EB mess

[CHamilton]

i don't see how the old schedule can be reinstated but a reservation from 6/9 on gives the old times and the old schedule is the one published in the summer/fall timetable. what sort of cretins are running amtrak?

I have my own opinions about that...but they did not program the temporary schedule into their system beyond 5/31. When they do make a decision, you can bet that you will get a flurry of email and voice messages informing you of the "change."

 

[montana mike]

We would instantly go from 4+ hours late to 7+ hours late again--arrrrrgh!

I just saw #8 in MT lost over 7 hours around WFH. Anyone know what happened?

:-(

 

[Phil S]

I gather no one knows what happened? Nothing at TO. No news that I could find.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

BNSF is try to get the farm's fertilizer out, major traffic detour off the high line.

Trains are holding on power, lack of crews.

All over the system it seems.

Things falling apart fast.

Big Ag going to have a fit.

 

[montana mike]

Now I am confused. I went on line to look at possible reservations for #8 in mid June and they show departure times with the built in 3 hour padding (as it is now), however, when you go onto Amtrak's schedule (effective 6/9) it shows the old scheduled time without the padding. Shall I assume the time on the reservation is the accurate one and the "new" (effective 6/9) schedule is just fantasy?

BTW-#8 now shows a service disruption for this train, still just west of Glacier national park (now around 8 hours behind schedule)-at least the pax will see the Park in the daylight (one has to look on the bright side of a very gloomy situation). It lost all of this time between Libby, MT and Whitefish. Clearly something really bad happened to the EB or on the BNSF tracks to cause such a lengthy delay, bummer....This sucker is going to be one of those trains arriving as dawn breaks the day after the scheduled arrival date in CHI. I hope they have sufficient food for everyone!!!!

 

[PRR 60]

Now I am confused. I went on line to look at possible reservations for #8 in mid June and they show departure times with the built in 3 hour padding (as it is now), however, when you go onto Amtrak's schedule (effective 6/9) it shows the old scheduled time without the padding. Shall I assume the time on the reservation is the accurate one and the "new" (effective 6/9) schedule is just fantasy?

BTW-#8 now shows a service disruption for this train, still just west of Glacier national park (now around 8 hours behind schedule)-at least the pax will see the Park in the daylight (one has to look on the bright side of a very gloomy situation). It lost all of this time between Libby, MT and Whitefish. Clearly something really bad happened to the EB or on the BNSF tracks to cause such a lengthy delay, bummer....This sucker is going to be one of those trains arriving as dawn breaks the day after the scheduled arrival date in CHI. I hope they have sufficient food for everyone!!!!

The on-line booking system pulls its info from the Amtrak CRS - Arrrow, so those are the accurate times. The June 9 System Timetable page for the Builder has a warning that the schedule is subject to change.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Well it official. I don't want to hear of BNSF or Amtrak running out of crews.

Both Amtrak and BNSF have passed on hire me.

Amtrak has rejected my application.

BNSF gave me a invitation to a job interview, but only 7 days notice. (I need 9-10 days).

Glad to hear the shortage of hard working crews is over.

 

[yarrow]

Well it official. I don't want to hear of BNSF or Amtrak running out of crews.

Both Amtrak and BNSF have passed on hire me.

Amtrak has rejected my application.

BNSF gave me a invitation to a job interview, but only 7 days notice. (I need 9-10 days).

Glad to hear the shortage of hard working crews is over.

amtrak may have rejected you feeling you don't have the requisite capacity to put up with frequent and large loads of management bs

 

[montana mike]

I gather no one knows what happened? Nothing at TO. No news that I could find.

One of my BNSF folks just told me: Another "incident" in the area where they had the earlier derailment (he did not elaborate and I could tell he was not a happy camper today). Must have been fairly significant, since it cost #8 over 7 hours yesterday. That train is now well over 9 hours late and just heading into the worst traffic area now. I think this one is still on track for an early sunrise arrival in CHI tomorrow-bummer....

 

[TraneMan]

I gather no one knows what happened? Nothing at TO. No news that I could find.

One of my BNSF folks just told me: Another "incident" in the area where they had the earlier derailment (he did not elaborate and I could tell he was not a happy camper today). Must have been fairly significant, since it cost #8 over 7 hours yesterday. That train is now well over 9 hours late and just heading into the worst traffic area now. I think this one is still on track for an early sunrise arrival in CHI tomorrow-bummer....

I read that that had engine issues and no go. So I'm guessing they had to wait for another engine.

-Sent from my iPad using Amtrak Forum App.

 

[EB_OBS]

BNSF derailment at Katka, MP 1363.3, 40 miles west of Libby, MT. Sometime before 3:30am MT this morning. #7(20) is holding at Libby, MT.

 

[Cina]

amtrak may have rejected you feeling you don't have the requisite capacity to put up with frequent and large loads of management bs

:lol:

 

[Cina]

You know what would cut down on waste? If all of the tableware were edible. Every meal served in either a bread bowl or waffle cone.

 

[montana mike]

BNSF derailment at Katka, MP 1363.3, 40 miles west of Libby, MT. Sometime before 3:30am MT this morning. #7(20) is holding at Libby, MT.

The Empire Builders just can't catch a break can they!!! BNSF has not had a good week either.....

:-(

 

[pianocat]

Just to confirm suspicions that EB will continue with the extra time padding for the summer.... My EB reservation for Aug. 6 has officially now been switched to reflect a 3 hour earlier departure out of Spokane [now Aug. 5] . Interesting how they 'notified' me.... new e-Tickets appeared in my inbox, without explanation. Good thing I knew this was probably going to happen, anyway - since the only change to my itinerary was the dep. on EB. An opening note/explanation would have been nice...what about the folks who have no clue about this train's abysmal on-time record?

 

[CHamilton]

Someone else with a similar itinerary on 7/16 posted on Facebook that they just got the same revisions.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Welcome to Amworld where Communication is Job 10!!! Their motto towards Customer communication seems to be send out robo mail, job done!

You're trip is still wonderful, were envious!

 

[rusty spike]

Yep, they just sent me an email with revised eticket for my July trip to WFH showing that the EB #28 will depart PDX 3 hours earlier than my original reservation made on Mar. 27. So the "temporary" schedule adjustment has "officially" been made permanent at least through July.

Of course unless it's changed again.

No explanation or notice in the email that the ressie was revised. But I was expecting it anyway.

But what had been planned as a return trip on #7 the following week has been cancelled due to these absurd 1-3 AM departures from Whitefish when you expecting to leave at 10:46 PM. I would rather stay in my comfy hotel room, get up early the next morning and drive the rental car back to Seattle and will probably be there ahead of the EBl! YMMV.

edited for typo

 

[neroden]

You know what would cut down on waste? If all of the tableware were edible. Every meal served in either a bread bowl or waffle cone.

Perhaps pure Ethiopian style dining. (Even the tablecloth is made of bread.) ;-)

 

[JayPea]

I got the same email(s) and revised eticket(s) for my June trip: Spokane-Seattle on the 23rd, Seattle-Glacier Park on the 25th, and Glacier Park-Spokane on the 28th. And for a return trip from Glacier Park to Spokane on August 11th. Funny part was that I got no such revision for my trip TO Glacier Park: Champaign-Chicago on the 4th of August, Chicago to Los Angeles on the 4th, Los Angeles to Portland on the 6th, and Portland to Glacier Park on the 7th. Since the connection between the CS and the EB on the 7th is broken, that changed the whole thing. Guess they forgot to mention that little detail in passing. However, on the August trip to Glacier, I am traveling with my uncle and his two granddaughters. And while I am returning to Spokane from Glacier, he and his granddaughters are returning to Champaign. So he noticed the change to that reservation. Not the Chicago-Glacier Park reservation. So after he called me and hashing over our options, we decided to change our reservations for a day earlier and hope they still had bedrooms available on all three trains. He then called AGR, and was able to secure two bedrooms for all our reservations except from Portland to Glacier Park, where there was only one bedroom left. He settled for a roomette instead. So with that settled, the discussion turned to where to stay. I gave him yarrow's recent suggestion of the Econolodge, and my uncle was able to secure two rooms there. Yarrow, from Colfax to Nine Mile Falls, I thank you very much!

So now we are all set. We still arrive in Glacier on the 8th. Our plan is to rent a car, drive to Yellowstone, and spend a few days there. I had been wondering about how this was all going to play out, knowing the schedule change was going to extend well beyond the end of this month. Only problem is come from a long, proud line of nervous Nellies, fussbudgets, stewers, and worriers on my mother's side of the family, and I now have one less thing to fuss, stew, and worry about. Drat! :lol:

 

[montana mike]

#8, still in MN is now approaching 11 hours behind schedule. Let's see if they get to CHI before the first rays of sunshine hit Lake Michigan!!

 

[D.P. Roberts]

But what had been planned as a return trip on #7 the following week has been cancelled due to these absurd 1-3 AM departures from Whitefish when you expecting to leave at 10:46 PM. I would rather stay in my comfy hotel room, get up early the next morning and drive the rental car back to Seattle and will probably be there ahead of the EBl! YMMV.

Whitefish is such a popular destination, it's a shame to see what the schedule has done to it. It does make one wonder how many passengers Amtrak has lost on westbound trips from Montana. Other than people who have a whole lot of time on their hands, I really wonder how anyone can count on the EB as actual transportation at this point.

Amtrak's website still has the "new" schedule listed as ending on June 9. However, when booking a trip on the site, the new schedule is now in effect through September 8th.

 

[George Harris]

Not specific to the EB route, but of interest:

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/05/21/180000-new-cars-sitting-waiting-for-trains/?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000588

Picture is of a UP train, so apparently the problems go far beyond the North Coast Route

 

[Crescent ATN & TCL]

In the midst of the biggest domestic oil boom of the century 7 hrs is a miracle. If CSX were running the show it would be worse. We just need to accept that the most scenic route from east to west is overloaded with America's favorite fuel right now and that supplying oil is the most important thing to our country right now.

 

[CHamilton]

#8, still in MN is now approaching 11 hours behind schedule. Let's see if they get to CHI before the first rays of sunshine hit Lake Michigan!!

It did, at 2:49 am, 10h 54m late. A passenger reported on Facebook that they lost more time at the WI-IL border due to engine failure.