Auto Train Late North Bound (1/30)

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This is a little ridiculous! I read all the posts and can't tell what's going on. Amtrak says they have trees down on the tracks, the agent my family is talking to says there was an accident. I call again and they say the train is on time... Well the train isn't there! I get told arrival times wildly different than theirs! Frustrating. Thanks y'all.
 
If anyone see this autotrain 52 NB please post! I have family stuck in Lorton trying to get down to us in Florida and Amtrak has given us such a BROAD spectrum of information none of us know what's going on. Train to arrive at 3:20... Train to arrive at 7:48... No departure time scheduled... Train to arrive at 5:40... Every call gets a different answer. Any info would be great!
Latest online is that the Northbound is 10 hours late and the Southbound is about 6 hours late. 52 should arrive by 7:30 PMish and 53 in around the next 10 minutes - about the time it was supposed to leave.

Interestingly, there's only one Silver Service that is currently WAY late - Train 92, the Silver Star, fell 3 1/2 hours behind schedule between Jacksonville and Savannah - we've had some rain, but the Auto Train seems to be hitting issues up North. The rest of the Silvers & Palmetto are between ontime and 30 minutes late.

In addition, the Auto Train isn't on the live tracker on the Amtrak website.

I really don't know what's hanging up all the trains on this corridor. Very odd, indeed.
 
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There seems to be a lack of information out there - it left about 2 hours late and has obviously encountered trouble of some type on the way.

It's not visible on Amtrak's train tracker, suggesting that the lead locomotive may have been replaced or set out.

That's consistent with either a grade crossing accident or hitting a tree. Without good information on where the train is, guessing when it is going to arrive is pretty much impossible.
 
If anyone see this autotrain 52 NB please post! I have family stuck in Lorton trying to get down to us in Florida and Amtrak has given us such a BROAD spectrum of information none of us know what's going on. Train to arrive at 3:20... Train to arrive at 7:48... No departure time scheduled... Train to arrive at 5:40... Every call gets a different answer. Any info would be great!
Latest online is that the Northbound is 10 hours late and the Southbound is about 6 hours late. 52 should arrive by 7:30 PMish and 53 in around the next 10 minutes - about the time it was supposed to leave.
I wouldn't put a whole lot of stock in that estimate. Better than nothing, perhaps, but hardly authoritative. The Auto Train is a hard one because it doesn't have intermediate stops at which progress can be measured.
 
Thanks so much for all the help. Last call in got a later arrival time and described 'switching' incidents that caused the initial delay... I dunno. Guess we will just have to deal with it and hope for the best! I appreciate your information and good day y'all :)
 
I am booked for Thurs 4pm departure out of Lorton - received a call telling me there was a delay. The agent indicated a 3:30 pm arrival in Sanford on Florida was likely (instead of 9am).

Am considering driving instead, as I don't want to be stressing over possibly missing my Saturday appt.in Orlando
 
Wednesday's departures were as follows: SB left 9 1/2 hours late at 1:30 am. NB left 6 1/2 late at 10:30 pm. Looks like they need to cancel a run. But that won't necessarily help if the delays are caused by something enroute

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using the Android Amtrak Forums mobile app
 
Both trains just met just East of Florence. Barring any further delays, the SB Auto Train should be winding through Savannah at Noon:30 today. Perfect time for a lunch time wander...
 
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According to the train tracker, yesterday's northbound train was passing Jessup GA a half hour ago. It says it is only 7 hours late, but I don't see how that could be... it seems like it has only gone 10% of the way in 12 hours. Though I suppose saying that it is 7 hours late means that they have 12 hours to get to Lorton.

Yesterday's southbound train is not much better. They're saying it is running 4 hours late.

We ditched our southbound trip, scheduled for this coming Sunday, several months ago, electing to drive instead this time, but we have a northbound trip scheduled for a week from today.
 
It didn't lose time along the route. They have been chronically late the last two weeks, and with only two trainsets, they have to make up time in boarding and unloading and whatever CSX can give 'em. They've caught up, only to lost time again. The delays seem to be occuring between Jacksonville and Savannah - outside of any published trackwork, ice, snow, or Sunrail work...
 
And 52 only arrived around 2 hours late. Woo hoo! At least it can conceivably depart on time...

The SB 53 is running 6 1/2 hours late with an arrival estimate of 3:41. I don't know how fast they can turn this train around.
 
Finally! No word on the initial cause, eh? I will say that it seems CSX has been really busy lately...

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today's 52 and 53 are back on schedule and early!

52 out at 3:45 15 minutes early

53 out at 3:39 21 minutes early
52 arrived at 8:32 58 minutes early

53 arrived at 8:18 1:17 early

todays departures

53 departing south 1 minute early at 3:59

52 Due to depart any moment but 98 is stopped right outisde the station per amtrak maps

EDIT 52 departs 20 minutes down

and im sure some you have heard auto train service tommrrow is cancelled
 
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My bet is that Amtrak will be ready to depart tomorrow on time. Most of the weather has finished dumping along the Lorton-Sanford route. The maintenance crews have had two solid days to do any maintenance that may have been deferred from the late running trains, and crews should be well rested.

The only downside that I can fathom is that there are now three days worth of passengers ready to travel on ONE train. ;) Regrettably, some may have driven. Some may have just cancelled. But it's also mid-season; most snowbirds have already made the trek, so I don't THINK those were sold out days that were cancelled.
 
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