Going, Going, Gone part 8 − Station Agents

: Prince, WV. Sep. 9, 2019
: Lamy, MN. Sep. 13, 2015
: Glendive, MT. summer 1971
: Alpine, TX. Sep. 10, 2015

The blog “Boxcar Red Collection” marked the 10th anniversary in February last year, before even I noticed it. Also is that many things are going or gone in this decade before I hardly noticed it. So, let me look back at what we’re missing or missed.


The shrinking of the workforce is not only distinct at freight railroads but also at passenger railroads. The severe cost-cutting by the Amtrak management brought the rural station agents to the point of extinction.


When we visited Lamy, NM in 2015, the single Amtrak agent was busy serving the passengers of one each eastbound and westbound Southwest Chiefs a day. However, unfortunately, the station lost the agent in August 2018. (Lamy regained agent in 2020.)

The Amtrak agent at Prince, WV served the passengers of the tri-weekly Cardinal. But the station lost the agent in April 2016. When we visited the former C&O station in 2019, there was nobody but the mosaic Chessie in the waiting room.

The Amtrak agent at Glendive, MT served the passengers of one each eastbound and westbound North Coast Hiawathas a day. But the station lost the agent in 1979 along with the train itself. When we visited the station in summer 1971, it was also quiet maybe because it was early in the evening; trains depart in the early in the morning and late in the evening at Glendive.

The checked baggage service came to an end in 1974 at Alpine, TX according to the Amtrak passenger timetable. But when we visited the station in 2015, an agent was on duty 24/7 serving the passengers of the tri-weekly Sunset Limited.


In Japan, the cost-cutting by the parent company management brought not only the station agent but the whole railway to the point of extinction. The Katakami Railway established in 1923 in Okayama Pref. was abandoned in 1991.

: Wake, Okayama, Japan Mar. 15, 1990
　
　　
気が付いたら、このブログを始めてから10年以上経っている。記事を改めて見直すと、長いようで短い間にも色々と変化があることに気付く。そんな回顧を「Going, Going, Gone」というタイトルでまとめてみた。

　
合理化による人員削減の波は貨物鉄道をのみ襲っている訳ではない。Amtrakも合理化を推し進めている。その結果、地方にある長距離列車停車駅の無人化が進んだ。トランプ政権下、航空会社出身の経営陣による経費節減施策の一環である。最大で一日上下１本づつの列車を利用する、一駅当たり年5000人弱の乗客に対応する人員だそうだから分からないでもない。

筆者が訪れたことのある駅では、2016年にCardinalが停車するウエスト・バージニア州Prince駅が無人化された。2018年には、Southwest Chiefが停車するニューメキシコ州LamyやEmpire Builderが停車するモンタナ州Havreを含む12州にある15駅が無人化された。

最も、2018年に無人化された15箇所については、さすがに行き過ぎだと捉えられ、2020年に連邦議会権限により元に戻されている。

筆者が2015年に訪れたテキサス州Alpine駅の窓口では、いつからか分からないが、二次元のAgentが24時間 Sunset Limitedの乗客を迎えていた。