what our next option was. Eventually busses pulled up. We asked the driver if we were supposed to get on the busses and he didn't know. We got on them in hopes we were doing the right thing. Just before the busses pulled out, an Amtrak employee got on to tell us we were being bussed to Kansas City.
The five hour bus ride was frightening. My driver seemed to be going too fast and was constantly hitting the breaks as the road curved. At one point the busses lightly sideswiped concrete barriers in a construction zone. They stopped for almost half an hour to check for damage.
We arrived at the train depot in Kansas City at 5:00 am. Again Amtrak communications were poor. People started getting off the busses and grabbing their gear. Eventually, an Amtrak official told them to get back on board as we would be bussed to a hotel about a block away. They then drove us to the Westin Hotel. Yes, it was a beauiful hotel, but if you were not one of those in the front of the line then you got your hotel room in time to only take a shower, eat breakfast and then get back to the depot for the connecting train. Ample time to rest, you say? No way! The longest anyone could have slept was four hours and that would be if they skipped breakfast.
No Amtrak employee EVER apologised. Communication from them was poor. Contingency plans were either not in place or were not followed.
Based on the reactions of every fellow passenger I came in contact with I can safely say that a "grand time was had" by no one.
John
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