http://72.148.42.113:8080/scripts/archivefinder.pl?seltrain=7&selyear=2011&selmonth=06&selday=17All EBs have been losing 1.5-4 hours between Minot and Havre. That whole area has had lots of rain, so my guess is that slow orders + freight are the culprits, just as they are on the KO detour. A single-track mainline operating near capacity is easily pushed past capacity if the trains slow down. The Devils Lake line seems pretty good at the moment with the exception of the lake itself. #7(16) lost only 35 minutes between Fargo and Minot.
Mark
Trains aren't losing much time between Williston and Minot, but they are frequently losing an hour between stations around Wolf Point, Glasgow, and Malta. By the looks of it North Dakota has improved somewhat while eastern Montana is now the worst area.My wife and took Empire Builder from Malta, MT to Chicago on 18 May (and return trip on EB 28 May) during high waters in eastern Montana and all through North Dakota. East bound EB was only 8 minutes late in Malta. Montana isn't the issue. North Dakota simply has too many issues of freight traffic which collects between Williston and Stanley; high water, rough rails, and slow orders (mandatory slow speed) across almost half the state. The Surrey Cutoff begins at the Gaston rail yards in Surrey, ND so Amtrak begins competing with westbound freight traffic here. Amtrak doesn't take the Surrey Cutoff as of late. We lost 90 minutes at Stanley waiting for 6 freight trains to pass. Rough rails - and I mean ROUGH RAILS - begin 5 miles west of Grand Forks and don't smooth until just east of Rugby. Amtrak's average speed on our trip from Malta to Willison, ND was 65 mph by my hand-held GPS. From Willison to Grand Forks, 43 mph: again by my GPS. Add high waters at Devils Lake, ND and - well - North Dakota will for the foreseeable future, cost you 3 hours time, minimum. EB through North Dakota is just a hard-luck line.
Several water problems on the Glasgow sub. Worst are sub grade failure at Gasman on the double track just west of Minot and rising water along the Missouri River farther west. Both of these conditions have been causing outages for track raises and surfacing which have, in turn, been causing severe congestion and hours of service tie ups to the freight network. When this happens the dispatchers quickly run out of meet/pass options no matter how much they try to prioritize the Builder.
I have a connection from the EB to the CS Thursday. Hope I don't get stuck in PDX overnight.I'm on the train PDX-MSP June 25. Can't say I'm looking forward to running 8 hours late, but I'm just hoping it keeps running.
Mark
More service disruptions are coming. More flooding is about to inundate Minot again. BNSF is expecting water as much as 6 feet over the rail by Thursday morning.
*sigh* so I take it the chances of this having subsided by Monday are slim to none?More service disruptions are coming. More flooding is about to inundate Minot again. BNSF is expecting water as much as 6 feet over the rail by Thursday morning.
Currently the water is expected to crest so high that estimates are that it may not subside for up to two weeks.*sigh* so I take it the chances of this having subsided by Monday are slim to none?More service disruptions are coming. More flooding is about to inundate Minot again. BNSF is expecting water as much as 6 feet over the rail by Thursday morning.
Oh man.. Poor EB is not getting a break here.. I sure hope is dries up for July for our trip!Currently the water is expected to crest so high that estimates are that it may not subside for up to two weeks.*sigh* so I take it the chances of this having subsided by Monday are slim to none?More service disruptions are coming. More flooding is about to inundate Minot again. BNSF is expecting water as much as 6 feet over the rail by Thursday morning.
More service disruptions are coming. More flooding is about to inundate Minot again. BNSF is expecting water as much as 6 feet over the rail by Thursday morning.
I return to Spokane Friday from Portland. Looks like I may be bustituted back to Spokane whether I like it or not, if there isn't a stub train running. I knew there was a reason I hated this cold, wet, crappy spring!!!! :angry:
I received both the automated call and a live call via voice mail. Here is a compound question.More service disruptions are coming. More flooding is about to inundate Minot again. BNSF is expecting water as much as 6 feet over the rail by Thursday morning.
I return to Spokane Friday from Portland. Looks like I may be bustituted back to Spokane whether I like it or not, if there isn't a stub train running. I knew there was a reason I hated this cold, wet, crappy spring!!!! :angry:
And indeed I got a call from a very helpful customer service agent this evening saying that I will be bustituted from Portland to Spokane on the 24th. Ah well. My luck over the years has been extraordinarily good with Amtrak. I was due to have a glitch like this. But my main concern is with the folks in Minot. It could be the worst flooding in 125 years there, and my having to take a bus is of no concern compared to them. My heart and prayers go out to them.
Amtrak specifically says on its website that there is no alternate bus service.I was emailed this but Amtrak denied bus service when I called to ask about it.
Thanks
Teri
Amtrak said:Effective in both directions with the originations of June 21, Amtrak Empire Builder service will be temporarily suspended between St. Paul, Minn., and Havre, Mont., with no alternate transportation available between those points until further notice.
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