, I / Volume 1 No.4 June 1, 1974 Final 3 Nominees Added to Board President Nixon has announced the final nominations of three persons to the Amtrak Board of Directors. They are: Donald P. Jacobs, Evanston, Ill., Chairman of the Finance Department, Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University, for a term of three years. Gerald D. Morgan, Burkittsville, Md., partner in the law firm of Hamel, Park, McGabe and Saunders, Wash­ ington, D.C., for a term of four years. Mr. Morgan previously served Amtrak as Vice President - Government Affairs. Robert Galbraith Dunlop, Bryn Mawr, Pa., Chairman of the Board, Sun Oil Co., Philadelphia, also for a term of four years. The Board consists of 17 members as follows: The Secretary of Transporta­ Boats & Trains!!! tion, ex officio; nine members nomi­ Harold L. Graham, Amtrak's Vice-President of Marketing [left], and Ron C. Lord, General Manager of The Pacific Cruise Conference, TPCC, signed an interline passenger traffic agreement May 6. Now nated by the President, three of which TPCC and Amtrak, directly or through agents, can issue tickets or exchange orders on each order; and are designated "consumer representa­ can cooperate in promoting connecting rail tours and ocean cruises. Graham and Lord said the tives" (see Amtrak News, May 1, p. 5); agreement is a prelude to announcement of numerous sea-rail ''packages'', utilizing more than a dozen ships of the West Coast cruise conference's five regular-member lines, in conjunction with various three elected annually by the common Amtrak routes nationwide. stoc~kholders (railroads); and four elected annually by the preferred stockholders. Sales Trainees Meet Executives The number of positions on the "Young People in a Young Com­ been on a steady decline since 1945 but Board total 17, but, since Amtrak has pany" was the theme of Amtrak's chief Amtrak has reversed that trend." not issued preferred stock, four seats executive, Roger Lewis's opening re­ The Amtrak Marketing Trainee are vacant. This means that the actual marks to the current Amtrak Marketing Program, developed by Roger Brown, Board consists of 13 persons. Trainee Class. The six trainees, Neal Director of Sales, is designed to AMTRAK NEWS Ball, Cathie Cook, Alice Fujioka, attract, develop and retain highly Michael Harrison, Tim Salvesen and Art motivated individuals with executive Amtrak News is published twice a Street, were told that Amtrak is a new management potential by providing a month for Amtrak employees and business in an old industry in which basic insight into Amtrak's functional employees of participating railroads young ideas and innovative thinking are areas. who are engaged in passenger mandatory to meet public transporta­ On-the-job training is given in all service. It is published by: tion needs in the '70's and beyond. phases of Sales and Service, supple­ "I think you are smart to have mented by familiarization and orienta­ considered Amtrak because it is a good tion in Fares and Tariffs, Accountin'g, National Railroad Passenger Corp. policy to get into a business that is Personnel, Government Affairs, Public Public Relations Dept. growing and will succeed," said Lewis. Relations, Legal Activities, Labor Rela- 955 L'Enfant Plaza North, S. W. "There's no doubt in my mind about Washington, D.C. 20024 that. Railroad passenger service has Continued page 2 col. I TRAINEES - continued from page 1 Market Research Sets Modern Pace tions, Design, Procurement and Opera­ ber 1972, passengers riding the Zephyr tions. For the first time in the history of between Chicago and San Francisco Primary emphasis is placed upon railroading, marketing data relating were counted by the Burlington Nor­ group and tour sales, use of travel exclusively to passenger traffic are thern as Chicago-Denver travelers agents, ticketing, reservations and being gathered on a national level. because the responsibility for the train's control, government and military sales, According to Peter M. Montague, operation by the Burlington Northern mail sales, package express, program manager - Market Research, suf­ ended at Denver. This type system was development, promotion and adver­ fici~nt1y detailed information is now not very useful in doing analytical work tising, commissary and station ser­ available on passenger travel patterns involving traffic patterns, etc. With the vices, on-board services and related to enable the Corporation to make matrix reports, however, Amtrak passenger support programs. Each decisions based on hard data. receives a true count of where every trainee completing the program will be The sources of this information are passenger actually boarded and left the fully prepared to embark upon a matrix forms and data tags used by the train. meaningful career in sales, services or conductors to record passengers origins Once the computer tabulates these related Amtrak elements. and destinations. Every time a conduc­ data, monthly reports are issued. An Joe O. Bellino and Alex Langston of tor completes a matrix form or collects analysis of ridership on a route-by­ Government and Military Sales, train­ data tags (used in Northeast Corridor), route basis is then possible with ing counselors for the current class, he is supplying the input into the particular attention shown to changes said the trainees have commented most ridership system. Every matrix report in ridership from previous time periods. favorably on the benefit they have received by Market Research is key­ The information helps Amtrak man­ derived from having the opportunity to punched in preparation for computeri­ agement to decide what consists are listen to the philosophy of the top zation. The data tags are read required on trains at different times of people in Amtrak at the start of their automatically by a high-speed scanning the year; how many personnel are training. machine which feeds the information needed to man the trains during directly into a computer. different travel seasons; and how many "The conductors are the key people people are on a particular train during Amtrak Appoints making this program a success," said meal periods so that trains may be Montague. "They have gone so far to properly stocked. - -------eeepet'frte-with-Hlis--pr6gram-that- notes- A~am ple-of how the system Fred Siepert as Director of Person- are written on matrix reports about benefits the company and the traveling nel. Prior to Amtrak, Siepert was unusual circumstances. Conductors public occurred over the Easter period. Corporate Manager of Recruitment have reported overcrowded conditions " What we did was to examine and Training for McGraw-Hill Corp. which make it impossible to properly ridership figures for Friday through He also has held Personnel Management fill in the matrix. Once we're aware of Monday of the 1973 Easter weekend to positions with the Sun Oil Co. and Curtis this fact, other steps can be taken at determine peak travel demands. We Publishing Co. Amtrak headquarters to collect data pinpointed trains and times when we Frank Abate as Manager of Cars. missing from the matrix. We really could expect our largest crowds. Then, Abate comes to Amtrak from the Penn appreciate all they've done to make the Service and Operations Depart­ Central Railroad where he was Region- this program a success." ments made crew manning provision­ al Mechanical Supervisor. He also has The ridership program is a joint ing and consist preparations. In this served as Penn Central's Mechanical responsibility of Amtrak and the U.S. way, particularly in the Northeast Supervisor of the Philadelphia Com- Department of Transportation (DOT). Corridor, we were able to eliminate muter Area and formerly was affiliated Amtrak provides the materials that most standee problems," Montague with the New York Central Railroad. conductors use to record ridership and said. computer programming skills. The J.F. Roseman as Manager of Self- The reports are used by Market computers are DOT-operated. The Propelled Equipment. Roseman served Research and Market Development as Vice-President of Southern Iron & DOT has been tabulating data on staffs to undertake long-range revenue the Boston-New York-Washington line Equipment Co. before coming to estimates of routes presently operated Amtrak. Prior to that he was Penn using Data Tags since 1966. or proposed. For example, based on A factor which motivates Market ridership data available, the Market Central's Superintendent of Equip- Research in the collection of data is ment, Eastern Region. Research department was able to that little good research material from recommend that the Coast Starlight! Harold Nelson as Senior Labor the period prior to Amtrak is available. Daylight and San Francisco Zep. yr be Relations Officer. An employee of the Railroad data that did exist was used made daily instead of tri-weekly. The Kansas City Southern & Louisianna & primarily in accounting for revenues and trains operated daily during a trial Arkansas Lines, Nelson served as arriving at interline settlements with period, and the ridership levels proved General Chairman of United Trans­ other railroads. For example, in that the department's ridership fore- portation Union. pre-Amtrak days and through Decem- Continued page 4 col. 1 2 editorial comment: Despite Criticism Amtrak's Success Grows In Amtrak's three short years, we have reached some of our goes by something better happens. Another problem gets goals and have instituted needed improvements in rail fixed. A new program is in the planning stage. Future passenger service. Many observers appreciate our efforts; projects are given serious consideration. And when the energy others choose to criticize Amtrak in a constructive manner. crisis hit we worked overtime on the nuts and bolts of findng But there are a few people who so viciously criticize and adding cars to our consists; accelerating our repair and Amtrak that their readers would think that Amtrak has not refurbishment program, and expanding our reservations accomplished anything since 1971 except take over passenger system.