TEXARKANA - The Amtrak station here is staffed again with a customer service representative, or what might have been referred to in an earlier time as a station agent. In 2017, Amtrak enacted staff reductions that resulted in many of its smaller stations being unmanned.
"Train tickets can now be ordered online, so there was less need for station staffing," said Marc Magliari, Amtrak media relations, Chicago office. "So the smaller stations were cared for and customers were assisted by caretakers assigned to each station."
He said Congress has since directed Amtrak to staff these stations.
"So we are in the process of putting those customer service representatives back in place," Magliari said. "Having them there will give us greater capacity to look after our customers and see to their needs."
The First CSR began work at the station here on Sept. 28. Marshall, Texas, nearby, just had a CSR take their post Oct. 12.
The Texarkana train is known as the Texas Eagle and it stops at the Texarkana station, 100 E. Front St., six times a week, either on the way north to Chicago or south to San Antonio.
"We are still in the process of hiring CSRs for these slots and need people for both the Texarkana and Marshall station," said Magliari. "For those who may be interested in this, visit us at Amtrak.com and start the process up."
(Station hours, according to Amtrak, are 5:15-6:30 a.m. and 8-9:15 p.m. daily.)