EB mess

[greatcats]

Having been a rail employee in New Jersey, I just liove one of the previous posts ( ( I think by Montana Mike ) that remarks by those in the trenches were disregarded by the suits. Nothing new there. Why we loved management !!! Hah!

 

[Ryan]

we are talking about "well over a Billion dollars just for the Montana portion of the upgrades, which he said took the senior BNSF managers by surprise when the numbers were presented last summer.

What an utter failure of leadership to be so clueless as to the realities of live on the ground.

 

[montana mike]

Agree fully with the above comments. This is what can happen when a "holding company" buys something like a railroad and upper management isn't totally focused on the needs of that unit as an independent railroad would likely be. ALL of the local BNSF people I speak with here in MT said it was two years before the BH people even gave them the "time of the day". Referring to the BNSF as a "profit center" and not a railroad, no additional funding for track improvements were allowed to be allocated until things got really ugly. While Mr Ice may have some autonomy, clearly the bottom line at BH dictates that at least some decisions were being made that were not in the best interest of this railroad or it's customers, but rather the profits of the holding company and its shareholders, with Mr Buffett being one of the biggest. Now BNSF has to play catch up--with the big question being how quickly.

 

[montana mike]

btw-BNSF keeps reminding its freight customers that their goods will arrive anywhere from 24-48 hours past the "posted" schedules for the foreseeable future, so at least they have alerted these clients about the the issues effecting their deliveries.....

Two responses come to mind1) Customers switch to UP or CP.

(2) Captive customers complain to the STB and/or the state government and/or Congress, demanding re-regulation of the railroads.

Scenario #2 is one which BNSF should be assiduously avoiding. Instead it is inviting it. Well, this is what I expect from the stupidity which rules corporate America today.

Unfortunately a grain coop on the Hi-Line in MT or ND has no other choice but to use BNSF. But you are correct on #2. I have seen these proceedings here locally in MT and sometimes they are successful in getting the attention of the state regulators, other times the customer gets nowhere. Perhaps this time, with the high visibility of BNSF's failures they would get better traction.

 

[RRUserious]

I figure any published schedule is a fiction that could be based on a dart board. They don't know when any train on the line will be anywhere. People need to know this and have some sort of warning system to learn where they can intersect with it. And once on, not figure anything else is as advertised. I'm not spending money on an EB ticket till I see something fundamental change. Frankly, I'd rather drive myself. Neither the bus lines nor Amtrak is professional anymore.

 

[CHamilton]

The EB is being bussed again today, and likely tomorrow (Tuesday) between Seattle and Everett.

 

[montana mike]

#8 actually has a slight chance of being "only" 4 hours late into CHI today--the best performance for #8 in a long time!!! #7/27 is plugging along about 5+ hours late pulling into SEA/PDX shortly, so not much good news on the Western Front I am afraid.

 

[CHamilton]

#7/27 is plugging along about 5+ hours late pulling into SEA/PDX shortly, so not much good news on the Western Front I am afraid.

At least trains 7 and 8 are trains rather than buses from SEA today.

 

[Ispolkom]

#8 actually has a slight chance of being "only" 4 hours late into CHI today--the best performance for #8 in a long time!!!

Yes, Mrs. Ispolkom was surprised to see #8 go by her office only 3 hours late this morning. When she called me I had to ask to make sure that it wasn't a stub train.

 

[montana mike]

Anyone know what happened to 7(12) yesterday? It departed CHI on time but departed GLN almost 2 hours late and has lost another 2+ hours in the meantime!! Unusual places to lose time for the Empire Builder.

:-(

 

[TraneMan]

Anyone know what happened to 7(12) yesterday? It departed CHI on time but departed GLN almost 2 hours late and has lost another 2+ hours in the meantime!! Unusual places to lose time for the Empire Builder.

:-(

I was wondering about that too..

 

[tim49424]

Anyone know what happened to 7(12) yesterday? It departed CHI on time but departed GLN almost 2 hours late and has lost another 2+ hours in the meantime!! Unusual places to lose time for the Empire Builder.

:-(

I was wondering about that too..

My guess (complete speculation) maybe there was a broken or stuck switch. That happened to us the last time I was on #8 in that same area.

 

[montana mike]

I see the poor train is now well over 6 hours behind--another very late arrival in SEA and PDX I am afraid. At least Amtrak cobbled together the extra train set last fall. Without that move the Empire Builder service would have ground to a complete halt.

 

[fairviewroad]

I see the poor train is now well over 6 hours behind--another very late arrival in SEA and PDX I am afraid. At least Amtrak cobbled together the extra train set last fall. Without that move the Empire Builder service would have ground to a complete halt.

How long is that extra set going to be available? Will the equipment be needed in the busier summer months on other routes?

 

[montana mike]

I cannot imagine that Amtrak could pull that extra set from this route any time in the foreseeable future. As we all see the arrival times at both final destinations are so late now that without that set the Empire Builder schedule would quickly collapse and it would become a three days a week train. BNSF has let Amtrak know in no uncertain terms they should expect 4-6 hour delays every day along much of the EB's route until "further notice". So the extra set is all that is keeping this route going.

 

[fairviewroad]

So the extra set is all that is keeping this route going.

But at a certain point Amtrak has to make a business decision. If the extra equipment, particularly the sleepers, can be deployed on LD routes over the summer that will generate extra revenue, then they might make a calculated choice to pull the 6th Builder set. Because the 6th set isn't actually generating any revenue for Amtrak, it's simply protecting tickets already purchased.

If the EB's performance is so bad anyhow, Amtrak might want to put its resources in places where it can bring in dollars. If you figure that even in its current situation, the train will arrive in SEA/PDX "early" enough to make the turn on half the days. (And by making the turn, I mean the eastbound departures can leave under 2 hours late.) On the other half, you bus from Spokane and once or twice a month you simply annul the whole business.

Not that I'm advocating for that. But I'm sure the numbers-crunchers will consider all the options.

 

[montana mike]

Given the reality that the current EBs are not able to make the turn most days now on the west coast (for example 7(12) is now over 8 hours late) AND that bookings on the EB's for the summer are usually totally sold out, what does Amtrak do with the tens of thousands of tickets already sold on these trains. The time to pull the plug was months ago. Our local travel agent in the Valley says that the EB sleepers have been sold out on many of the summer trips for quite a while now. Killing 4 of the run days on the Hi-Line (which is what would have to happen if they pulled the extra train set) would not only destroy the Empire Builder as a viable LD train it would put a major hit onto Amtrak's LD train bottom-line, since the fares Amtrak gets for these trips in the summer are often quite high.

I don't dispute your reasoning at all, just that the time to make such a decision has long since past...........

 

[zephyr17]

Just did a trial reservation for EVR-NYP next week and the LSL is still showing as a valid connection.

 

[fairviewroad]

I don't dispute your reasoning at all, just that the time to make such a decision has long since past...........

Fair point. Wish someone on the inside could confirm whether the 6th set is staying long-term or not. Bear in mind that the last time they

scrounged up a 6th set, that was only temporary. But I think it's already lasted longer this time around. (But so have the problems).

 

[EB_OBS]

Anyone know what happened to 7(12) yesterday? It departed CHI on time but departed GLN almost 2 hours late and has lost another 2+ hours in the meantime!! Unusual places to lose time for the Empire Builder.

:-(

It departed but had engine problems right away and shoved back into CHI. Departed for the 2nd time about an hour and half later.

 

[EB_OBS]

I have heard no talk about removing the sixth set from the Empire Builder.

I've also not heard any talk about losing ridership this summer during peak season. Now I have heard of some group cancelations but I forsee this space being sold anyway. I guess we'll see

 

[PRR 60]

I posted a story on the General Rail Discussions board about the impact of the BNSF meltdown on freight shippers.

It's Not Just the Builder being Impacted on BNFS

 

[montana mike]

Yup. I read the article in the WSJ about this mess too, with the focus on the negative impacts the BNSF meltdown has had on a wide range of goods. BNSF's "good fortune" in unexpectedly getting all of this oil biz has been a double edged sword to be sure!

 

[neroden]

It still seems so wrong to call it a meltdown. Freezeup?

 

[Jim]

Jumping head first into the gauntlet today!

Bad ordered diner looking to cause about 90 minute delay and knock us out of our slot........along for the ride!