East Glacier Park and Browning?

[ParanoidAndroid]

THIS IS IN THE FUTURE SECTION. CAN SOMEONE MOVE IT TO THE REGULAR SECTION PLEASE? THANK YOU.

Why does Amtrak switch from East Glacier Park to Browning and back every winter? I'm pretty sure the lodge is open in winter, and just why not stop at Browning all year like all the other stations?

 

[CCC1007]

THIS IS IN THE FUTURE SECTION. CAN SOMEONE MOVE IT TO THE REGULAR SECTION PLEASE? THANK YOU.

Why does Amtrak switch from East Glacier Park to Browning and back every winter? I'm pretty sure the lodge is open in winter, and just why not stop at Browning all year like all the other stations?

The east glacier station is staffed during the summer by having a person from whitefish and Shelby relocate to east glacier and live in the station for the summer, and during the winter there is much more population in browning than east glacier. It's also an unstaffed station, so it doesn't cost much to have it open, no building there, just a platform.

 

[jphjaxfl]

The Great Northern Railway did the same thing in pre Amtrak times.

 

[snvboy]

I'm pretty sure the lodge is open in winter,

http://www.glacierparkinc.com/lodging/glacier-park-lodge/

"2016 Operating Dates: June 7 - September 21"

 

[PRR 60]

Since this topic kind of got lost in the Future forum, I'll bump it up.

 

[fairviewroad]

There must be some operational reason for discontinuing the Browning stop during the summer. If you double its current winter-time ridership, you get year-round totals that are equal to or exceed other Empire Builder stations such as Essex, Cut Bank, Malta, Wishram and Bingen-White Salmon.

One has to think that if Browning were open all year, they'd get more than twice their current ridership figures, since summer is probably a strong travel season. And since the station is unstaffed anyhow, it wouldn't add anything by way of staffing expenses.

Goodness knows there's enough padding in the EB schedule to absorb an extra station stop. So I'm guessing it's a combination of the inertia of years of tradition and some actual operational reason (real or imagined) that Amtrak and/or the host railroad uses to justify shutting down Browning each summer.

 

[CCC1007]

The station stop there would fowl a siding switch as well as a road crossing, so that could be a reason that BNSF would oppose year round operations, as east glacier is not very far away from browning.

 

[tomfuller]

During the summer there is at least 1 car rental place at East Glacier. They are probably shut down until late spring.

I did rent a car once on May 31 in Cut Bank from the GM dealer. They had it waiting for me in the parking lot.

 

[RalphCT]

THIS IS IN THE FUTURE SECTION. CAN SOMEONE MOVE IT TO THE REGULAR SECTION PLEASE? THANK YOU.

Why does Amtrak switch from East Glacier Park to Browning and back every winter? I'm pretty sure the lodge is open in winter, and just why not stop at Browning all year like all the other stations?

In winter (roughly the same time period as the station change) the only businesses open in East Glacier are a gas station, bar, small diner, the Trading Post general store and a couple of small motels. The big Glacier Park Lodge, car rentals and all facilities in Glacier National Park are closed in Winter. The same is true for other areas next to Glacier Park at Saint Mary and Babb,

Browning is only a 12 minute drive from East Glacier. The majority of Amtrak passengers in the winter come from Browning, a much larger community, so it is reasonable to open the station there in winter. In summer the tourist traffic to East Glacier warrants the opening of that station and Browning passengers drive the 12 minutes to East Glacier.

 

[Paul CHI]

We visited the Lodge the 3rd week of September several years ago. They were planning to shut down for the winter just a few days after we were there. If we let the globe warm as it wants to, it might be possible to extend that.

 

[Karl1459]

Just speculating, the platform at East Glacier may not be heated and subject to icing related safety issues. The climate in Montana dries out dramatically as you get east (even 30 miles) so it may only be a minor issue at Browining. BTW, the platform at Essex is heated.

 

[Palmetto]

If Browning does Okay for passengers in the winter, would it not do well for passengers in the summer? And if not, can someone explain why not? The idea of not stopping because fouling a crossing and/or a switch because of a station stop doesn't seem valid. That happens at more than one station in places all across the country.

 

[MikefromCrete]

This is one of those AU discussions that involves fixing a problem that doesn't exist.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Spot on Mike!

A solution in search of a non-existent problem!

 

[CCC1007]

Just speculating, the platform at East Glacier may not be heated and subject to icing related safety issues. The climate in Montana dries out dramatically as you get east (even 30 miles) so it may only be a minor issue at Browining. BTW, the platform at Essex is heated.

The platform at east glacier is not heated, is irregular and is made out of blacktop, and is not elevated above the rail. It would be very hard to plow the platform, and it would also be dangerous as it sits on a 20' or so embankment.

 

[fairviewroad]

This is one of those AU discussions that involves fixing a problem that doesn't exist.

A solution in search of a non-existent problem!

That's certainly your opinion but perhaps not everyone is convinced as you are. Personally, I think the seasonal switcheroo is needlessly confusing.

There are certainly other seasonal stations in the Amtrak system (Port Kent, Old Orchard Beach) but in no other case is there a seasonal swap. I'm not advocating for East Glacier Park to be open year-round. There's a reasonable case to be made to close it down over the winter.

What I haven't heard anyone state is a compelling reason to close Browning during the summer. So, no, this isn't a huge problem, and I know that not everyone sees it as a problem at all. But no one has been able to cite a plausible reason why that station is closed during the busiest time of the year for the Empire Builder.

 

[Palmetto]

Spot on Mike!

A solution in search of a non-existent problem!

I would say that depends on whether you'd like to board the train in Browning in the summer. It may not be a problem, but it's certainly an incovenience.

 

[niemi24s]

But no one has been able to cite a plausible reason why that station is closed during the busiest time of the year for the Empire Builder.

OK, so perhaps nobody has cited a plausible reason for closing it - at least one you deem plausible. If you want it to stay open, none of us here can do it. Why not write a nice proposal to Amtrak for keeping it open?

 

[fairviewroad]

But no one has been able to cite a plausible reason why that station is closed during the busiest time of the year for the Empire Builder.

OK, so perhaps nobody has cited a plausible reason for closing it - at least one you deem plausible. If you want it to stay open, none of us here can do it. Why not write a nice proposal to Amtrak for keeping it open?

Because I don't care enough about it.