As a frequent traveler on Amtrak, I have signed up for their frequent traveler program, Amtrak Rewards. It came in very handy last Thursday when I had a full day of meetings in New York City. As I was preparing for the day, I received a call on both my home phone and my cellular telling me that my train had been canceled due to a derailment in Virginia (my train was originating South of VA). My wife took the message and told me while I was in the shower. “Ok,” I said.

When I was finished, I called 1-800-USA-RAIL and they booked me on an earlier train, which meant I had to call my colleague ( I was traveling with Richard Evans) and we had to boogie to Trenton, NJ rail station to catch this earlier train.

All this turned a leisurely morning into a rush to reach the earlier train. It meant we were not going to miss or be late for our first appointment. I applaud Amtrak for their system to notify their frequent travelers of schedule or disruption changes. When I commuted, I always thought this would be a great service when there were the occasional system disruptions.

Orbitz has a good program for notification, but I can’t figure out why they call you to tell you that your flight is on time – all we need is delay and cancellation information.

Back to Amtrak – I am writing this blog from the 143 from Trenton to Baltimore – just past the Sunday rowers on the Schuylkill River and the Philadelphia Museum of Art - not a bad way to travel within Megalopolis.

-Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO