Wherefore art thou Acela?
July 9, 2005
I had a miserable trip on a regional Amtrak last night from Stamford, CT back to Boston. The train was an hour-plus late and jammed with people. I finally found a seat, and quickly discovered why no one was sitting there. It was next to a bathroom that had a backed up toilet, and the smell was—how to say this politely—overwhelming. We limped through Connecticut, and some additional seats opened up elsewhere in the car, but by now the whole car and the neighboring car reeked.
As we left Providence, the conductors had all the doors between all the cars open. I think the hope was that some fresh air would dilute the smell, but I think it only had the effect of distributing the aroma uniformly through the entire train.
Oh joy.
I spent the last ten minutes between cars, catching some fresh air. I was briefly reminded of another long, slow train ride into Boston, many years ago.
Posted by Bill Trippe at July 9, 2005 2:26 PM
Comments
Hi Adam,
If he was in business class, we has safely at the front of the train, away from the muck and mire.
Bill
Posted by Bill Trippe at July 10, 2005 1:43 PMPost a comment
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Oh my goodness, my father was on that train! Must've been on a different car though; he didn't mention anything about the smell.
Posted by Adam Gaffin at July 9, 2005 5:29 PM