California Zephyr detour from Omaha to Chicago?

[neroden]

Due to flooding.

https://twitter.com/AmtrakAlerts/status/1108381918997987329
https://twitter.com/AmtrakAlerts/status/1108382367452930048

Anyone know what route they're going to take from Omaha to Chicago? I don't have a clue. Iowa Interstate would be really slow.

 

[LDKarr]

I'm not sure if the UP is up and running in SW Iowa right now, but they are the typical detour route.

 

[StanJazz]

It is the UP.

https://www.amtrak.com/alert/california-zephyr-service-disruption.html

 

[neroden]

So, from Omaha, across the bridge, through Council Bluffs, then north through Denison, Ames, Marshalltown, Cedar Rapids, across the river at Clinton, through Rochelle, DeKalb, and into Chicago on Metra's UP-West line?

Damn, I want to ride that detour. I think there is no way in hell I can schedule it.

How do they get to Union Station? Switch at Western Avenue and come in the north side?

 

[RPC]

So, from Omaha, across the bridge, through Council Bluffs, then north through Denison, Ames, Marshalltown, Cedar Rapids, across the river at Clinton, through Rochelle, DeKalb, and into Chicago on Metra's UP-West line?

****, I want to ride that detour. I think there is no way in **** I can schedule it.

How do they get to Union Station? Switch at Western Avenue and come in the north side?

Yup. I rode that detour back in 1998 and crossed the original Kate Shelley bridge, now replaced.

 

[chakk]

Yup. I rode that detour back in 1998 and crossed the original Kate Shelley bridge, now replaced.

Sounds to me like this will be the former C&NW mainline, used by all the UP passenger trains to Chicago until October 30, 1955. Except the CZ will not be using the C&NW terminal in Chicago.

 

[jis]

Sounds to me like this will be the former C&NW mainline, used by all the UP passenger trains to Chicago until October 30, 1955. Except the CZ will not be using the C&NW terminal in Chicago.

It is indeed!

 

[fixj]

Don't see a 5 today out of Chicago. Perhaps detour was just a dream.

 

[StanJazz]

Amtrak Track a Train shows #5 just past Maple Park nearing DeKalb at 67mph.

 

[oregon pioneer]

Don't see a 5 today out of Chicago. Perhaps detour was just a dream.

Amtrak Status Maps says it departed on-time. It won't track again till Omaha, maybe not even then (they might call it a "service disruption" because it didn't check in at the usual stations).

 

[mlanoue]

Any idea on where crew change takes place when it's on this route? I'm seeing references to Clinton, IA and Mason City, IA as UP crew change spots, but didn't know if Amtrak would use those or not.

 

[Agent]

Well, Mason City is not on the detour route, so there won't be crew change there for the Zephyr. I have once heard of Clinton being a crew change spot. I've also heard of Boone usually being a spot for crew changes.

 

[mlanoue]

Oh yeah, Mason city is nowhere near there. Maybe what I was reading were just references to the Mason City Subdivision, which appears to cross the line. I am scheduled to ride this next week, so I'm just curious about locations where we might stop. I'm guessing they won't let us off for a fresh air break, though.

 

[chakk]

Oh yeah, Mason city is nowhere near there. Maybe what I was reading were just references to the Mason City Subdivision, which appears to cross the line. I am scheduled to ride this next week, so I'm just curious about locations where we might stop. I'm guessing they won't let us off for a fresh air break, though.

Cedar Rapids sounds like a logical location for a crew change to me.

 

[Agent]

It's mentioned here that the first #5 that detoured had a crew change at Clinton. I don't think there would be a crew change between Clinton and Boone.

 

[dgvrengineer]

It is sure taking UP a long time to get Amtrak from Chicago to Omaha. The two westbound trains so far were between 7 & 8 hours late at Omaha.

 

[neroden]

It is sure taking UP a long time to get Amtrak from Chicago to Omaha. The two westbound trains so far were between 7 & 8 hours late at Omaha.

So much for my plan of riding to Omaha and then reversing ;-) I'd miss the return train.

 

[stlouielady]

Hey everyone. I have friends and family that live in a town right on the re-route, and they would love to see an Amtrak train go through town. Is there anywhere I can go to see the scheduled times for the towns? Most notably, I’m looking for times through Boone, both eastbound and westbound. They would love to catch it going across the high bridge west of Boone.
Thanks!

 

[chakk]

Hey everyone. I have friends and family that live in a town right on the re-route, and they would love to see an Amtrak train go through town. Is there anywhere I can go to see the scheduled times for the towns? Most notably, I’m looking for times through Boone, both eastbound and westbound. They would love to catch it going across the high bridge west of Boone.
Thanks!

Sorry, no sure way to know where the train is at the moment on the detour route between Omaha and Chicago. On the Amtrak website you can look up expected arrival times for train 6 in Omaha and Chicago, departure times for train 5 from Chicago and train 5 arrival time in Omaha, then do your own math to estimate intermediate times passing your preferred viewing points.

 

[travelchick45]

So, from Omaha, across the bridge, through Council Bluffs, then north through Denison, Ames, Marshalltown, Cedar Rapids, across the river at Clinton, through Rochelle, DeKalb, and into Chicago on Metra's UP-West line?

****, I want to ride that detour. I think there is no way in **** I can schedule it.

How do they get to Union Station? Switch at Western Avenue and come in the north side?

Lol...add some stops to that detour and keep the route. I'm in Cedar Rapids and we have to drive to MTP in June to catch the Zephyr into Chicago.

 

[neroden]

The long term proposal for a long time has been to rehab the Omaha-
Des Moines-Iowa City-Quad Cities route as a passengers-get-priority (freight takes its chances) route across Iowa. Unfortunately, the Iowa legislature (specifically the Republican caucus, in this case) killed the first step on this, which was the Iowa City- Quad Cities route. Illinois is still building Quad Cities - Chicago, though it was delayed by Governor Ruiner, I mean Rauner.

 

[travelchick45]

My grandpa worked the C&NW line from Boone to Omaha and back every day. I'd love to ride the route.

 

[DevalDragon]

The train currently shows as sold out from 3/26/19 thru 4/2/19.

I am guessing they decided to annul the train because of the abysmal timekeeping with the reroute?

 

[west point]

Anyone know why the tracking of 5 and 6 does not show up the CHI - OMA points except for those on the MKE route and a few northeast of OMA? If that showed persons who wanted to see the train along the route could get a good idea. It used to be that detours showed up.

 

[OBS]

The reroute has been cancelled. 5/6 are back to operating between EMY and DEN only.