WASHINGTON - Business and leisure travelers alike will take notice of Amtrak's new 8:30 p.m. Acela Express departure from Washington to New York - not because of the train's seemingly endless list of amenities or its convenient after-dinner departure time, but because of the incredible $59 price tag for business class seats.

Starting Monday, January 27, the new train - number 2118 - will be added to the current schedule of Acela Express and Metroliner services, bringing the total number of premium weekday departures to 19. Amtrak will offer the $59 introductory fare through Friday, April 25, 2003.

"This is an outstanding offer for travelers between Washington and New York," said Barbara Richardson, Vice President of Marketing and Sales. "$59 is the lowest price we have ever published for Acela Express travel."

Indeed, the $59 fare is less than half of the lowest price currently available for an Acela Express trip between Washington and New York, and fares to intermediate points will be even lower. The train makes station stops in Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia and New Jersey.

AMTRAK ANNOUNCES 10TH ACELA EXPRESS ROUNDTRIP BETWEEN BOSTON, NEW YORK

WASHINGTON - Amtrak will introduce a 10th Acela Express roundtrip between Boston and New York on Monday, providing new midday departures for business travelers. The new southbound train will depart Boston South Station at 11:15 a.m., arriving in New York at 2:42 p.m. and Washington at 5:47 p.m. A new northbound train will depart New York at 12:03 p.m., arriving in Boston at 3:33 p.m.

"The new Acela Express departures will give travelers more options during the midday hours," said Barbara Richardson, Vice President of Marketing and Sales.

AMTRAK "VETERAN'S ADVANTAGE" GIVES VETERANS 50% DISCOUNT

Amtrak and Veterans Advantage are pleased to once again show their support of our nation's veterans by extending the special discount available to members of Veterans Advantage. Throughout the year, Veterans Advantage members will receive a 50 percent discount on Amtrak travel nationwide.

First launched in 2000, the partnership between Amtrak and Veterans Advantage offers veterans affordable rail travel to the more than 500 destinations served by Amtrak. With this special promotion, veterans and active-duty service members of any rank or branch of military service, including the National Guard reservists, who are members of Veterans Advantage, may receive a 50 percent discount on Amtrak's best available fares.

AMTRAK ON EBAY - LOG ONTO EBAY AND BID TO WIN AMTRAK TRAVEL
Starting bids available up to 95 percent off full fares

WASHINGTON - Amtrak is pleased to announce that rail travel is now available for bidding on eBay on routes from coast-to-coast. As part of a three-month trial, Amtrak will make a limited number of tickets on a variety of routes available for bidding at starting prices that are very affordable. Some opening bid prices are up to 95 percent off full fares.

Amtrak's store will list all current listings and include a search feature to find auctions for travel to and from many of the 500 destinations served by Amtrak. Sample deals include travel from Chicago to Detroit, Oakland to Los Angeles, and Lorton, Va. to Sanford, Fla. on board the Auto Train.

"We are thrilled at the opportunity to team up with eBay to offer Amtrak travel through this unique medium," said Barbara J. Richardson, Amtrak's vice president of marketing and sales. "By offering rail travel through eBay, we hope to persuade travelers who may not be regular Amtrak riders to give the train a try."

Tickets are available for adult coach class, one-way and round-trip travel. Each listing will include the train route, available travel dates, restrictions, links to schedules, as well as the latest bid on the trip. An Amtrak customer service representative will contact the winner within three business days after the close of the auction to finalize the travel itinerary and accept payment. Tickets must be purchased using a credit card, and there is a $4.95 handling charge that includes first-class mail. Overnight delivery within the U.S. is available for an additional $9 charge. Amtrak accepts all major credit cards. Winning bids may be used to purchase additional tickets, if seats are available (contact amtrakauctions@amtrak.com for details). Once purchased, a travel itinerary may not be changed.

If an auction includes travel on Amtrak's Auto Train, the offer will include rail and auto fares, but not sleeping accommodations. Auction tickets are not eligible for upgrade prior to travel or on board trains. This offer may not be combined with any other discounts or promotions, and winners are not eligible to earn Amtrak Guest Rewards points. Tickets are non-refundable, and non-transferable.

Amtrak Solicits Feedback on Automated Reservation System

Amtrak's automated speech information system, "Julie", has been active nationwide since May, 2002. Today, Julie offers train status, schedules/fares, or reservations services to 800-USA-RAIL callers from across the country. Amtrak is seeking feedback travelers on Julie's effectiveness and possible areas for improvement.

Julie is an important part of Amtrak's strategy to reduce wait times for an agent and to help control call center labor costs. Here is what Julie is designed to do (and not designed to do).

She can:

• Handle straightforward inquiries (e.g., train status and schedules) and make non-complex reservations.
• Be interrupted. Callers have the option of interrupting Julie in most places if they know the answer to a question she is asking before she completes the question.
• Transfer to an agent. If a caller either (a) wants to bypass Julie, (b) becomes confused, or (c) or Julie is not handling the call in the way desired, the caller can always say "agent" and be transferred to a person. When transferring to an agent, the information Julie has collected to that point is sent along with the call so there is no need for the caller to repeat their basic travel itinerary (origin, destination, date, time, etc.).

• Replace live agents or help with complex transactions. There are many interactions and questions that Julie is not designed to handle.
• Modify existing reservations, book travel to Canada or on the Autotrain, handle reservations for sleepers or trips that require more than one connection in a direction of travel.

Keep your remarks as specific as possible. Although Amtrak will not be able to respond to each e-mail, they will summarize the feedback and it will be made available at the end of the survey period. The following are some areas that you may wish to comment on:

• How intuitive is the system to use? Please describe where it is confusing or difficult to navigate.
• Does the system compare favorably or poorly with a live agent? Why?
• Is Julie usually able to understand what you said on the first try or do you have to repeat yourself? Are there specific words she has trouble understanding?
• Are the menu options useful and complete? Are we missing an option or capability that callers might consider valuable?
• How does the recorded voice sound? Is it pleasant? Does Julie speak too fast or too slow in certain places?
• Are there places where Julie provides too much information or repeats herself unnecessarily?
• Do you have any other comments or specific suggestions for improving "Julie"?
• Are there other functions you would find useful, such as automated station addresses, hours of operation, baggage policy, regional information, etc.?
• Would you be interested in helping us test new upgrades to Julie with added or improved functions?

Amtrak Two-For-One Special

When you buy a ticket, a friend or family member can ride along for free. Purchase your tickets between January 7, 2003 and February 15, 2003 for travel from January 10, 2003 to August 28, 2003. Just enter promotion code H255 when prompted by the reservations system. Certain trains are excluded from this offer, including Acela Express and Metroliner services. Restrictions apply. Please review the terms and conditions onn the Amtrak site.

Traveling Solo?

You can still benefit by saving 25% off the ticket price when you travel alone. Whether you're off to visit family and friends or just heading out to visit a favorite destination, when you buy a ticket on Amtrak, you'll save 25% off when you enter promotion code H259 during the reservations process. Certain trains are excluded from this offer, including Acela Express and Metroliner services. Restrictions apply. Please review the terms and conditions on the Amtrak site.

Traveling with Kids?
Kids' tickets are 50% off every day.

Amtrak Ski Packages Available

Headed to the slopes this winter? Amtrak can get you there!

Whether your destination is Park City, Vail, Killington, Stowe, or Big Mountain - or more than 40 other resorts around the country - Amtrak is your ticket. Their trains travel to the snow-capped Rockies, Cascades, Sierra-Nevadas, Green Mountains and Adirondacks to get you closer to the slopes than ever before.

To purchase your complete ski vacation, including rail transportation, lodging, lift tickets, car rentals and more, contact your travel agent or one of the tour packagers listed below:

Classic Holiday
800-225-4394
Idaho, Montana

Empress Travel and Tours
800-653-0231
New York

Killington Travel
800-888-3359
Killington

Killington Ski Tours
800-789-ISKI
Killington

Okemo Mountain Resort
800-78-OKEMO
Okemo

RMA Travel
800-841-9800
Colorado, Montana

Ski Pak
800-446-4688
Idaho, Montana, British Columbia

Sports America Tours
800-876-8851
British Columbia, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah

Stowe Area Association
800-24-STOWE
Stowe

Winter Park Resort and Travel
800-977-6199
Colorado

Amtrak Returns To KC's Union Station
St. Louis Post - Dispatch
December 15, 2002

Seventeen years after the last passenger train pulled out of Union Station, rail service returned Tuesday to the historic downtown landmark. Amtrak's Ann Rutledge train left the station at 7:35 a.m. on its way to Chicago, via St. Louis. It was the first departure since 1985 from the station, which in its 1920 heyday served 207 trains daily, operated by 12 railroads.

Amtrak spokeswoman Kathleen Cantillon said it's premature to say whether the return to Union Station will increase ridership, but she is confident it will increase customer satisfaction.

"This helps raise the visibility of our service," she said. "Now we're in the historic station, it evokes everything train service used to mean."

It also takes the 88-year-old Union Station back to its roots as a transportation hub in Kansas City.

Amtrak took over passenger service at Union Station in 1973, then moved operations in 1985 to an underground station beneath the Main Street viaduct.

The return of rail service to Union Station is considered the pinnacle of a $250 million project that restored the historic site in 1999.

The station will serve six trains daily. One is a national route, the Southwest Chief, which has a daily eastbound train to Chicago and a westbound train to Los Angeles. A route between Kansas City and St. Louis is served by the Ann Rutledge and Missouri Mule, each of which runs two trains through the station daily.

Three Amtrak Routes Offer Web Access

The three interactive trains operate on Amtrak's most popular services for business travelers, the Acela Regional in the Northeast, the Capitols in Northern California, and the Hiawathas in the Midwest, for up to six months. These three trains have mounted Compaq iPAQ PCs, complete with wireless modems and Internet service, in the cafe cars and coaches, and travelers now have the ability to access the Web free-of-charge while they are traveling.

I have not yet used any of these devices onboard, so if any reader has used them let us know how it went.

Florida Rail Pass

With the Amtrak Florida Rail Pass, Floridians can travel between 33 cities in Florida directly by train or via Thruway motorcoach connections. The Amtrak Florida Rail Pass is available for sale only to Florida residents who present a valid state ID (driver's license, state ID, or voter registration) at the time of purchase. The pass is good for unlimited Amtrak coach travel within the state of Florida for one year from date of purchase. Not valid on Thruway motorcoaches between DeLand and Daytona Beach or Miami and Key West, or on Coach USA Orlando shuttles.

The Florida Rail Pass costs $249.00.

Via Rail Update

Canada's VIA Rail has developed a number of all-inclusive adventure vacation packages, such as Paddle to the Northern Sky. On this trip, travelers fly into the Hudson Bay Lowlands on a bush plane, canoe a river of the fur trade, camp on the river bank, visit Native Cree villages, explore James Bay, and return on the Polar Bear Express Train, all on a trip suitable for beginning paddlers. The package includes bush plane flight from Mattice, train transportation from Moosonee, deluxe meals, guide, all equipment. For information about this trip, and other available adventure trips, go to www.viarail.ca.