Grand Canyon Railway to discontinue Amtrak shuttle service

[greatcats]

Hawhawhaw!!!! My laugh for the month!!

 

[PVD]

Just got off the phone with my sister, talking about a visit....She said "you know if you decide to come into Maricopa it isn't a bad drive." (her house is in Chandler) I told her I'd rather go into Flag and spend a day or 2 before I come down because there is so much more I want to see to see.......(last trip, Lowell Observatory and Montezuma Castle)

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

Hawhawhaw!!!! My laugh for the month!!

Happy to oblige!

 

[greatcats]

PVD- good idea! Come to Sunset Crater where I volunteer.

 

[PVD]

I'm meeting them in Dallas next month, my Brother in Law is doing a 3 day fundraiser walk against breast cancer, that will be my next LD trip, so I am looking at visiting them on a Spring trip to Arizona.......

 

[Rick Scholz]

Has there been any update as to what is happening with this? I find it interesting that the only report of this is from a local newspaper that didn't bother to get comment from Amtrak to learn their plans.

At this point, Amtrak is still selling tickets to Williams... nothing seems to have changed from Amtrak's point of view.

 

[BCL]

Has there been any update as to what is happening with this? I find it interesting that the only report of this is from a local newspaper that didn't bother to get comment from Amtrak to learn their plans.

At this point, Amtrak is still selling tickets to Williams... nothing seems to have changed from Amtrak's point of view.

I found the email of the Grand Canyon Railway marketing director (Bruce Brossman) named in the article. Anyone want to contact him and confirm?

bbrossman at xanterra dot com

 

[KnightRail]

Effective January 1, 2018 service will be discontinued at Williams Junction (WMJ). Trains 3 & 4 will no longer stop at Williams Junction. New Thruway service between Flagstaff and Williams(WMA) begins January 1, 2018, stopping at the Holiday Inn Express, NOT the Grand Canyon Railway(WMA). These changes will be reflected through the reservation channels beginning November 15th

 

[crescent-zephyr]

What a shame... Glad I did it when I could.

 

[greatcats]

This is not necessarily a bad thing. I have not been in favor of discontinuing the Williams Junction stop, but I can see the logistical problems for the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel ( Xanterra )to provide the service. I was told some time ago that their contract included keeping the forest road ( about 1 mile ) clear and accessible in the winter, which could be a problem reaching the stop at Williams Junction in bad weather ( Yes, we get heavy snow in Northern Arizona. ). I have a hunch that the Thruway operator is going to be Arizona Shuttle. While I am not really in need of the Williams stop, living in Flagstaff, which I use at least a couple of times per year, I think I am going to take a drive out to Williams soon and ask a few questions of the Holiday Inn Express, specifically if they will allow parking in their lot like the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel has permitted.

 

[KmH]

On Google Maps it looks like the Holiday Inn Express is a fairly new addition in Williams.

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.2511939,-112.1986018,166m/data=!3m1!1e3

It was a vacant lot back in September of 2011:

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.2511598,-112.1990507,3a,60y,88.23h,88.01t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sSF2ci8wtdHKUFnPYqXyWUw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

And there will soon be, or is, a La Quinta Inn & Suites adjacent to the Holiday inn Express.

Grand Canyon Railway Hotel (Xanterra) has new competition re accommodations.

It was a vacant lot back in September of 2011:

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.2511598,-112.1990507,3a,60y,88.23h,88.01t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sSF2ci8wtdHKUFnPYqXyWUw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

[Chaz]

Effective January 1, 2018 service will be discontinued at Williams Junction (WMJ). Trains 3 & 4 will no longer stop at Williams Junction. New Thruway service between Flagstaff and Williams(WMA) begins January 1, 2018, stopping at the Holiday Inn Express, NOT the Grand Canyon Railway(WMA). These changes will be reflected through the reservation channels beginning November 15th

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[neroden]

Effective January 1, 2018 service will be discontinued at Williams Junction (WMJ). Trains 3 & 4 will no longer stop at Williams Junction. New Thruway service between Flagstaff and Williams(WMA) begins January 1, 2018, stopping at the Holiday Inn Express, NOT the Grand Canyon Railway(WMA). These changes will be reflected through the reservation channels beginning November 15th

Do we know whether the new Thruway service is meeting the trains from *both directions*?

 

[greatcats]

I am going to go investigate in the next few days. If it wasn’t for that spooky at night forest Road, this would undoubtedly be handled differently.

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[greatcats]

I took a drive over to WILLIAMS today and located the Holiday Inn Express, which is a 2 year old Hotel and it is a few blocks walk to the Grand Canyon Railway. The gentleman at the desk knew nothing about the upcoming Amtrak arrangements, but gave me the manager’s card. Had a good dinner at Red Raven.

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[Bob Dylan]

So typical of Amtrak to make Major adjustments and those that will be directly affected ,ie the employees @ the Holiday Inn Express in Williams, know nothing about it!

Good thing the changes don't start for a few years eh, no wait....

 

[jis]

But Jan 1 is still more than 6 weeks away. I am actually not surprised that a desk clerk at the Holiday Inn does not know anything about it at this point. I am actually wondering what eaxct role anyone in the Holiday inn has in all this. Are they going to be handling bagagge and tickets? If not, and if it is merely a bus stopping in front of the hotel, what do they have to do?

 

[greatcats]

I agree that this is not surprising. I was just reporting on what I found yesterday. The Grand Canyon Railway Hotel I have observed is in touch with Flagstaff ticket office as to the number of passengers expected, but they have been the ones running the shuttle, but do not handle tickets or baggage.

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[Chaz]

So typical of Amtrak to make Major adjustments and those that will be directly affected ,ie the employees @ the Holiday Inn Express in Williams, know nothing about it!

Good thing the changes don't start for a few years eh, no wait....[emoji848]

My IPad now flashes advice about new posts. I was startled to see that Bob Dylan was responding to this Williams thread. Then I realized it was ‘our’ Bob Dylan.

 

[MikefromCrete]

It's not surprising at all that some random desk clerk doesn't know about the upcoming shuttle stop. I imagine the hotel will only be a place to pick up and drop off passengers, with the hotel employees having little to do with the operation, other than check in passengers who are staying at the hotel.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

It's not surprising at all that some random desk clerk doesn't know about the upcoming shuttle stop. I imagine the hotel will only be a place to pick up and drop off passengers, with the hotel employees having little to do with the operation, other than check in passengers who are staying at the hotel.

I'm not surprised the clerk doesn't know, and presumably somebody will say something before the service begins, but if the ball is dropped I wouldn't want to depend on the good graces of an uninformed check-in clerk in the middle of the night during a Northern Arizona winter.

 

[greatcats]

Tonight I was in downtown Flagstaff and strolled over to the station between the numerous long freight trains. I asked the gent on duty in the station what he knew about the discontinuance of the Williams Junction stop. He has only heard something about it, and does not rely on rumors, and has heard nothing official. Another poster earlier in this thread quoted a notice, which I do not find on the Amtrak website, that a shuttle was to be provided to from Flagstaff to the Holiday Inn Express in Williams. I have punched in reservation dates for January and it says there are no trains serving this station. The way it reads now, January 1 will be the last day of service to Williams Junction. To me this indicates one of two things: 1. Amtrak intends to completely drop service to Williams after January 1 ( and no reservations are currently being accepted ) or 2:they are still trying to hammer out details of how to arrange a shuttle. In previous posts, while i am not pleased about this, I can see some of the reasons for the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel dropping out of the picture. I would think that Arizona Shuttle, which provides frequent service to Phoenix Airport and also to Grand Canyon via Williams, could be contracted to meet the Amtrak trains.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

When I rode the Chief last year, I had dinner with a man who was also going on the Grand Canyon railway. I was getting off in williams, and he was going on to Flafstaff and taking a bus from there. He ended up in Williams the next day, so I am assuming that bus does exist?

 

[greatcats]

Yes, there are I believe two, sometimes three trips per day that operate Flagstaff- Williams- Grand Canyon ( South Rim. ). They do not correspond with the times of the Amtrak train, although they originate at Flagstaff station.

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[KnightRail]

Greatcats, what is unclear at this point?, other than the gent in Flagstaff hasnt been reading his advisories.

Train service to Williams Junction(platform in the woods) is totally going away in the new year. No Amtrak train will stop anywhere in Williams. Any travel to Williams by Amtrak train will be via Flagstaff. The new thruway services operated by Arizona shuttle are defenitly loaded and available to book. City code Williams, AZ - Holiday Inn Express (WMH)

FLG-WMH

8954 6:00a>6:45a

8953 10:10p>10:55p

WMH-FLG

8854 4:15a>5:00a

8853 7:30p>8:15p

While some of the times do not correspond exactly with train times, these are the established thruway connections for Williams for Trains 3 & 4.