Can a train skip a scheduled stop?

[Mystic River Dragon]

That's actually wonderful news! I work at Princeton Junction, keep a travel bag in my office, and sometimes am finishing up a weekend project on a Sunday morning--it's not out of the question that I could finish a work project and then jump on 121 for a getaway!

 

[west point]

For the last few years the school safety patrol has traveled on the Meteor. The train has often passed stations and arrived at some crew change stations early and left early. The CHI - EMY train that carries persons from CHI to SFO has also run early and not stopped. So for those special circumstances the answer is YES!

 

[TheTuck]

While there are occasions when scheduled stops can be skipped (flag stops or discharge only stops), stations cannot otherwise be skipped just because nobody is scheduled to board or detrain. Of course, unusual circumstances could prevent a station stop from being made. Also, the crew could be instructed to skip stops for a variety of reasons (or they might flat out forget to stop!) All these are pretty rare, of course.

 

[Anderson]

For the last few years the school safety patrol has traveled on the Meteor. The train has often passed stations and arrived at some crew change stations early and left early. The CHI - EMY train that carries persons from CHI to SFO has also run early and not stopped. So for those special circumstances the answer is YES!

I think the Safety Patrol train is a special case, however, since the train is "administratively" locked.

 

[Qapla]

I thought the Safety Patrol train carried a different number ... not the "standard" 97/98 .... but, then again. my memory is not what it used to be

 

[fairviewroad]

Meanwhile, the Paw Patrol train skips most major stations but stops at all fire hydrants.

 

[Abe26]

Today on the 64 the person with radio saying that the Rome stop no one going off and coming, the train came for a full stop and continued onward.

Can someone explain me how the system works, they are always 2 Amtrak employees in the cafe car, one with a radio with , and the other one not. what are their jobs and duties? doesn't the conductor fully drive train?

 

[MikefromCrete]

Today on the 64 the person with radio saying that the Rome stop no one going off and coming, the train came for a full stop and continued onward.

Can someone explain me how the system works, they are always 2 Amtrak employees in the cafe car, one with a radio with , and the other one not. what are their jobs and duties? doesn't the conductor fully drive train?

Engineer drives the train. Conductor is the person in charge of operating the train. Assistant conductor helps the conductor in fare collection, other duties. The dispatcher oversees the train's passage over the route via signals, train orders, often conversing with the crew via the radio.

 

[Abe26]

what does the conductor do if the dispatcher oversees the train passage, and the engineer drives the train?

 

[MikefromCrete]

Makes sure the train is operated in a safe manner, revenue collection, makes decision involving passengers, opens and closes door at stops, just about anything requiring a decision, probably a hundred other things.

 

[Abe26]

Why can't the conductor also do the dispatching? If amtrak want to cut costs, rather then cut rail service, skim the staff

 

[ehbowen]

That's very much like asking why an airline pilot can't also do the duty of an air traffic controller. Maybe in Class G VFR airspace, but...

A dispatcher, these days, sits at a central desk probably several hundred miles away and controls traffic over sometimes hundreds of miles of railroad. Except in the Northeast Corridor and a few other locations they are not Amtrak employees; they work for the freight railroads who own and dispatch the tracks.

 

[Qapla]

rather then cut rail service, skim the staff

There are many reasons why some of these changes are made the way they are ... some have to do with contracts.

With union agreements/contracts in place some positions can be "cut" (do away with the service) but spreading the work over less employees/people may not be according to current union contracts.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Other than the handful of special circumstances already mentioned (discharge stops, safety issues, dispatching workarounds, chartered trains, repositioning moves, etc.) I've never seen an Amtrak train skip a station stop like it wasn't there. Even a late train passing a flag stop with no reservations was still slowed to a rolling stop. Usually this was done quietly with no explanation but occasionally the conductor would come on the PA and explain that nobody was expected to board or disembark but they were slowing just to be sure anyone who showed up wouldn't be left behind.

 

[jis]

Why can't the conductor also do the dispatching? If amtrak want to cut costs, rather then cut rail service, skim the staff

Can you perhaps first tell use what the term "dispatching" means to you in this context? Who do you believe does the "dispatching" of Amtrak long distance trains which run on freight railroads' trackage?

 

[Thirdrail7]

I thought the Safety Patrol train carried a different number ... not the "standard" 97/98 .... but, then again. my memory is not what it used to be

They retain their numbers.