Capitol Limited & Lake Shore Limited Delays Summer/Fall 2014

[jebr]

10-5-2014 LATE...due into Chicago 9:45 AM, It;s 7:06 PM and still not there. With no good explanation from crew. Over 9 hours LATE... this is out of control crazy. Am Trak needs improvement. Biggest waste of our subsidized tax money you could image $1.4 Billion in 2012. OUCH

Yeah, it's really a shame that they have to turn around because private rail companies fail to follow the law and give Amtrak priority so they can meet schedule. We really should crack down on private corporations squandering taxpayer money like that.

 

[justinslot]

It'll be interesting if this holds for longer. Also - just curious. How did they deal with the Amtrak IT system being down and all the tickets?

Not sure of that, I had a preprinted ticket and I wasn't paying attention to anyone who needed tickets (was more interested in how much bar time I was going to get.)

 

[Stan Ames]

8:15 PM The 10/4 30 is in a yard east of Pittsburgh changing pilots

Just announced train will go on to DC tonight so no busses

a little more delay and we will get nearly a full nights sleep and connect to a NEC train in the morning

glad we are in sleeper

Stan

 

[Barciur]

So the 10/4 30 is about 15 hours late at this point?

 

[pennyk]

Thought they bused everyone from Toledo?

Everyone on 29 was bused. Apparently upset passenger was on 49.

 

[Barciur]

Ah, I saw "9:45" and thought something was not right but thought it was for eastern time. All makes sense now.

 

[Stan Ames]

10:02PM. Just left Pittsburgh on 10/4. 30

Schedule had a 5:20 AM departure so now approaching 17 hours late

Dinner shortly

Stan

 

[justinslot]

Bus got to Toledo around midnight. Now we're waiting for some tardy buses. One of them has my checked baggage hopefully.

 

[afigg]

Another epic bad day for the CL and LSL. Now that the website and train status is back up, #48(10/4) has arrived at Albany 9 hours and 24 minutes late.

Don't see complete data yet, but #30(10/4) arrived SOB 10 hours and 31 minutes late, PGH 16 hours and 41 minutes. The number of hours late is almost the scheduled trip time from CHI to WAS!

Meanwhile, #29(10/5) and #49(10/5) are heading westward, into the breech once more.

 

[ugh]

2am and train #30 still sitting at Toledo where the bus left us two hours ago.

 

[justinslot]

WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR A BUS.

 

[justinslot]

And the train left Toledo at 3:15 AM.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Sounds like 49 is being bused from TOL to CHI. And since we're only about 30 mins down heading into CLE, don't think we'll get breakfast in the diner. Glad I packed pop tarts.

Am glad not to have to worry about my connection.

 

[jphjaxfl]

Traveling from Chicago to New York or Washington by Amtrak doesn't sound like fun. I don't do buses. Sad, I remember when there were 4 railroads offering passenger train service from Chicago to New York and one had 2 routes. You could leave any time of the day. Long Distance passenger trains in the USA are just about dead and at the Railroad board rooms, they are cheering.

 

[Railroad Bill]

Sounds like 49 is being bused from TOL to CHI. And since we're only about 30 mins down heading into CLE, don't think we'll get breakfast in the diner. Glad I packed pop tarts.

Am glad not to have to worry about my connection.

Sorry Betty. I thought with your good time into CLE you would get your sleeper in TOL and enjoy a train ride to CHI.

I see CL 29 lost two hours into PGH last night and is now running behind you at Sandusky. I am sure their fate will be the same as yours.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I think they're doing 1) because of the uncertainty & 2) to not have to send 30 & 48 out from CHI.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I'm on bus now waiting for departure

 

[n714da]

I'm on 29 tonight to Chicago. Should I assume they will be stopping the train tomorrow morning at TOL and putting passengers on buses? It makes operational sense, given the unpredictability of significant delays over the last few weeks. But, honestly, this was supposed to be a fun and different way of getting to a business meeting, not a vignette from"Trains, Planes, and Automobiles." (Sympathies to those of you out there on the buses this morning!) I just called the Diamond Desk at Delta and put myself on a 5:00p flight out of Reagan. Next I'm going to call Amtrak and see what they have to say. But likely I will be in a Chicago hotel tonight instead of a bedroom in 2900, which is a shame.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Yes, I'd say it's most likely 49 & 29 will bus from TOL to points beyond & 48 & 30 will bus from CHI to TOL for the foreseeable future.

And I certainly won't mind if I'm proven wrong.

Blame NS, not Amtrak.

 

[neroden]

There is really no excuse for busing all the way to Chicago when Amtrak could reroute via Michigan. Which Amtrak still can do.

Boardman needs to show some sense.

As for NS, if they're not paying damages to Amtrak and all the freight shippers who've been delayed... well, then they have too much power over contract writing and need to be nationalized or re-regulated.

 

[Everydaymatters]

There is really no excuse for busing all the way to Chicago when Amtrak could reroute via Michigan. Which Amtrak still can do.

Boardman needs to show some sense.

As for NS, if they're not paying damages to Amtrak and all the freight shippers who've been delayed... well, then they have too much power over contract writing and need to be nationalized or re-regulated.

 

[tommylicious]

So typical of a consumerist society: Production Parts Placed Before People. Sad, sick.

 

[tommylicious]

30
Capitol Limited
To Washington, DC -
Union Station (WAS) 1:10 pm
Sun Oct 5, 2014
5:35 am
Mon Oct 6, 2014
Arrived: 16 hours and 25 minutes late. From Washington, DC -
Union Station (WAS) 1:10 pm
Sun Oct 5, 2014

 

[Rob Creighton]

What would stop Amtrak from putting out a revised schedule with padding if they know there are going to be delays of at least 4 hours? I know they'd probably need to work with NS to do that and get approval -- but wouldn't that just take the pressure off of everyone? No one seems to be winning with this mess. I'm sure there might be good reasons I haven't thought of why the can't / don't want to... it just seems like if this stuff is going to be ongoing... that might be a solution that yaknow lets their customers know what's really happening.

 

[neroden]

I had a discussion with my granddaughter about this. She works for NS and claims that because the freight is time sensitive, they have priority.

Worth telling her that that's.... blatantly illegal and has been for a very long time.
Would she care to testify before the STB about what part of management gave her the idea that NS prioritizes freight trains over passenger trains? (Which is illegal.)

From the US Code:

© Preference Over Freight Transportation. - Except in an

emergency, intercity and commuter rail passenger transportation

provided by or for Amtrak has preference over freight

transportation in using a rail line, junction, or crossing unless

the Board orders otherwise under this subsection.

To my knowledge, there are no outstanding Surface Transportation Board orders making exceptions to this rule. This is *absolute priority* and any dispatcher who violates this is *breaking federal law*.

It would be most useful to have testimony from people such as your granddaughter, testimony that management has told employees to prioritize freight trains over passenger trains. She would contradict the Class I management claims that they follow the law and give passenger trains priority. Enough testimony of this sort would probably get the upper execs of the Class Is imprisoned for conspiracy.