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Released:1/2/2013
PATCO Quiet Car to Become Permanent Jan 2 - Morning & Evening Rush Hours
PATCO passengers have spoken: The Quiet Car pilot program will become permanent on Jan. 2.
Quiet Cars – the last cars on designated trains – will be available on Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. until 9 a.m. and from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. Quiet Car passengers are expected to limit cell phone use to silent texting and silent games, to keep conversations brief and whispered and to play music through headphones in a manner that cannot be heard by other passengers.
“Our customer survey data led us to two conclusions: The Quiet Car was a keeper, and customers valued it most during rush hours,” said PATCO General Manager John Rink. “So we decided to give our passengers what they wanted, when they wanted it.”
PATCO has already begun outfitting trains with signs informing passengers that the last car on each six-car rush hour train is a Quiet Car. The signs also display the hours of availability.
During the pilot program, PATCO used the train public address systems to announce the availability of a Quiet Car. The on-board announcements will be discontinued.
“The PA announcements seemed contrary to the whole Quiet Car concept,” Rink said. “We won’t be making them anymore. All of the necessary customer information will be printed on signs hung inside and outside the train cars.”
The Quiet Car pilot program launched on March 1 and was originally scheduled to conclude on June 1. Positive customer feedback collected from online surveys encouraged PATCO to extend the pilot until year’s end.
During the pilot program, the Quiet Car ran 24-hours-a-day, Monday through Friday only.
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