I applied online using the Amtrak Careers web site. I was contacted about two weeks later to schedule a skills test and group informational interview. I took the skills test, which apparently almost everyone passed, and then scheduled a one-on-one interview for the next month. I also scheduled a physical strength test at another location.
On the day of my 1:1 interview, it snowed. The interviewer did not bother to show up, nor did anyone contact me. I showed up at the Amtrak office for the interview only to be greeted by a very confused operations person. They made several calls to find out what was happening, and eventually put me on the phone with somebody. It also turned out that the person who was interviewing me was going to be on vacation for the next two weeks, and any rescheduled meeting would happen after that.
I then went back home (on still mostly unplowed streets) to contact the original HR person. I was told that someone had called me (they didn't, I have caller ID) and sent an email (again no, not even in the spam folder). I was also told that we would be rescheduling. I was not contacted at all to reschedule, and my queries and reminders went unanswered until I gave up about 6 weeks later.
It was an extremely disappointing experience. I went out of my way to take the tests (one in New Haven and one in Fairfield) and made sure I showed up early for the interview even though it had snowed heavily. I was not given the courtesy of a cancellation call, nor was I rescheduled as promised. If the position was simply filled, a simple email, letter, or phone call indicating this would have been appreciated. As it is, the Amtrak hiring process came across as extremely unprofessional, and did not seem to be taken very seriously by the staff involved.