An Open Letter to Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station

Photo by Nic Y-C on Unsplash

So, yesterday I had to catch a train at Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station, with which I am decidedly unfamiliar.

It’s one of those stations that has the big ticket hall located above the tracks and the platforms below. Like most large U.S. stations it operates as a closed platform station, meaning only ticketed passengers are allowed on the platforms.

Also like many large U.S. stations it is run such as to keep people from going to the platform too early in order to reduce the number of people who get on the wrong train. All of this is fine and normal, but what happened to me isn’t.

It’s Dark and Cold Down There

A passenger was talking to customer service who said they didn’t want to go down to the platform early because “It’s dark and cold down there.”

I suppose compared to the ticket hall, which was being heated to “sauna” levels, it probably was! (Note to Amtrak, why? Union Station was just as bad).

So I waited until they were done and asked “Okay, so where is the elevator to gate 5. I can’t take the stairs with this luggage.”

I got an answer I have never had before: “You have to use Red Cap service.”

What?

It’s policy that anyone who needs an elevator, for any reason, has to use Red Cap service.

Note that on my incoming trip I had used the same exact elevator (in fact it was the same elevator…the same gate) myself.

“I take it the elevator is in an awkward place, then.”

“They’re against the back door, but they’re locked.”

At this point I had to walk away. To find a Red Cap to get him to unnecessarily put my roller case on his cart and give me an unnecessary claim check.

Not a one of the people forced to use Red Cap service to gain access to the elevator tipped, by the way.

I think I can see their thinking. It meant they could batch people in the elevator and having the large bags on the cart did mean they took up less space.

But there’s some things that 30th Street Station does not understand.