Well, we will see if the CLs and LSLs departing in both directions on Thursday, August 28 have a better trip. Westbound #29 and #49 have both gotten off to reasonably good starts. However, both #30 and #48 departed CHI late, so they are already in the hole for their next gauntlet run on NS.
The Indiana Gateway only officially started construction a few months ago. The $71 million project, if it has not been revised or down scoped, has 4 cross-overs and 4 additional track segments to install. (Project diagram that is still available on-line but it is at least several years old). It takes time to spend $71 million on track work, so i would expect the components of the IN Gateway project to get done in stages through 2015, and maybe 2016. But I have not seen any announcements or current documents on the projected schedule. The Englewood Flyover will help when it opens, but the benefit will be limited if NS is still messed up from IN to OH.
Yes, another nasty day for the LSL and CL on the NS tracks. Looks like the westbound CL #29 (8/28) is running right behind the #49 LSL with #29 almost 5 hours late at Waterloo IN. The eastbound #30 (8/28) is 7 hours and 36 minutes late departing Alliance; hopefully it can avoid adding more hours of delays enroute to WAS.
Yeah, but it still has quite a bit of BBRR to negotiate. So keep fingers crossed.
* Train 30 of 08/28/2014.
* Capitol Limited
* +---------------- Station code
* | +----------- Schedule Arrival Day
* | | +-------- Schedule Arrival time
* | | | +----- Schedule Departure Day
* | | | | +-- Schedule Departure Time
* | | | | | +------------- Actual Arrival Time
* | | | | | | +------- Actual Departure Time
* | | | | | | | +- Comments
* V V V V V V V V
* CHI * * 1 640P * 839P Departed: 1 hour and 59 minutes late.
* SOB * * 1 909P * 1139P Departed: 2 hours and 30 minutes late.
* EKH * * 1 929P * 1209A Departed: 2 hours and 40 minutes late.
* WTI * * 1 1023P * 133A Departed: 3 hours and 10 minutes late.
* TOL 1 1139P 1 1149P 300A 318A Departed: 3 hours and 29 minutes late.
* SKY * * 2 1240A * 415A Departed: 3 hours and 35 minutes late.
* ELY * * 2 115A * 831A Departed: 7 hours and 16 minutes late.
* CLE 2 145A 2 154A 905A 913A Departed: 7 hours and 19 minutes late.
* ALC * * 2 305A * 1041A Departed: 7 hours and 36 minutes late.
* PGH 2 505A 2 520A 1243P 1259P Departed: 7 hours and 39 minutes late.
* COV * * 2 659A * 252P Departed: 7 hours and 53 minutes late.
* CUM 2 919A 2 931A 541P 549P Departed: 8 hours and 18 minutes late.
* MRB * * 2 1100A * 806P Departed: 9 hours and 6 minutes late.
* HFY * * 2 1125A * 836P Departed: 9 hours and 11 minutes late.
* RKV * * 2 1210P * 928P Departed: 9 hours and 18 minutes late.
* WAS 2 110P * * 956P * Arrived: 8 hours and 46 minutes late.That means it arrived more than 10 hours late!( due to arrive 1:10 P.M.)It seems like the problem happens in South Bend-Elkhart-Toledo area.Almost certainly due to freight traffic congestion in that area due to single track that runs for about 18 miles. Trains .com reports as many as 5 freight trains looking to move over that stretch of track along with Amtrak passenger trains.Seems to me to be a case of too many trains and not enough track to handle them! This also affects the LSL as well as the CL.
My wife and I took the CL from Toledo to Chicago and then on west on the Empire Builder a couple of weeks ago and arrived in Seattle only a half hour late.
Things should be better by October between WAS, NYP and CHI! The plan to ride the Crescent to NOL is a good one as you say, but of course you have to stay on your dime in NOL!
In my case just under 4 weeks ago my LSL arrived 15 minutes AFTER the Texas Eagle was to arrive but they held the Eagle for us. That meant a fast transfer across the tracks and NO Giordono's!
