Coast Starlight to Empire Builder?

[Yumacool]

In planning a summer trip today between San Luis Obispo CA and East Glacier National Park, the Amtrak website would not allow a same-day connection from the northbound Coast Starlight to the eastbound Empire Builder in Portland. This is a connection we have used several times in the past. Is it truly a broken connection nowadays or was this a glitch in the computer system? I imagine many other passengers also rely on this connection, so it would be nice to know for sure ...

 

[WWW]

All assuming ON-TIME scheduled operation {from old school System Bible} - - -
#14 CS northbound leaves San Luis Obispo at 15:35 pm -
arrives Portland 15:32 pm {next day}

#28 EB eastbound leaves Portland at 16:45 pm
1 hour and 13 minute connection.
arrives East Glacier NP 09:44 am

Current website may not allow the connection booking ?
If it is not authorized by Amtrak then it maybe possible to go around the booking fence ?

Do not check luggage - carry on only -
Book tickets segments separately -
You are on your own with no protection -
Train #14 late "rats" blown !
Train #28 late not likely but a chance to recover -
And then any complications with the Seattle #8 section at Spokane -

Other solutions WAIT a whole day for a valid dumb wasted time connection !
OR
Fares TOO HIGH fly to East Glacier and return on expensive Amtrak if this is at all possible ?

 

[Flyaway]

In planning a summer trip today between San Luis Obispo CA and East Glacier National Park, the Amtrak website would not allow a same-day connection from the northbound Coast Starlight to the eastbound Empire Builder in Portland. This is a connection we have used several times in the past. Is it truly a broken connection nowadays or was this a glitch in the computer system? I imagine many other passengers also rely on this connection, so it would be nice to know for sure ...

I actually did this search yesterday (LAX to Royal Oak, MI), and it did give me this as an option— CS to EB to Wolverine Express. I was looking at early August.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Might be a track work issue. If “Flyaway” can do in August, there might be some type of maintenance schedule during the week your trying to book.

 

[zephyr17]

I actually did this search yesterday (LAX to Royal Oak, MI), and it did give me this as an option— CS to EB to Wolverine Express. I was looking at early August.

Okay, this is flat out weird.

I am unable to get a valid connection when entering any Coast Starlight point to any Empire Builder point, including major ones, like EMY to MSP. I was able to get the 14-28 connection to Michigan points like ROY or DET. Checking for other eastern trains, I checked CLE and BUF on the LSL and was unable to get a 14-28 connection. I used the same departure date for all attempts. I think that pretty much excludes track work. This is reservations system issue, whether a mistake or deliberate.

The connections have to be entered manually into Arrow city pair by city pair, not even train to train. Normally, in checking guaranteed connections from smaller cities, if the connection doesn't show, check the major cities on those routes. If those show, you have a guaranteed connection. Like Dunsmuir-Elko may not show an 11-6 connection, but Portland-Salt Lake City does, so 11-6 is a guaranteed connection even if you have to force it through Multi-City. This is not the case for any Coast Starlight points and any Empire Builder points no matter how major. So far that connection only shows when booking to Michigan.

It may be a system artifact, like a recent issue where any reservation from New York to Seattle or Portland would put you on a bus at Spokane, but booking Chicago to Seattle or Portland was just fine.

I find the total lack of 14-28 connections on those trains' own points disturbing. I would suspect that cutting that guarantee is a possibility, and as they remove city pairs they either forgot or haven't gotten around to Michigan points. However, as error prone as Amtrak is, it also could also just be a screw up, and that connection will reappear in a few weeks.

Just an FYI, if they are in the process of cutting it, but they issued a ticket with it, they'll honor the guarantee.

 

[GAT]

At this point of Amtrak-generated insanity, I would just call Amtrak Guest Rewards and ask them to book it for you, and see if they can.

 

[Flyaway]

Okay, this is flat out weird.

I am unable to get a valid connection when entering any Coast Starlight point to any Empire Builder point, including major ones, like EMY to MSP. I was able to get the 14-28 connection to Michigan points like ROY or DET. Checking for other eastern trains, I checked CLE and BUF on the LSL and was unable to get a 14-28 connection. I used the same departure date for all attempts. I think that pretty much excludes track work. This is reservations system issue, whether a mistake or deliberate.

The connections have to be entered manually into Arrow city pair by city pair, not even train to train. Normally, in checking guaranteed connections from smaller cities, if the connection doesn't show, check the major cities on those routes. If those show, you have a guaranteed connection. Like Dunsmuir-Elko may not show an 11-6 connection, but Portland-Salt Lake City does, so 11-6 is a guaranteed connection even if you have to force it through Multi-City. This is not the case for any Coast Starlight points and any Empire Builder points no matter how major. So far that connection only shows when booking to Michigan.

It may be a system artifact, like a recent issue where any reservation from New York to Seattle or Portland would put you on a bus at Spokane, but booking Chicago to Seattle or Portland was just fine.

I find the total lack of 14-28 connections on those trains' own points disturbing. I would suspect that cutting that guarantee is a possibility, and as they remove city pairs they either forgot or haven't gotten around to Michigan points. However, as error prone as Amtrak is, it also could also just be a screw up, and that connection will reappear in a few weeks.

Just an FYI, if they are in the process of cutting it, but they issued a ticket with it, they'll honor the guarantee.

It is kind of crazy. Going WB the connections seem plausible, but going EB LAX-PDX-ROY both connections are only an hour.

 

[zephyr17]

It is kind of crazy. Going WB the connections seem plausible, but going EB LAX-PDX-ROY both connections are only an hour.

60 minutes is the guideline for guaranteed connections other than LD to NE Corridor. Note that this is not automatic, nor hard and fast. Some connections less than 60 minutes are guaranteed, some more than 60 minutes are not.

However, note the thrust of my argument. Connections are entered individually into Arrow, city pair by city pair. Once a decision is made for a connection to be guaranteed, or a guaranteed connection to be withdrawn, there are multiple opportunities to screw up its implementation. Also, any time a schedule is modified, even by a small amount, it breaks the existing connections and the ones they want to keep have to be redone. It is a system ripe with opportunities for mistakes. A mistake was made here, either breaking a connection that they wanted to keep, or preserving connections they did not want. Only time, and the corrections applied, will tell what the intent was. You think there is logic behind it. There is none. It is an obvious error and a system artifact with no rationale behind it.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

So, has anyone tried contacting Amtrak about this issue? They can’t fix what they don’t know about.

 

[Triley]

Okay, this is flat out weird.

I am unable to get a valid connection when entering any Coast Starlight point to any Empire Builder point, including major ones, like EMY to MSP. I was able to get the 14-28 connection to Michigan points like ROY or DET. Checking for other eastern trains, I checked CLE and BUF on the LSL and was unable to get a 14-28 connection. I used the same departure date for all attempts. I think that pretty much excludes track work. This is reservations system issue, whether a mistake or deliberate.

The connections have to be entered manually into Arrow city pair by city pair, not even train to train. Normally, in checking guaranteed connections from smaller cities, if the connection doesn't show, check the major cities on those routes. If those show, you have a guaranteed connection. Like Dunsmuir-Elko may not show an 11-6 connection, but Portland-Salt Lake City does, so 11-6 is a guaranteed connection even if you have to force it through Multi-City. This is not the case for any Coast Starlight points and any Empire Builder points no matter how major. So far that connection only shows when booking to Michigan.

It may be a system artifact, like a recent issue where any reservation from New York to Seattle or Portland would put you on a bus at Spokane, but booking Chicago to Seattle or Portland was just fine.

I find the total lack of 14-28 connections on those trains' own points disturbing. I would suspect that cutting that guarantee is a possibility, and as they remove city pairs they either forgot or haven't gotten around to Michigan points. However, as error prone as Amtrak is, it also could also just be a screw up, and that connection will reappear in a few weeks.

Just an FYI, if they are in the process of cutting it, but they issued a ticket with it, they'll honor the guarantee.

So, has anyone tried contacting Amtrak about this issue? They can’t fix what they don’t know about.

Of course not! They’d rather belly ache, even though they know how the problem came in to existence, but not why. Always better to complain and trash talk than to be productive and attempt to correct the issue.

I’ll talk to my contact and try to report back.

 

[user 14106]

I just looked up San Luis Obisbo to East Glacier for Monday July 10 and it comes up.

 

[Triley]

I just looked up San Luis Obisbo to East Glacier for Monday July 10 and it comes up.

OP, what was the date you were looking at before?

 

[zephyr17]

OP, what was the date you were looking at before?

I'm not the OP, but when I was looking at it last night I was using August 9th.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Of course not! They’d rather belly ache, even though they know how the problem came in to existence, but not why. Always better to complain and trash talk than to be productive and attempt to correct the issue.

I’ll talk to my contact and try to report back.

Good to see you back on AU! Still commuting between BC and Seattle?

 

[zephyr17]

Well, whatever it was, it appears to be fixed. I just ran SLO-GPK for 8/9 and it comes up, 14-28 connection at PDX.

Welcome back, Triley.

 

[Triley]

Well, whatever it was, it appears to be fixed. I just ran SLO-GPK for 8/9 and it comes up, 14-28 connection at PDX.

Welcome back, Triley.

Good to see you back on AU! Still commuting between BC and Seattle?

Thanks guys.

Unfortunately, no. I actually resigned in June. I keep close to my former crew base and I miss a lot of things. But, I just couldn’t take the commute anymore. Plus, I started to develop borderline PTSD due to all the close calls and actual incidents I had in the last 8 months or so of my time with Amtrak.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Thanks guys.

Unfortunately, no. I actually resigned in June. I keep close to my former crew base and I miss a lot of things. But, I just couldn’t take the commute anymore. Plus, I started to develop borderline PTSD due to all the close calls and actual incidents I had in the last 8 months or so of my time with Amtrak.

Sorry to hear that, Amtrak needs more like you!

But glad you're back with us!

 

[Yumacool]

The dates I was checking to travel from San Luis Obispo on the CS was to leave on 12 or 19 June, then connect with the EB in Portland for the final destination of East Glacier. I checked it on the Amtrak website today and the connection worked! Perhaps someone in Amtrak is looking at discussions on AU?