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Re: Big Brouhaha Over Unaccompanied Minors Being Removed From Train
Author: jdb
Date: 04-12-2012 - 17:27
OldPoleBurner wrote:
"After reviewing Amtrak's website, it appears to me that no matter what negligence the parents may or may not have displayed (and that's quite debatable); that the Amtrak conductor not only violated his/her own company’s “UM” policy, by putting her off the train at other than a staffed station; but he also violated the most basic of all common sense. His/her actions are inexcusable."
She was put off the the train at Centralia, a manned station.
"Moreover, tickets for unaccompanied minors must be purchased directly from a ticket agent in person, according to the website. So then, an employee of Amtrak, acting as agent for Amtrak, accepted her as a UM and sold a ticket for her. That was the only proper point of decision by Amtrak."
Olympia/Lacey is an unmanned station. For the tickets to be purchased face to face they would have had to have been purchased at Tacoma or Centralia. Olympia/Lacey has a QuickTrac machine. The tickets could have been purchased "on-line" if the purchaser had entered "3" in the adult section. If "2" had been entered for 16 and older and "1" for 15 the screen would have imediately told you that one person needed to be 18. Proceeding from that point you have accepted the fact that at least one person is 18. The tickets could have then been picked up at the QuickTrak in Olympia/Lacy.
"Then, once the conductor accepted the ticket as valid, boarded her, and got underway; it’s a done deal."
The train stops at Olympia/Lacey, doors are opened, it is a "cattle call" deboarding and boarding. Once the train is in motion the tickets are checked.
"Worse yet, apparently having second thoughts, the conductor then puts her off the train in the middle of nowhere (in breach of Amtrak’s own policies)."
Centralia is a manned station. Only the 15 year old was to get off but the two 16 year olds stayed with her.
"Amtrak policy forbids UM travel between unstaffed locations for good reason;"
Correct. Who ever had custody could have taken her to Tacoma - a manned station, filled out the paperwork, and she could have travelled. IF, IF, IF there was to be an adult to pick her up at Portland and sign the paperwork.
I have observed the above on many trips on the Cascades. That conductor had worked north in the morning on #500 and was working back to Portland on #507. THE FOLLOWING IS A GUESS!!! I'm guessing that she had lifted at least 400 tickets by that time of day. I watch conductors eyes and they don't see me when they take the ticket and I'm guessing that she didn't see the three girls until she saw something that wasn't complete with the ticket. That something was probably an unsigned ticket. Now she is looking at the girls and questioning them.
jb
"After reviewing Amtrak's website, it appears to me that no matter what negligence the parents may or may not have displayed (and that's quite debatable); that the Amtrak conductor not only violated his/her own company’s “UM” policy, by putting her off the train at other than a staffed station; but he also violated the most basic of all common sense. His/her actions are inexcusable."
She was put off the the train at Centralia, a manned station.
"Moreover, tickets for unaccompanied minors must be purchased directly from a ticket agent in person, according to the website. So then, an employee of Amtrak, acting as agent for Amtrak, accepted her as a UM and sold a ticket for her. That was the only proper point of decision by Amtrak."
Olympia/Lacey is an unmanned station. For the tickets to be purchased face to face they would have had to have been purchased at Tacoma or Centralia. Olympia/Lacey has a QuickTrac machine. The tickets could have been purchased "on-line" if the purchaser had entered "3" in the adult section. If "2" had been entered for 16 and older and "1" for 15 the screen would have imediately told you that one person needed to be 18. Proceeding from that point you have accepted the fact that at least one person is 18. The tickets could have then been picked up at the QuickTrak in Olympia/Lacy.
"Then, once the conductor accepted the ticket as valid, boarded her, and got underway; it’s a done deal."
The train stops at Olympia/Lacey, doors are opened, it is a "cattle call" deboarding and boarding. Once the train is in motion the tickets are checked.
"Worse yet, apparently having second thoughts, the conductor then puts her off the train in the middle of nowhere (in breach of Amtrak’s own policies)."
Centralia is a manned station. Only the 15 year old was to get off but the two 16 year olds stayed with her.
"Amtrak policy forbids UM travel between unstaffed locations for good reason;"
Correct. Who ever had custody could have taken her to Tacoma - a manned station, filled out the paperwork, and she could have travelled. IF, IF, IF there was to be an adult to pick her up at Portland and sign the paperwork.
I have observed the above on many trips on the Cascades. That conductor had worked north in the morning on #500 and was working back to Portland on #507. THE FOLLOWING IS A GUESS!!! I'm guessing that she had lifted at least 400 tickets by that time of day. I watch conductors eyes and they don't see me when they take the ticket and I'm guessing that she didn't see the three girls until she saw something that wasn't complete with the ticket. That something was probably an unsigned ticket. Now she is looking at the girls and questioning them.
jb
