This summer Amtrak rolled out e-ticketing on all its routes. This is long overdue and a step in the right direction, not just in itself but for the efficiencies which should follow. One of the interesting features of the old system is that the paper tickets had cash value–that is, they were important in themselves. I once had to mail my actual ticket stubs via certified mail to 30th Street Station in Philadelphia in order to procure a refund (long story, and Amtrak fulfilled my request). With e-tickets Amtrak’s on the same footing as the airlines–your e-ticket holds no value of its own. This is a huge step forward.

And tomorrow I’m going to find out how well it works. I’m going to try to do all the following with my phone (I do have printouts available as a quick safety):

  1. Check a bag through to Chicago
  2. Gain entry to Club Acela (Amtrak’s lounge at Penn Station for First Class and sleeper passengers)
  3. Board the train (thus satisfying the gate agent, an institution Amtrak can abolish whenever it wants)
  4. Get my actual ticket checked.

I’ve already noticed a limitation that will probably require the printout for step #4. When you book a sleeping accommodation with Amtrak (in effect, a hotel room) you’re assigned to a car and room. This information is on the printout. However, it’s not visible on the phone. Doing this with the phone alone I would have no idea where my room was. The New York section has two sleeping cars (normally); each has two bedrooms, a handicapped-accessible bedroom, and twelve roomettes.

The last time I took the Lake Shore Limited was in May, before the nationwide rollout. I’m honestly curious to see the effect on boarding procedures. I’ve boarded at all four stations I’ll be using this trip (New York Penn, Chicago, Kalamazoo, Milwaukee) so I have a basis for comparison.