The headline “Amtrak expands Valley Flyer” [“Recorder, May 31] was absurd. There was no expansion, merely an adjustment of schedules.

Before the change, three trains arrived in Greenfield each day and three departed. And the same after the change.

Addressing climate change will require much more than media spin.

Let me begin by writing that the return of passenger trains to Greenfield was the best thing that has happened to enrich my life, community-wise, in the 60 years that I have lived in Franklin County.

High-speed internet may be a close second, but that was an upgrade. For the return of the trains, I am most grateful to folks from Conte to Comerford, Biden to Blais, for their part in making this happen.

The Vermonter service was the foot in the door, but I still could not access the Amtrak system the way I use it without an overnight hotel stay somewhere. By contrast, the Valley Flyer was a true life-changing event for me.

I’m a terrible driver and I don’t fly for environmental reasons. Amtrak is my primary mode of transportation: three or four trips a year totaling over 10,000 miles.

Not your average Amtrak rider, I suspect. So what do I think of this change?

Losing the early morning departure and after midnight arrival removed a few options, but I have to admit that I’ve only used the former likely twice, and the latter once.

The new evening departure from Greenfield is of zero interest to me, but who knows?

What does excite me is the new 6:20 a.m. train from Greenfield and the change of trains in Springfield rather than New Haven for three reasons.

First, waiting to change trains in New Haven can be a very miserable experience depending upon the weather.

Second, by boarding an originating train in Springfield, I am assured of a forward-facing seat, which means a lot to me.

Third, changing trains in Springfield rather than in New Haven will often save $40 to $50, depending on many factors.

So I’m a happy camper? Not exactly.

What bothers me most is that we have a wonderful facility in Greenfield, the John W. Olver Transit Center, and the doors are locked most of the time, which is a disgrace and an insult to the memory of JWO.

With 21 train departures weekly, the building is open for fewer than half. Vermont, with 14 departures weekly, has almost all its stations open at train times.

North Carolina is the same with paid caretakers. Dozens of Amtrak stations are opened at train times by volunteers, even in the wee hours of the night, the year-round.

Some stations even have teams of volunteers. The responsibility for proper use of this facility rests with the mayor’s office, and I believe she could find a way to keep it open from 6 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week, without a burden to Greenfield taxpayers (I am one).

Next, it seems stupid to me that passengers are not allowed to ride the deadhead move from Springfield to Greenfield on weekdays.

Springfield Union Station opens at 4:30 a.m., the train could leave at 5 a.m. with passengers and still protect the 6:20 a.m. departure from Greenfield. Full disclosure: I have a personal interest here in case I miss train 494.

And then there’s the requirement to make reservations on the Valley Flyer between Greenfield and Springfield when the trains are never even half full.

Why can’t the service use the Pennsylvania model and do away with reservations? You’d still need reservations on the Vermonter and if you wanted to travel south of Springfield on the Valley Flyer.

Finally, there is the issue of fares between Greenfield and Springfield. Amtrak has reduced the fare from $26 to $12 and $14, and that’s not unreasonable. But not the kind of fare to induce folks to leave the car at home, or to consider daily commuting on the Valley Flyer.

What I’d like to see is a Western Mass Daily Transit Pass at about the same $12-$14 good on the VF, FRTA and PVTA.

Hope to see you on board.

Alden H. Dreyer lives in Shelburne.