Amtra~

A Newsleller for Employees

VOLUME 2-ISSUE 13 SEPTEMBER 15, 1973 amtrak revolutionizes ticketing, reservations

Railroad p ass enger ticketing the modern way. Here at Amtrak's computerized reservation and ticketing center at Bensalem, Pa ., ticketing and reservations have tak en on space-age speed for rail passengers in the Northeast.

A new breed of reservation agent-modern, effici ent, Today, ARTS covers the Northeast from Canada to courteous and equipped with the most advanced com­ Virginia, with the ARTS Center located at Bensalem, puter tools-has gone to work for the nation's rail pas­ Pa . The Southeast and West Coast Centers will go into sengers to make buying a ticket as simple and operation in November of this year and the Middle quick as dialing a telephone. West Center follows in February of next year. Five cen­ Working in carpeted, air-conditioned buildings with ters-Bensalem, Los Angeles, Chicago, soft music piped in, these new agents are bringing ex­ and Jacksonville-will make up the nation-wide reserva­ peditious order to an archaic railroad information and tion system . ticketing system which was, perhaps, Amtrak's most ARTS is a unique system designed by Amtrak solely serious problem in modernizing the nation's rail pas­ to serve the railroad passenger. While other transporta­ senger system. These agents are the vital part of Am­ tion companies have developed modern reservation trak's ARTS program-ARTS meaning Amtrak Reserva­ techniques, no system existed that could serve Amtrak's tion and Ticketing System . With their computer readout more complicated requirements. Amtrak's multiplicity consoles and their speed-of-light communications sys­ of stops, fares, and accommodations required a totally tem, ARTS agents can tell a traveler what space is avail­ new system if Amtrak passengers were to be served able on any Amtrak train and have his bedroom or efficiently and quickly. roomette or reserved seat booked in his name almost " And in ARTS, Amtrak has just such a system," says in the time it would take him to dial the weather fore­ Robert J. Dooley, Director of Data Processing. " With cast. ARTS, one call does it all for our passengers." (Continued on Pa ge 2) (Continued from Page 1) to be switched from a heavy workload area to another Bensalem-which Amtrak calls the Northeast Cen­ center which is less busy. tralized Reservations Center-went into operation on ARTS represents an initial $7-million investment for April 15, right on schedule. Almost immediately, salu­ Amtrak and is revolutionizing reservations procedures. brious effects were noted. The first day of operations But it isn't the hardware making up the system that the agents at the new center handled 3,000 telephone Mr. Dooley finds most impressive. calls and lost not a single caller. Each phone call was " Certainly it is good equipment," Mr. Dooley said. answered within an average of six seconds-a far cry "It's the best that the state of the art can provide. But from the old days when a determined caller might have it doesn't operate itself. It's the people that make it to hang on to a ringing phone for five minutes or more work that Mr. Lewis (Roger Lewis, President of Amtrak) before someone picked it up. and I are proud of. They are bright, dedicated, properly With its 275 employees, Bensalem today is handling trained and equipped with the best tools we could buy 14,000 calls a day. The Center's percentage of calls for them. They know the importance of talking courte­ handled never falls below 95 per cent and frequently ously, pleasa ntly and knowledgeably about our services." hovers at the 99 to 100 per cent mark. And Mr. Dooley sums it all up: "If you don' t have ARTS is the result of work on the part of hundreds people like this working for you, the most sophisticated of people, but the four key Amtrak employees who equipment in the world isn't going to help you." designed the system are Mr. Dooley; Robert Bell, Man­ ager-Computer Technology; Thomas W. Kennedy, Man­ ager of the Bensalem Center, and Donald E. Ulrich, Project Manager for the Northeast Region. And consider­ ing the outmoded systems they had to work with, they did it in remarkably short time. " What we replaced," Mr. Dooley said, " were 13 individual antiquated sys­ tems which had been designed ba ck in the 1930s . The only modern system we could build on was the Tic­ ketron system which the Department of Transportation put in for the Metroliners. I don' t think it is unreason­ able to say that we had to start from scratch." Th e "heart" of ARTS is two giant computers located in the basement of Amtrak headquarters. When a pas­ senger makes a toll-free telephone call to inquire about reservations, his call is answered by one of the agents at one of the five centers. While the caller waits, the agent types the request into a visual displaywhich looks considerably like a television screen. This information is transmitted via high-speed telephone lines to the computers. With almost unbelievable speed, the com­ puters scan their millions of memory cells, find the right one, and send the information back to the agen t where it appears on the agent's screen-all in the time With her co mputerized information system, reservations agent Lydia it takes the caller to draw a few breaths. The computer Hunter can quickly tell a passenger what space is available on any can make the reservation if that is what the passenger train in the Amtrak system and complete the passenger's ticketing. wishes, or if he requires information only, the computer feeds back information on all for a particular destination on a particular date including the necessary r ______HAVEYOU MOVED????? ______fare information. If a reservation is made, the computer can automatically send an advisory report to the sta­ I Please let us know so that you can continue to re­ tion where the ticket will be picked up. I ceive UPDATE. The Bensalem Center is equipped with a sophisticated I Name ______monitoring system. A flashing digital box reads out Old Add ress ______exactly what is going on at the center at all times. It I shows how many agents are on duty, how many in­ I City ______State _____ Zip ___ coming calls are waiting, how long the oldest call has I New Address ______been waiting, how many agents are in conversation I City ______State ____ Zip ___ with customers, how many customers are on hold while the agents seek additional information from another I Amtrak Employee? ______source by phone, and how many agents are making I Railroad Employee? ______call backs or working on follow up duties. I Similar equipment is to be placed at all five reserva­ I Railroad? ______tion bureaus with a centralized monitor at Amtrak I Mail to: Amtrak Public Relations headquarters in Washington, D.C. This will enable calls I 955 L' Enfan t Plaza North, S. W. I Washington, D.C. 200024 Amtrak passengers in the Northeas t now are making reservations through A mtrak's com­ p uterized reserva tio ns and ticketing center at Bensalem, Pa . Shown above is a group of reserva tion agent trainees receiving indoctrination in the center's comp uterized com­ munica tio ns sys tem . At righ t are three Amtrak employees who pla yed major roles in the d esig n of th e sys tem. Shown left to right are: Robert Bell, Manager-Computer Technology; Robert}. Dooley, Director of Data Processing, and Thomas W. Kennedy, Manager of th e Bensalem Center. A t b o ttom, Amtrak reservation agents book passengers on A mtrak trains. Th eir light-weight h ea dse ts are th e lates t word in telephones.

/ amtrak dedicates new station at springfield, mass.

Amtrak dedicated its newest passenger railroad sta­ Company, Inc., of Springfield was the general con­ tion renovation project at Springfield, Mass., early this tractor. month and demonstrated a solution to a too-common Amtrak operates 10 daily passenger trains through urban problem. Springfield including the popular Washington/ Mont­ The new station replaces an old building which was real service initiated last fall. Amtrak considers the city considered among the most modern of its time when an important link in the corporation's New England it was built in the 1920s but which had, over the years, operation. deteriorated to the point that passengers were some­ Amtrak employs four persons at theSpringfieldstation times hesitant to enter. At the same time, the costs to including lead ticket agent, James McNulty, who is in Amtrak of replacing existing platforms and train service charge of the Springfield operation. facilities elsewhere would have been prohibitive. The station is staffed 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week with tickets available for the entire Amtrak sys­ The solution was a station-within-a-station. Located in tem. the northwest corner of the old station complex, the Springfield area residents may use Amtrak's new com­ new facility provides passengers with a modern, well­ puterized reservation system by calling the toll-free lighted ticketing, baggage and waiting area and easy number (800) 523-5720 . access to the passenger tracks without ever requiring The station is located in downtown Springfield at 66 them to enter the old station. Lyman Street and metered parking is available near the Renovated at a cost of over $320,000, the facility station. Bus connections can be made at the bus station measures 90 by 36 feet and has a seating capaci ty for located one b lock from the Amtrak facil ity. 25 persons. P.Y .K. Chen w as the architect. He used red­ The Springfield sta tion is the second new station to be white-and-blue Amtrak colors for a main stairway lead­ co nstructed by Am trak. The first bega n se rving Cincin­ ing to trackside and shades of orange and gold for the nati last fall. Construction is now under way on a new waiting room and ticket office. The floors are terrazzo station in Jacksonville, Florida, and a new facility is and the vinyl wall covering gives a contemporary look. pla nned for Richmond, Virginia . Remodel ing projects An eye-catching feature is an octagonal reflecting light of varying degrees have been completed on scores of fi xture over the passenger waiting area. C. J. Driscoll other stations throughout the country.

Amtrak's new passenger station at Springfield, Ma ss. (s hown here is th e interior) replaces an old, deteriorated structure which has b ecome a community eyeso re. house approves $107.3 million for amtrak in fiscal 1974 By a 357 to 37 margin, the United States House of Representatives has approved an appropriation of $107.3 million for Amtrak in fiscal year 1974, which ends next June 30, to continue rail passen­ ger service. The measure also calls for increasing Amtrak's Federal loan guarantee authority from $200 million to $250 million. The House bill now goes to a conference com­ mittee of the House of United States Senate, which previously authorized an appropriation of $185 million for Amtrak. The committee will reach agreement on the differences in the two bills. only champagne was worthy of pioneers They were a special group of employees and their three month anniversary with Amtrak deserved a special celebration. And so a champagne reception was held recen tly in th e Sh owcase Restaurant, L'E nfant Plaza, Wash ington, D.C. for the original crew of the Mont­ real er/ Washingtonian, am o ng the first on-board service employees hi red by Am trak. Ea rle Adamson, System Manager-Administration and Tra ining, toasted th e forty-four crew members who re­ ceived white Amtrak three-months-in-service pins. Don Ensz, Director Services, Nea l D. Owen, System Manager­ Passenger Services, and the crews' direct supervisor, Jim Hart, on-Board Crews, Washington, D.C. were among those Amtrak officials who attended this "thank you" to the Montrealer crew. Besides being one of the fi rst Amtrak-hired crews, the Montreal er service employees were a very successfu I test case for a new concept in on-board service responsibil­ ities. Under this new system, employees were hired as Service Attendants and trained to function in all service Peter Ma zeo-Plants come first but trains are running a close second. areas of the train on a rotational basis (sleeping car, coach, diner and pub car). A second service category, Food Specialists, work botanist tops 100,000 solely on food preparation. Finally, a Service Director is assigned to each train with supervisory responsibility train miles for all on-board services. He directs the other service Peter Mazeo marked two major milestones in his rail­ employees; sees that food specifications are carried out; road riding career in August-over 100,000 miles on oversees on-board revenue accounting functions, and trains and over 50,000 miles on the Amtrak system. handles unusual passenger problems when they occur. The National Arboretum botanist boarded the Broad­ As one of the first groups of employees under this way Limited in Washington August 9 for a 14,000 mile new system, the Montrealer crew received extensive train trip which took him to Vancouver, British Colum­ training from Amtrak's Manpower Development Center bia, via Amtrak and then on to Fairbanks, Alaska via and James Sides, a former Santa Fe employee with the Alaska n Ra i Iw ays . thi rty years of experience in all phases of on-board Mazeo took his first train trip in 1952 from Albany, services. N.Y. to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and he's been riding The training and enthusiasm of this young group of the rails ever since. men and women (average age for Service Attendants When he finished the Alaska trip, Mazeo had covered is 28) seems to have paid dividends for both Amtrak all Amtrak route segments except Houston-Los Angeles and the traveling public. According to Bob Gorman, and Ft. Worth-Laredo. Chief-Food and Beverage Operations, "we receive more An active member of the Division of Rail­ compliments on the service and crewoftheMontrealer/ road Enthusiasts, Mazeo says his first love is plants, but Washingtonian than on any other train in the Amtrak trains are running a close second. system." french train makes a splash by not splashing

Amtrak's new French turbine-powered train gives a smooth, smooth ride in comfort and in style.

Wh en the first of Amtrak's two new French-bui lt tur­ Crowds were particularly large and curious at such tra­ bine trains traveled to Chicago from the port of Eliza­ ditional railroad towns as Altoona, Pa ., and Crestline, beth, N.J ., recently, a reporter on board placed an O hio. almost-full cup of water on the floor next to his sea t. Cu riosity about the new trains by rail buffs stems Two days later, when the red, white and blue turbo from the belief of many that the 1970s may be the pulled into its maintenance and testing facility, the cup decade of the turbine train. In railroading, first it was was still full of water. And the newsman's simple exp eri­ steam. Then diesel and electric power dominated the ment had attracted the attention of rail equipment en­ rails over most of the world. Now, many enthusiasts gineers from France, England and the United States. believe, the future-at least for high-speed, medium­ " It tells me as much about ride quality as $80,000 distance ra il travel-is turbine power. worth of test equipment," said one expert. It also con­ Here in the U.S. two turbine trains, built by United firmed what most of the riders aboard that first opera­ Aircraft, have been operating between and New tion run already had concluded: Amtrak's new French York for four years. The Canadians, too, have been lovelies are as smooth in performance as in appearance. experimenting with the United Aircraft trains. The French National Railways began turbine train tests before debut this fall research in 1965 and have been operating Europe's first scheduled service since 1970, between Paris and The two trains leased from ANF-Frangeco, the French Cherbou rg . They h ave clocked over 5 mill ion passenger builders, are now undergoing an intensive series of tests miles on their turbos, averaging over 99 per cent re­ here before they are placed in scheduled operation in liability. Ridership is up more than 25 per cent on the Milwaukee-Chicago-St. Louiscorridorthisautumn. runs where the turbos are in use. Amtrak' s contract provides an option to buytheseand a The Turbos which will go into Amtrak service are a further eight of the five-car, 296-passenger trains. second generation. The first had a turbine engine (de­ The French-built RTGs (an abbreviation for "Rame a veloped for use in a French army helicopter) in one Turbine a Gaz") are capable of speeds up to 125 mph. end and a diesel in the other. The current model has but probably will be held to no more than 90 on U.S. two 1, 140-hp. Turbomeca aircraft-type gas turbines, schedules until a familiarization period is over and plus two smaller turbines which provide power for on­ track improvements can be made. Even so, the trains train needs like airconditioning and automatic doors. are exp ec ted to shrink schedules and add a new sparkle A third generation turbo is undergoing tests. to Am trak' s mid-western ru ns . The French say a third generation test model has During the initial run here, over the route of the achieved 197 mph. and will do 160 mph. in commer­ , speeds were held to 50 mph. At each cial service. The British also are experimenting with stop rail fains gathered to admire and take pictures. turbinetrains and have developed a prototype. Amtrak amtrak withdraws discontinuance profiles plans for two losing trains Amtrak, with the concurrence of the Department of Jim Balkowitsch and Diane Mauze, Amtrak Reserva­ Transportation, has advised the Interstate Commerce tion Agents in Seattle, work on a reservation system Commission it would withdraw its notices to discon­ which will soon be a thing of the past-the decades-old tinue two of its long-distance trains - the National reservation turret. Limited, between New York and Kansas City, and the They will be trained to operate its replacement­ , between Chicago and Florida. Amtrak' s Advanced Reservation and Ticketing System The Corporation said final tallies of May, June and (ARTS)-a computerized system which will be operable July ridership figures showed substantial increases over nationwide in 1974. forecasts made at the time of the decision to file for Diane, a Seattle native, discontinuance of the two trains. is following a family tradi­ tion of working for the " While the losses continue to be substantial on both railroad. Her mother routes, especially the National Limited, the Corporation works for Burlington felt that withdrawal of the applications was prudent Northern and several un­ pending further analysis of ridership trends and investi­ cles have also been em­ gation of alternate service patterns," an Amtrak spokes­ ployed by railroads. man said. Diane has been work­ In the case of the National Limited, Amtrak would ing for Amtrak just over a identify the more promising segments of the route for year and she was one of the purposeof i nitiati ng al ternative experimental service. the first reservation agents Amtrak noted that traffic throughout the system was to join Amtrak.ln addition up substan tially in the sam e three month p eriod on a Diane Mauze to an swering calls for fa re nu mber of its long- haul routes. O ne reaso n attributed and sch edule information, Diane is responsible for to the upsurge was the widespread concern over the releasing unsold space on the six daily trains that op­ energy crisis which began to have an impact in May. erate throu gh Sea ttl e. The Floridian serves such cities as Chicago, Louisville, Nashville, Birmingham, M ontgomery, St. Petersburg and Starti ng her day at the early hour of 6 a.m., Diane Miami. The National Limited serves New York City, esp ecia lly enjoys working with the public. She feels Washington, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Indian­ Amtrak is a great way to see the country and she finds most callers enthusiastic about Amtrak-especially t he apol is, St. Louis, Kansas City an d 22 other cities. Amtrak had also f il ed a petition with the Interstate refurbished /Daylight which operates Commerce Commission to discontinue service on the between Seattle and Los Angeles. route between Newport News, Virginia, and Richmond, Jim Balkowitsch, who will soon mark his first anni­ Virginia. It decided not to withdraw this petition. versary as an Amtrak employee, quotes fares, schedul­ ing and routing information to persons calling for in­ formation on Amtrak' s trains. He also doubles as a ticket ag ent occasionally when King Street station is really busy. Jim likes all forms of travel and believes 90% amtrak appoints foreign agents of the fun is how you get Appointment of Thos. Cook & Son Ltd. as general there. " Train service is sales agents for the United Kingdom and of the Japan here to stay," he says. Travel Bureau for Japan was announced today by Am­ " The public is not about trak. to let passenger service The agreement with Japan' s largest travel salesorgani­ die." Jim finds a great zation was signed by Kanji Hirota, general manager of deal of curiosity in the JTB ' s overseas travel department, in Tokyo and by calls he answers and he Harold L. Graham, Amtrak' s vice president-marketing, finds people are enthusi­ in Washington. astic about Amtrak. His The contract with Thos. Cook & Son was signed in job is fascinating sinceev- London by Mr. Graham and John Shepherd, chief gen­ Jim 8a lkowitsch erytime he answers a call eral manager of Cook' s. it is someone new asking something different. Under terms of the agreements both agencies will After working in a restaurant on the Oregon/ Wash­ maintain Amtrak ticket stock and will be able to make ington border, Jim attended travel agency school. He reservations through their own sales offices and for then decided he wanted to work for Amtrak telling other travel agents in both countries. Both plan exten­ people what train travel has to offer. Rather than lose sive promotional and advertising campaigns of Amtrak's a customer, he sometimes suggests a potential passen­ services and will develop special tours combining in­ ger take the train one way ifthereisn't time to go both expensive air charters to the U.S.A . with travel on ways by ra i I. Amtrak' s nation-wide system. EMPIRE NORTH COAST SAN FRANCISCO BUILDER HI~ rl. HA ZEPHYR

What is the mail advantage of able soon for the Montrealerl traveling by train? Many people Washingtonian, , would agree with the Harris Poll Coast Starlight, and Amtrak's finding that it is the view from Florida Fleet. the train, the unique opportunity Besides a commentary on each a train trip offers to see the coun­ Amtrak stop along the route and tryside. And now Amtrak's Ad­ information on intermediate vertising Department has come points of interest, individual route up with a colorful way forpassen­ brochures offer four-color photo­ gers to make the most of this graphs of important landmarks advantage - a pocket size guide and views of the train's interior. to the geography, history and tou r­ Their most practical and advan­ ist attractions along a train's tageous feature is a fold-out map route. produced by Rand McNally which "Route brochures" have been traces the train's route, major and written and distributed on seven minor highways, and motor coach Amtrak trains: the Broadway connections and indicates Na­ Limited; Merchants Limited; Pan­ tional Parks and Monuments. ama Limited; San Francisco With the help of route bro­ Zephyr; Super Chief; North Coast chures, passengers won' t miss the Hiawatha, and . countless bits of scenic folklore Similar brochures will be avail- visibl e from our Am trak trai ns.