EB Mess - 2

[Just-Thinking-51]

"She Who Must Be Obeyed" needs to smile.

Great background shot with grump. Someday I going to find the time and stop in that area.

 

[andersone]

Wanted to update the Verizon status for my recent EB Venture

From LSE to Williston (WTN) had fairly good Verizon 3G

from there to GPK only got coverage around station stops,,,,,

 

[MSP_Train_Hopper]

Imagine my surprise this morning when I saw the #8 pull through Minneapolis at 8:00am! I used to see the #8 cross over I-35W fairly regularly on my morning commute, but it has been a couple years. Not sure what went well for them to keep this timekeeping, but WOW!

 

[Henry Kisor]

I'm ticketed on No. 8 for Thurs Sept. 11 SEA to Portage, WI.

The Amtrak web site is still showing departure from SEA at 4:40 p.m. (as it is on my boarding pass).

What are the chances that the departure time will be moved up to 1:40 p.m., as it has been all summer?

 

[Bob Dylan]

I'm ticketed on No. 8 for Thurs Sept. 11 SEA to Portage, WI.

The Amtrak web site is still showing departure from SEA at 4:40 p.m. (as it is on my boarding pass).

What are the chances that the departure time will be moved up to 1:40 p.m., as it has been all summer?

Excellent to a dead lock cinch!

 

[zephyr17]

I'm ticketed on No. 8 for Thurs Sept. 11 SEA to Portage, WI.

The Amtrak web site is still showing departure from SEA at 4:40 p.m. (as it is on my boarding pass).

What are the chances that the departure time will be moved up to 1:40 p.m., as it has been all summer?

Chances are very high, verging on certainty, Henry. It just isn't official yet.

Love your book, own it in hard cover, BTW.

 

[rusty spike]

I think you should expect an e-mail very soon with a new eticket attached showing the departure time to be 1:40 PM. At least I would make tentative plans to be at the station for the earlier departure.

 

[montana mike]

The planets must have been aligned today. #8 arrived in CHI only 60 minutes late--wow!!! #8 for tomorrow in CHI though is making up for today's better performance- already 3 1/2 hours late and they have not yet reached the area with the most congestion.

 

[William W.]

I'm looking forward to my EB trip in January. I'm kind of hoping that I miss my connection with the CS, so that I don't have to pay for a night in LA.

At the same time, I really don't want to chance being forced into coach. Then again, the CS usually runs with three sleepers plus a trans-dorm, so the chances should be lower than on a lesser equipped train (I'm assuming).

Is early January still considered to be part of the Holiday rush, or is it edging into the off-season?

If there's any chance at all that I'd be forced into coach, I may want to reconsider my trip routing (I'm going to LAX regardless).

 

[SteveSFL]

My dad and I are booked on the EB from PDX to CHI on Sept 27, which is also currently scheduled to leave at the later time. I'm expecting the notice from Amtrak, although I'd prefer to keep the later departure since it will give better daylight for the scenery in Glacier Park.

For those of you that have been on the much delayed EB lately, how was the food situation towards the end of the trip? It seems to me that since Amtrak is prominently advertising the probability of significant delays, they should have no excuse for not stocking enough food for extra meals (and I don't mean AmStew).

Also, since we are being picked up by relatives that live closer to Milwaukee than Chicago, we will probably plan to get off in Milwaukee. Is that just a matter of letting the conductor and SCA know with plenty of advance warning?

Thanks,

Steve

 

[montana mike]

Unless #8 is really late (i.e. more than 6 hours for example) you likely will not get any additional meal before your arrival into CHI.

Yes, I would certainly keep your SCA informed if you are getting off in MKE vs CHI.

 

[montana mike]

So much for decent timekeeping (likely a function of modestly lower weekend efforts by BNSF). #8 in WI is now 4 1/2 hours behind (having lost much of that time after leaving MSP-bummer), and #8 in MT is now 3 1/2 hours late and they haven't even run thru the slow section in eastern MT and ND yet. Oh, well. Back to the "new normal".

:-((

 

[neroden]

#8 in WI is now 4 1/2 hours behind (having lost much of that time after leaving MSP-bummer)

Hunter Harrison's CP strikes again.

 

[tim49424]

So much for decent timekeeping (likely a function of modestly lower weekend efforts by BNSF). #8 in WI is now 4 1/2 hours behind (having lost much of that time after leaving MSP-bummer), and #8 in MT is now 3 1/2 hours late and they haven't even run thru the slow section in eastern MT and ND yet. Oh, well. Back to the "new normal".

:-((

I am hearing from a not so reliable source that #8 hit a vehicle somewhere between Wolf Point and Williston. Can anyone verify that?

 

[montana mike]

Well, #8 went from almost on time to well over three hours late right there, so it is entirely possible.

:-(((

 

[EB_OBS]

So much for decent timekeeping (likely a function of modestly lower weekend efforts by BNSF). #8 in WI is now 4 1/2 hours behind (having lost much of that time after leaving MSP-bummer), and #8 in MT is now 3 1/2 hours late and they haven't even run thru the slow section in eastern MT and ND yet. Oh, well. Back to the "new normal".

:-((

I am hearing from a not so reliable source that #8 hit a vehicle somewhere between Wolf Point and Williston. Can anyone verify that?

Yes!

 

[Stevestx]

Just got updated e-ticket from Amtrak for my PDX-CHI trip on 9/27 with the revised departure time of 1:40PM. It's funny that there was no explanation of why a new ticket was being issued. If I wasn't already expecting the time change, I would have been confused.

Looking at the Amtrak website, it appears that they have implemented the early schedule through Sept 30 departure.

 

[ScottRu]

Every time I check in on this EB thread I can't believe how lucky we were to get from Chicago (having started in Boston) to Portland, OR only 45 minutes late last November. I feel badly for those who have had the awful delays. We had a really wonderful trip on the EB.

 

[afigg]

Well, somehow #8 (8/24) managed to have a good trip and arrived at CHI on August 26 only 23 minutes late at 4:18 PM CT. But don't worry about this becoming a trend, as the next #8 (8/25) is 4 hours and 55 minutes late at Stanley, ND. h34r:

 

[WICT106]

This just serves as evidence for how frustrating it can be advocating for better train service. I went to the aforementioned website and typed in St. Cloud MN, and Columbus WI. Not once was the train on time for either stop the entire month of August. Not once. The number of passenger who have said, "Never Again" must be getting long.

This lack of punctuality also demonstrates what we're up against in the general public -- folks aren't gonna want to invest in a system they view as a joke.

 

[montana mike]

#8 now 5 1/2 hours late this AM, so much for a "trend". The only certainty is no certainty!

 

[Henry Kisor]

Am boarding No. 7 today, bound for SEA. Ora pro nobis. (Just kidding. I don't care if we're a few hours late.)

 

[montana mike]

If you are really late you can enjoy breakfast as you ride thru Glacier National park, as we did on our last trip. That was about the only "plus" for our westbound trip. Keep us posted if anything significant pops up during your trip!

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Just got updated e-ticket from Amtrak for my PDX-CHI trip on 9/27 with the revised departure time of 1:40PM. It's funny that there was no explanation of why a new ticket was being issued. If I wasn't already expecting the time change, I would have been confused.

Looking at the Amtrak website, it appears that they have implemented the early schedule through Sept 30 departure.

Yes it can get confusing even for experience travelers. Got to watch for those E-mail changes. Sometimes they are moving you to a different compartment or just change the times. Very poor on the communication on why, you have to read and check everything yourself. No big look here at the change message.

 

[yarrow]

Just got updated e-ticket from Amtrak for my PDX-CHI trip on 9/27 with the revised departure time of 1:40PM. It's funny that there was no explanation of why a new ticket was being issued. If I wasn't already expecting the time change, I would have been confused.

Looking at the Amtrak website, it appears that they have implemented the early schedule through Sept 30 departure.

and it doesn't seem like it would take much to attach a form letter of explanation to everyone's revised e-ticket