# Service disruptions



## Henry Kisor (Jan 6, 2014)

Amtrak Status is reporting service disruptions for both No. 3 and No. 5 departing Chicago today. Anyone know if they ever got out of Union Station?


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## Anderson (Jan 6, 2014)

My read at the moment is that everything got held up horrifically amid late train arrivals and so forth. I don't have a clear read as to what (if anything) got out of anywhere.


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## guest in the west (Jan 6, 2014)

The Surfliners are running on time


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## Anderson (Jan 6, 2014)

Actually, 3 may not have left the station. There was apparently speculation among the crew on 4 tonight that they may get turned at KCY.


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## PRR 60 (Jan 6, 2014)

Anderson said:


> Actually, 3 may not have left the station. There was apparently speculation among the crew on 4 tonight that they may get turned at KCY.


Unconfirmed report is that #4(6) will not go east of ABQ and #6(6) will not go east of DEN. Speculation is that today's #3 and #5 have been cancelled.


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## Anderson (Jan 6, 2014)

Also seems like they're turning yesterday's 51 as 50 in IND, not CHI, tomorrow. Looks like they just threw up a big firewall around CHI.


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## Henry Kisor (Jan 7, 2014)

guest in the west said:


> The Surfliners are running on time


"Weeeeell," as Jack Benny would have said.


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## VentureForth (Jan 7, 2014)

...which really stinks considering most of the OBS crews and maintenance are based out of CHI...


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## RichardK (Jan 7, 2014)

Amtrak has gotten themselves into this position by making Chicago the only connecting point for Western trains.


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## CHamilton (Jan 7, 2014)

RichardK said:


> Amtrak has gotten themselves into this position by making Chicago the only connecting point for Western trains.


This shows how fragile and skeletal Amtrak's network really is. They have managed to provide the most basic of nationwide services for years, but -- as we have seen -- it doesn't take much for it to fall apart.


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## Nathanael (Jan 7, 2014)

For connecting service from the east to the west, it certainly doesn't help that this is during the annual cancellations of Crescent service to New Orleans, meaning that Chicago is *really* the only way to get from West to East.

The network is actually severed right now, with no way to get from the West to the East on Tuesday. Capitol Limited, Lake Shore Limited, Cardinal, and Crescent are all cancelled!

It looks like Amtrak is still taking it one day at a time and hoping to have everything back on Wednesday, which seems optimistic.


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## Anderson (Jan 7, 2014)

And the Cap is cancelled for tonight. I managed to bag a roomette on the Cardinal...which I'm hoping is still the "Capitol Cardinal" they ran out the other day. Also had to shell out for a one-way on Enterprise (and in a rarest of rare moves, I'll be paying for insurance in light of the weather).


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## CHamilton (Jan 7, 2014)

Nathanael said:


> For connecting service from the east to the west, it certainly doesn't help that this is during the annual cancellations of Crescent service to New Orleans, meaning that Chicago is *really* the only way to get from West to East.
> 
> The network is actually severed right now, with no way to get from the West to the East on Tuesday. Capitol Limited, Lake Shore Limited, Cardinal, and Crescent are all cancelled!


Ironically, Anderson and I have been talking about exactly this fragility. We feel that rail advocates need to be pushing for alternative services that would relieve bottlenecks in places like Chicago and the High Line. Restoring the Pioneer, the North Coast Hiawatha, the Sunset East, and east-west services through STL and/or KCY are keys to a more robust network.


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## VentureForth (Jan 7, 2014)

Why the heck is the Crescent cancelled? They should at least run it from NOL to WAS, but I'm not aware of anything as severe along that route as what they are experiencing along the LSL, SWC, CZ, IZ, TE, and the NEC.


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## Bob Dylan (Jan 7, 2014)

VentureForth said:


> Why the heck is the Crescent cancelled? They should at least run it from NOL to WAS, but I'm not aware of anything as severe along that route as what they are experiencing along the LSL, SWC, CZ, IZ, TE, and the NEC.


Usual Winter Track Work between ATL and NOL!!! North of Atlanta in the NC Mountains its Darn Cold also!!!


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## Henry Kisor (Jan 7, 2014)

Shouldn't we be blaming the legacy railroads of the 1860s for running everything through Chicago? And who's going to finance the alternative services?


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## VentureForth (Jan 7, 2014)

I think it was the fall of St. Louis by Amday that made EVERYTHING go through Chicago.

If the Crescent was running, NOL would be the alternative East-West gateway. And if the Sunset Limited could get back to being a cross country train, Jacksonville would be another gateway.


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## Nathanael (Jan 7, 2014)

VentureForth said:


> I think it was the fall of St. Louis by Amday that made EVERYTHING go through Chicago.


Yeah.

At the moment, the most useful former train to have around would be the National Limited / Spirit of St. Louis, in its incarnation running Kansas City - St. Louis - Indianapolis - Pittsburgh - Philadelphia - New York. The severe decline in St. Louis business relative to Chicago is the ultimate reason for the loss of this train, as it is the reason why this track was allowed to fall apart, which is why this train was not able to run decently in 1979 when the Carter Cuts hit Amtrak.

This route could be set up as a corridor train (Indianapolis-St. Louis), but the problem is, with no intermediate population centers in Illinois (Effingham's the biggest I think), Illinois won't pay for it; Missouri won't pay for a route which is almost entirely outside the state; and it's going to be hard to convince Indiana to pay for anything, even though Terre Haute - Indianpolis is sensible on its own. Only national funding can give us a sensible national network.

(To clarify another matter, the Crescent is running north of Atlanta, but the annual NS planned trackwork means it usually runs Atlanta - New York; it is only running from Atlanta to New Orleans on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.)


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## fillyjonk (Jan 7, 2014)

Just curious:

Did the 1/6 train 21 (or, for that matter, today's - 1/7) ever leave Chicago? All the Amtrak website reveals is "service disruption" which either means crazy late or it was cancelled.

I'm starting to worry about my Thursday trip. I kind of need to be back before Monday the 13th, that's when I start class again. (Professor, not student, so my skipping class is kind of a big deal!)


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## Bob Dylan (Jan 7, 2014)

The Eagle#21, along with Most other LD Trains, Did NOT Leave Chicago for the Past Two Days! #22, the NB Eagle has Been Running ( Hours Late) so it will be Up to the Chicago Yard Crews to Get the Equipment Ready for Service! I Understand that most of the Equipment is Frozen including the Engines! A Warm Up is On the Way but Everywhere is a Mess for Transportation Right Now! I'd keep Checking all the Train and travel Sites, Call Amtrak etc. etc. Good Luck, its Suynny Down Here in Central Texas and Warmed up into the 40s today, 50s Tomorrow and 70s with Rain for the End of the Week so perhaps the Eagles will start Flying again Soon! Good Luck, keep us Posted!


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## Joeker (Jan 7, 2014)

How soon we forget! Just 3 years ago on Feb 1-2 2011, Chicago was hit with a blizzard that dumped over 21" of snow and drifts as deep as 6 feet or more.

Lake Shore drive had over 900 abandoned cars stuck on it. All local transit was suspended.

Amtrak shut down all of its trains from Chicago for 3 days. No service anywhere. I know, as I had a friend returning from LA on #4 in a sleeper and they offloaded all passengers in ABQ where they stayed at a Hotel for 3 days until the route was reopened.

Also the airport was closed for 2 days with over 1500 flights in Chicago cancelled .

Stuff happens. Weather has always plagued all forms of transportation whether we like it or not.


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## tricia (Jan 7, 2014)

jimhudson said:


> VentureForth said:
> 
> 
> > Why the heck is the Crescent cancelled? They should at least run it from NOL to WAS, but I'm not aware of anything as severe along that route as what they are experiencing along the LSL, SWC, CZ, IZ, TE, and the NEC.
> ...


Minus 8F at 8AM today here in the mountains of western NC, about an hour northwest of Asheville, about 2 hours from the Crescent's stations in Toccoa, GA, and Greenville, SC. Darn cold, indeed! Record-breaking for around here.


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## Tennessee Traveler (Jan 7, 2014)

Amtrak's Floridian has been cancelled through Nashville all of 2014.


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## Devil's Advocate (Jan 7, 2014)

I hope the folks who keep claiming Amtrak isn't seriously affected by bad weather will take a moment to read this and similar threads. I don't blame Amtrak for being essentially helpless in the face of bad weather, but I also don't understand why a few vocal members take it upon themselves to rewrite history over and over again in order to build up a rather unrealistic image of what is in reality a surprisingly fragile passenger rail network. If the airlines won't get you there and the buses won't get you there then Amtrak probably won't get you there either. Simple to understand, hard to repeat apparently.


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## CHamilton (Jan 8, 2014)

Devil, I think that the lesson here is two-sided. Well-built, well-maintained, and plentiful passenger trains, serving a redundant network, can be inherently better at dealing with bad weather than any other form of transportation. But Amtrak has none of those features. They have managed to provide national train service for 40+ years with pitiful resources, and even this week, they have managed to do better in many ways than the airlines, the roads and the buses.

But think what they could have done with a robust system! I'm sure we'll be hearing calls for tax money to be thrown at "infrastructure," meaning air and highways, as a result of this week. It's up to us to make sure that our local, state and national elected officials know that rail is a more effective way of spending those dollars.


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## June the Coach Rider (Jan 8, 2014)

Devil's Advocate said:


> I hope the folks who keep claiming Amtrak isn't seriously affected by bad weather will take a moment to read this and similar threads. I don't blame Amtrak for being essentially helpless in the face of bad weather, but I also don't understand why a few vocal members take it upon themselves to rewrite history over and over again in order to build up a rather unrealistic image of what is in reality a surprisingly fragile passenger rail network. If the airlines won't get you there and the buses won't get you there then Amtrak probably won't get you there either. Simple to understand, hard to repeat apparently.


The severe weather that has halted the trains right now is a once in 20+ year experience. In the majority of the instances, Amtrak runs when the roads and planes are not.


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## fillyjonk (Jan 8, 2014)

jimhudson said:


> The Eagle#21, along with Most other LD Trains, Did NOT Leave Chicago for the Past Two Days! #22, the NB Eagle has Been Running ( Hours Late) so it will be Up to the Chicago Yard Crews to Get the Equipment Ready for Service! I Understand that most of the Equipment is Frozen including the Engines! A Warm Up is On the Way but Everywhere is a Mess for Transportation Right Now! I'd keep Checking all the Train and travel Sites, Call Amtrak etc. etc. Good Luck, its Suynny Down Here in Central Texas and Warmed up into the 40s today, 50s Tomorrow and 70s with Rain for the End of the Week so perhaps the Eagles will start Flying again Soon! Good Luck, keep us Posted!



Thanks for the info, jim. The local paper here said "one of the 5 scheduled daily round-trips got through yesterday" but they did not say which one. (My parents' house is perhaps 3 miles from the tracks and I heard what MIGHT have been an Amtrak whistle, followed about 10 minutes later by a freight, at about 8:35 pm last night here in BNL.)

Amtrak Website is saying that today's Eagles are scheduled to run. I'm really hoping that today will be what it takes for the system to mostly right itself.

I agree with the folks who are saying "we need other hubs to the West than Chicago, and we need more equipment" but I don't see that happening any time soon. (I would say I'd also like to have Amtrak give more clarification on their website - if the train's cancelled, SAY it's cancelled, not "service disruption." If you're bustituting, say that.)


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## John Bobinyec (Jan 8, 2014)

fillyjonk said:


> I agree with the folks who are saying "we need other hubs to the West than Chicago, and we need more equipment" but I don't see that happening any time soon. (I would say I'd also like to have Amtrak give more clarification on their website - if the train's cancelled, SAY it's cancelled, not "service disruption." If you're bustituting, say that.)


I personally think the website people, including ARROW, deserve some thanks, too. They've been churning up the schedules like crazy for the last few days. Normally, they might be able to go home after work and put their feet up - but not lately. The reservations system (et al) has become a central part of operations, even when the operations goes to hell.

jb

Edit: The Amtrak website folks, I mean.


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## CHamilton (Jan 8, 2014)

John, I agree. The train trackers (both Amtrak's and yours) seem to have been displaying what information was pretty accurately. It was really helpful to know how late the Cardinal was running during Anderson's drive to IND to catch the train last night. So thanks again for all your work.


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## Guest (Jan 8, 2014)

Things are looking up. 5 (8) and 3 (8) departed Chicago on time this afternoon. 7 (8), however, is showing a service disruption.


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## NW cannonball (Jan 8, 2014)

Guest said:


> Things are looking up. 5 (8) and 3 (8) departed Chicago on time this afternoon. 7 (8), however, is showing a service disruption.


Good for #3 and #5 -- the Empire Builder however -- both #8 and #7 from Jan 8 seem to be cancelled. #8 that departed SEA on Jan 7 may be in NoDak. #7 that departed CHI yesterday Jan 7 seems to have disappeared just west of Fargo while running almost 8 hours late.


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## Devil's Advocate (Jan 8, 2014)

June the Coach Rider said:


> The severe weather that has halted the trains right now is a once in 20+ year experience.


So the last time Amtrak had to cancel service due to bad weather was 20+ years ago? I think not.



June the Coach Rider said:


> In the majority of the instances, Amtrak runs when the roads and planes are not.


Source?


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## jis (Jan 9, 2014)

Devil's Advocate said:


> June the Coach Rider said:
> 
> 
> > In the majority of the instances, Amtrak runs when the roads and planes are not.
> ...


I am truly curious about that one too. Having personally experienced the need to substitute a planned Amtrak ride by an airplane ride on at least three occasions due to Amtrak cancellations, I just wonder about the veracity of that claim.


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## VentureForth (Jan 9, 2014)

Whereas June's comment may perhaps not be completely accurate, I believe that for the most part, Amtrak CAN operate in conditions that generally paralyzes auto and air transport. However, as has been made pretty obvious this week, some weather can paralyze everything.


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## montana mike (Jan 9, 2014)

I was just reading that according to FAA records, overall US Airlines canceled only 1.65% of ALL flights in 2013. I wonder how that stacks up against Amtrak's cancelation record? Does anyone have any stats in this regard?


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## Devil's Advocate (Jan 9, 2014)

montana mike said:


> I was just reading that according to FAA records, overall US Airlines canceled only 1.65% of ALL flights in 2013. I wonder how that stacks up against Amtrak's cancelation record? Does anyone have any stats in this regard?


I've had flights cancelled on me and still managed to arrive at my final destination on time. If Amtrak cancels a single Texas Eagle trip I'm already a day late. Amtrak cancels one Sunset Limited trip and I'm already two days late before leaving the station to return home. Not to mention that my sleeper compartment is long gone.


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## montana mike (Jan 9, 2014)

Good point. Very few other timely options on Amtrak's LD trains when one is canceled. That is why is is so important to have at least a modest amount of redundancy in both human and equipment assets. Not a lot one can do when the "blizzard of the century" hits or massive flooding occurs, but if a train has to be canceled because of the lack of a crew or equipment, both of those are well within the ability of management to control.

It appears things are slowly creeping back to getting trains on the tracks today. Still some cancelations, but not as many as Monday. Temps throughout all of the Hi-Line are at or ABOVE normal now. In some places in MT they are 60 degrees warmer than just 4 days ago.


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## fairviewroad (Jan 9, 2014)

montana mike said:


> In some places in MT they are 60 degrees warmer than just 4 days ago.


Cue the flooding. :help:


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## June the Coach Rider (Jan 9, 2014)

jis said:


> Devil's Advocate said:
> 
> 
> > June the Coach Rider said:
> ...


I got that from people here on this forum that said so. I just add that I have traveled myself thru winter storms on Amtrak and the airports have been closed. Also here in Boston area, the news is always mentioning that Amtrak and Acela are running when they say there are severe cancellations at the airports.

I also said in the majority of the instances, I did not say EVERY TIME, AND DID NOT SAY THAT THEY DON'T CANCEL.

edited to add: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amtrak-guest-rewards/1047820-amtrak-snow.html


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## jis (Jan 9, 2014)

Conversely I have many times traveled fine by air while Amtrak was dead in the water due to torrential rain or hurricane en route. So irrespective of all the capital letters in the world these are all just anecdotal and often emotional feelings. What I am looking for is some concrete data.

I think the point that Charlie made is probably close to the mark. Given enough resources a rail system can be more reliable than road or air. But today's Amtrak is nowhere near such a reliable system. So let us not kid ourselves. After all the most common rescue mechanism for Amtrak cancellations or disruptions is bustitutions. So clearly those are all examples where road was working fine while rail as in Amtrak was not.


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## Devil's Advocate (Jan 9, 2014)

jis said:


> I think the point that Charlie made is probably close to the mark. Given enough resources a rail system can be more reliable than road or air. But today's Amtrak is nowhere near such a reliable system. So let us not kid ourselves. After all the most common rescue mechanism for Amtrak cancellations or disruptions is bustitutions. So clearly those are all examples where road was working fine while rail as in Amtrak was not.


I think many folks can agree that the _potential_ is there for a highly robust and dependable system. Indeed in countries like Japan this potential has already been largely realized, even in the face of much higher expectations and more intense scrutiny. In the case of Amtrak the potential for a robust all-weather system remains but the _realization_ of that potential that is still a long way off, assuming we ever get there. I'd like to see that goal come to fruition as much as anyone but I do not believe we're anywhere near such a goal at this time. Indeed we may be falling further and further behind over time, outside of a few high volume corridors.


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## lionelhoguy (Jan 9, 2014)

Train travel is still messed up. Arrived 8 hours late on 29CL. Thought we had to rush to catch #7 EB, now that is delayed at least 1.5 hours for mechanical issues. And this is after an Amtrak sponsored night in DC. We may never make it home.


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## montana mike (Jan 9, 2014)

If #7 leaves ONLY 1.5 hours late it will be the best departure time in quite a few days!

Update: #7 is still sitting in Union Station according to Amtrak and is now approaching 2 hours late.


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## Henry Kisor (Jan 9, 2014)

3 (9) has been showing a service disruption all day. Never got out of Chicago. Anyone know why? 3 (8) left on time yesterday. (I'm asking because I'm taking 3 (12) CHI-LAX and am getting a li'l nervous.


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## Bob Dylan (Jan 9, 2014)

Today's (10/09) #5 and #3 are Finally Underway Out of CHI! #5 is 4+ Hours Down and #3 is 5+ Hours Late! No Info on Whether it's Crew or Equipment Problems in CHI??? Looks like there are Still Problems out in the Boonies but Things seem to be Slowly getting Back to Normal on the Western Routes Except the Hi-Line!


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## Reno89502 (Jan 9, 2014)

On #3 as we speak. Left CHI 5:03 late, due to Crew Rest issues.


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## lionelhoguy (Jan 9, 2014)

And here we sit just over 7hours late. At least they gave us 20 bucks for food,.


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## montana mike (Jan 9, 2014)

Did #7 leave yet, or are you still in CHI?


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## LILRACER (Jan 9, 2014)

I rode that Texas Eagle NB on Monday during the storm, getting off in Bloomington/Normal. I applaud the train crew for sitting down in the café car with everyone by connecting Train, since we were SOOOO late, we all knew that we had missed our connections. My problem was AFTER getting off at Normal, my Amtrak thruway service to Galesburg was ALSO cancelled, and stayed cancelled until Wednesday at 10 AM. I spent two days at the hotel ( a Marriott) across the street, since there were NO shuttle service or cabs running ON MY DIME. I did buy travel insurance through Allianz. Has anyone ever purchased that insurance and filed a claim? Will Amtrak settle in some way since my Thruway bus service didn't run for two days? I had a sleeper and we were given a "Charter bus ride" between San Antonio and Fort Worth" last Sunday morning too. Any compensation available for THAT? BTW, the guy in the roomette across the hall from me, was a UNITED AIR EXPRESS pilot on his way back to Chicago, AFTER his plane was grounded in Saint Louis!

Thanks for any answers...


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## Railroad Bill (Jan 9, 2014)

Looks like both the CL eastbound 30 and all LSLs are still running many hours behind schedule this evening. As of 11pm, they had not even left CHI yet.

I saw where today 30 did not make it to WAS in time to meet the southbound Silver Star. We are schedule to do 30 to 91 next week and sure hope they get Amtrak back on track by then. What a [email protected]


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## Reno89502 (Jan 10, 2014)

When I rode in on 29 this morning. We were on time through Pittsburgh, but we didn't arrive into CHI until 1:45pm. And talk about a packed Metropolitan Lounge!!!


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## Reno89502 (Jan 10, 2014)

30 and 48 were showing DELAYED DUE TO CREW REST before I went to board 3.


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## Anderson (Jan 10, 2014)

49 also totally went to hell again; it left NYP after midnight. Serious question: At what point would Amtrak just pull a crew off the boards at NYP to "reboot" the crew cycle?


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## Railroad Bill (Jan 10, 2014)

Anderson said:


> 49 also totally went to hell again; it left NYP after midnight. Serious question: At what point would Amtrak just pull a crew off the boards at NYP to "reboot" the crew cycle?


It sounds like it is about time to do that if a crew is available. Continuing to move trains 4-8 hours behind is bad business.


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## lionelhoguy (Jan 10, 2014)

We got on the train about 9:30. and made it into CBS around 12:30am. Just over 7 hours late. Due to the time, a bunch of the crew were done at Tomah.

When we were in MKE, the dispatchers were not replying so we were stalled for about 10 minutes. I was listening to the scanner and the dispatcher just would not answer. I guess he fell asleep.

It was great adventure, but I am really glad that we are home! We met some really nice people in the Metro Lounge, and I am watching their progress on #27 and 30.

We had planned on taking the 261 excursion in April, but now I am not sure I will be ready for another train trip that soon. :unsure:


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## Bruce-C (Jan 10, 2014)

LILRACER said:


> I did buy travel insurance through Allianz. Has anyone ever purchased that insurance and filed a claim?
> 
> Thanks for any answers...
> 
> I filed a claim with Allianz for canceling a flight because of an injury. Dealing with Allianz was a pleasure. I received a check for the total amount within several weeks.


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## Joe F (Jan 10, 2014)

With EB #7 departing Chicago over 7 hours late the past couple of days, it reminds me of the early 1980s when I used to ride the "North Star" MKE to MSP. Departure from MKE was around midnight, pretty close to the EB's performance lately.


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## lionelhoguy (Jan 10, 2014)

EB #7 lost another 3 hours, how late can it go?


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## Railroad Bill (Jan 11, 2014)

Looks like both Caps are running within an hour or so of ontime and westbound LSL is also doing well. But last night's LSL 48/448 has disappeared and may never have left Chicago. The beat goes on... :unsure:


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## montana mike (Jan 11, 2014)

lionelhoguy said:


> EB #7 lost another 3 hours, how late can it go?


#7 now in central MT is over 12 hours late. Both Empire Builders (going east and west bound) are losing between 4 and 5 hours in the usual bottlenecks in ND and MT. I don't see much change in this scenario in the short term........no weather tissues to speak of, just heavy, heavy freight traffic continuing to slow things down. My BNSF guy confirmed again yesterday that BNSF continues to show 4-6 hour delays thru the effected areas on an indefinite basis.


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## NAVYBLUE (Jan 11, 2014)

jimhudson said:


> Today's (10/09) #5 and #3 are Finally Underway Out of CHI! #5 is 4+ Hours Down and #3 is 5+ Hours Late! No Info on Whether it's Crew or Equipment Problems in CHI??? Looks like there are Still Problems out in the Boonies but Things seem to be Slowly getting Back to Normal on the Western Routes Except the Hi-Line!


Jim,

On the 5(10) now in Nebraska. We were in CHI in our sleeper @ 4:30 PM (1/10) after 2 1/2 hr delay hooked to Aux power waiting for engine. Departed 5:30 PM after engine hook up, air bleed, brake check and then one more air bled, Crew has been very good to us.

SCA told me that on 1/9 until possibly 1/11 they will probably have to rob engines off incoming trains to CHI because of engines down for mechanical/weather issues and some crew rest related issues.

Had pancakes for breakfast this morning for first time. Decent. Chocolate bundt cake with vanilla ice cream. Life is good

Meet man and woman in SSL from Poland during post doctoral research in Physics (nanotechnology) and Mathematical Biology at UCLA. All while being being entertained by a guitar and banjo player singing folk and light rock songs,

Can't have this much fun on a plane.

Mike aka NAVYBLUE

PS: Had breakfast with one of the developers of Mozilla.


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## Bob Dylan (Jan 11, 2014)

Sounds Great Mike! The Eagles are Finally Flying! I'm Envious!


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## montana mike (Jan 11, 2014)

#8 in western MT just can't catch a break lost two plus hours around Browning of all places-they almost never lose time around there (and the weather in that area is very mild (near 50 degrees) and not even any real strong winds or snow!! If it wasn't for the extra train set on the west coast the Empire Builder would be a total disaster. As it is, all of these trains appear to be arriving and departing anywhere from 3 to 12 hours behind--I guess it is still the "residual" effects of the cold (I wonder how VIA Rail managed to essentially run a close to normal schedule during the cold weather-I followed some of their trains and while there were some minor delays they all ran?) causing issues in Chicago??? At what point do things return to what would amount to an actual schedule? Right now while the EB's are running, no one has any idea when they will get to their destinations and how many hours they will be late. I see #7 will again be departing late today as well.

C'est La Vie'


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## OBS (Jan 11, 2014)

Was in BOS last evening, 448 (9) was posted as 16 hours late...


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## Trogdor (Jan 11, 2014)

montana mike said:


> I wonder how VIA Rail managed to essentially run a close to normal schedule during the cold weather-I followed some of their trains and while there were some minor delays they all ran?


All both of them?

(Sorry, couldn't help myself)

But seriously, VIA doesn't have an equipment shortage as far as I can tell. It's winter, when their consists are normally reduced anyway, plus they've cut back so much service that they'd have even more equipment sitting around if needed. I don't know what their staffing levels are like, but if they haven't furloughed staff over the winter (when the Canadian gets reduced to 2x/weekly), then, depending on exactly how their crews are scheduled, they could have a 50% surplus of crews available for any delays as well. However, I'd suspect that they already have such significant recovery into their schedules that the delays are easily absorbed anyway.


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## montana mike (Jan 12, 2014)

Last time I looked VIA Rail had 19 trains across Canada, yes, less than Amtrak, but I was only referring to the handful of LD trains that Amtrak runs, not the regional and local NEC service.

My concern was not that Amtrak was not able to cope with the cold weather and snow, but that it appears it will take over a week after the event to even come close to a "normal" schedule on some of these LD trains.


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## Trogdor (Jan 12, 2014)

Comparing VIA's entire system to the "handful" of LD trains Amtrak runs?


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## jis (Jan 12, 2014)

A dozen or so is a few more than a handful I'd say. But yeah, comparing VIA with Amtrak has mostly to do with suffering from a severe case of the "grass is greener...." Syndrome IMHO. And I am allowed to have at least one


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## montana mike (Jan 12, 2014)

I consider LD trains (ie. an overnight/sleeper/dining car type experience) to be ones like The Empire Builder, CZ, CONO, Texas Eagle, etc.....If you look at those LD trains, Amtrak doesn't have that many and in every case they are once a day (or in the case of the Cardinal for example just three times a week). Regional services and NEC were excluded from my analogy, since they are all essentially "day trips".

PS-It is fortunate that the additional train set is indeed in place for the EB's, since this run would be non-functional, given the 4-6 hour average delays now being experienced both ways on the Hi-Line almost every day now (take a look at today's mess). This has nothing to do with the cold snap a week ago of course (the BNSF issues are discussed elsewhere), but would be the subject of continuing "service disruptions" for #7 and #8 without that set--so this is a plus at least, that they are able to keep this train running, albeit very, very late.....


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## Trogdor (Jan 12, 2014)

Right, and if you're only considering LD trains, then VIA has two three.

(Edit: Forgot about the Churchill run).

Between them, they offer a grand total of 15 departures per week (counting both directions; somehow the Churchill train runs 2x weekly northbound, and 3x weekly southbound; not sure how/why that is). The Coast Starlight alone (or any daily long-distance train) offers 14 departures per week.

(Second edit)

As for VIA running a "close to normal schedule," this thread would seem to imply otherwise. The Canadian also had multi-hour delays, including a train that departed a day late. If an Amtrak LD train were to depart a day late, it would simply cancel because the next day's train would need to take that slot. But when you only run twice per week...


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## jebr (Jan 12, 2014)

Trogdor said:


> montana mike said:
> 
> 
> > I wonder how VIA Rail managed to essentially run a close to normal schedule during the cold weather-I followed some of their trains and while there were some minor delays they all ran?
> ...


Recovery time definitely is a major player. Comparing Winnipeg to Vancouver on Via with Grand Forks to Seattle on Amtrak, Amtrak schedules 31.5 hours versus 47.5ish for Via. Having an extra 16 hours helps a lot to keep it "on time."

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Amtrak Forum mobile app


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## NAVYBLUE (Jan 12, 2014)

jimhudson said:


> Sounds Great Mike! The Eagles are Finally Flying! I'm Envious!


jim,

Just pulled in Reno today (1/12) 5 1/2 hours late. Were up to 6 hr 47 min at one time. Slow orders and on siding for freight added to the original 3 1/2 hours, They cut 1 hour off betweem SLC-RNO.

Ate me some Bundt cake (warmed) with vanilla ice cream. Lonnie, SA learned to just say "the usual' and I would nod. Great professional/funny SA.

Serving comp dinner meals after Truckee, CA to all coach pax after doing sleepers meals by sleeper car #(not appt) then coach pax by car #. EVERY conductor was apoligizing the whole CHI-RNO trip about the delays. I heard NO negative comments from diner mates.

Meet couple (husband CFO of Australia's largest media corporation) and they raved about the diner service, crew friendliness and passenger friendliness. First time on AMTRAK though they vacation for (2) weeks evey year in the U.S.They said from now on they plan to go by AMTRAK as much as they can when they are vacationing in U.S.

Picked up a BNSF/UP ?? engine in Denver and the AMTRAK engineer ran it. Was nice to go from Denver to Grandby in the daylight but the canyons were all in the dark.

Mike aka NAVYBLUE


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