Handling of misconnect from Sunset Limited to Texas Eagle at San Antonio

[Sidney]

If I got downgraded to Coach after paying for a thru sleeper to Chicago I would demand besides my sleeper money back,a complimentary free trip in a sleeper for a future trip.No excuse for that kind of incompetence.

 

[Gary Moline]

I shudder to think what is going to happen when I take the 422 on July 17 from LAX to STL. I tried to get a roomette all the way, but I have roomette from LAX to San Antonio, coach from SA to Little Rock, roomette from LR to STL. Maybe if I get stuck on a bus they'll take me all the way to St Louis? Oh, and I have the same configuration returning on July 24: roomette, coach, roomette. It's the only way I can get to St Louis and back and I won't drive or fly.

I've been on the leg from Chicago to San Antonio both directions and it's like being in prison; no Sightseer Lounge, no dining car, you can't hang out anywhere but your room or your coach seat.

 

[Bob Dylan]

I shudder to think what is going to happen when I take the 422 on July 17 from LAX to STL. I tried to get a roomette all the way, but I have roomette from LAX to San Antonio, coach from SA to Little Rock, roomette from LR to STL. Maybe if I get stuck on a bus they'll take me all the way to St Louis? Oh, and I have the same configuration returning on July 24: roomette, coach, roomette. It's the only way I can get to St Louis and back and I won't drive or fly.

I've been on the leg from Chicago to San Antonio both directions and it's like being in prison; no Sightseer Lounge, no dining car, you can't hang out anywhere but your room or your coach seat.

Could be worse. At least you have a Room, a Sightseer Lounge and Real Food from LAX-SAS.

And while the Prison Train Ride from SAS-LRK on the Eaglette isn't anything to write home about,( 7AM-1130PM) you'll at least be able to sleep for a few Hours between LRK and STL in your Roomette.

Disclaimer: I am not riding the Eaglete until the Sightseer Lounge, the 2nd Sleeper and Traditional Dining return, and High Bucket Fares once again become Rare on this 32+ Hour Route!

 

[Sidney]

Could be worse. At least you have a Room, a Sightseer Lounge and Real Food from LAX-SAS.

And while the Prison Train Ride from SAS-LRK on the Eaglette isn't anything to write home about,( 7AM-1130PM) you'll at least be able to sleep for a few Hours between LRK and STL in your Roomette.

Disclaimer: I am not riding the Eaglete until the Sightseer Lounge, the 2nd Sleeper and Traditional Dining return, and High Bucket Fares once again become Rare on this 32+ Hour Route!

Seems Amtrak is no hurry to reinstate traditional dining and a sightseer on the Eagle and that once great train remains at the rock bottom of all of Amtrak's long distance trains.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Seems Amtrak is no hurry to reinstate traditional dining and a sightseer on the Eagle and that once great train remains at the rock bottom of all of Amtrak's long distance trains.

Sadly yes( along with the Cap and the Crescent!)

 

[Amtrak709]

Sadly yes( along with the Cap and the Crescent!)

I, too, add my two cents in agreement. Long for the days remembering my trips ATN-WAS-CHI, especially in the 1990's. Overnight sleeper to WAS; spend the day in Washington Union Station; board the sleeper on the Cap later that day; depart WAS sometimes in the snow in the dome car (there was still a dome car in the early 1990's). I have not been on the Cap lately but I suspect my railroad idol--W. Graham Claytor--would be saddened by the general operations, status, and timetable of "his" train--the Crescent.

 

[F900ElCapitan]

It is bad enough that after paying through the nose for a through sleeper from LAX to CHI you not only get stuck on a bus but when you finally get on 22 they are probably sold out of sleepers and you probably end up in coach.

It ”depends”. If you are put on a bus and caught up to the train, then your room should be waiting when you get there. They will use the extra coach and sleeper that is needed for the Thurs/Fri mornings when 1 takes the equipment and 2 shows back up on Friday morning. The other part that really bites, is you’ll lose your meals until reunited with the train. If you overnight and ride the next train, then yes, you have likely lost your accommodation since 22 only has one sleeper and you will actually be lucky if there is even coach space available since they are only running two coaches.

 

[jpakala]

We had felxibility as to dates, but in early March we went from Alton, IL just north of Saint Louis to Tucson and back and had two roomettes both ways. On the Eagle segment north of San Antonio we ate some meals in our rooms and some at a table in another car. On our return I remember the person serving asking us at breakfast whether we would be at lunch and I reminded her that we were getting off at Alton.

 

[Amtrakfflyer]

This same situation happened again yesterday 6/26. 22 departed on time with 2 arriving SAS at 7:37, yes, just 37 minutes difference.

It makes no sense at all we’re talking Amtrak here if a long distance train is an hour late to its destination I think most of us would consider that more or less on time. All the added expenses and inconvenienced/upset passengers be dammed.

I’d assume all the costs for the alternate transportation get assigned to the Eagle which along with its tiny consists will make its financials look extremely poor.

 

[Railspike]

Looks like the SL (#2) arrived in San Antonio at 7:42 this AM. Texas Eagle took off at 7 AM. Couldn't hold the Eagle for the connection? I don't get it.

 

[Sidney]

Looks like the SL (#2) arrived in San Antonio at 7:42 this AM. Texas Eagle took off at 7 AM. Couldn't hold the Eagle for the connection? I don't get it.

Less than an hour late? No excuse for 22 not too wait and inconveniece the passengers on 422. Outrageous!!

 

[joelkfla]

Less than an hour late? No excuse for 22 not too wait and inconveniece the passengers on 422. Outrageous!!

They likely were bused to catch up with 22 at a later stop.

 

[Railspike]

They likely were bused to catch up with 22 at a later stop.

I get that. But why put the passengers through that when it's less than an hour late? How do they justify this stupidity?
I suppose they don't have to justify it, they just do it.

 

[jis]

Looks like the SL (#2) arrived in San Antonio at 7:42 this AM. Texas Eagle took off at 7 AM. Couldn't hold the Eagle for the connection? I don't get it.

Are you absolutely sure that the connecting passengers were not bused to make the connection? Complaining about stuff is good, but complaining about stuff based on full possession of the facts is even better since then one does not lose credibility to be ignored the next time

I get that. But why put the passengers through that when it's less than an hour late? How do they justify this stupidity?
I suppose they don't have to justify it, they just do it.

It would have worked out to be at least an hour and a half or more delay since one would naturally then transfer the cars. Given what is know about what UP does with trains that are even in slot, it is probably prudent to not willingly put a train in the caring hands way out of slot.

Ah but then of course we could have something else to complain about

 

[Railspike]

I

Are you absolutely sure that the connecting passengers were not bused to make the connection? Complaining about stuff is good, but complaining about stuff based on full possession of the facts is even better since then one does not lose credibility to be ignored the next time



It would have worked out to be at least an hour and a half or more delay since one would naturally then transfer the cars. Given what is know about what UP does with trains that are even in slot, it is probably prudent to not willingly put a train in the caring hands way out of slot.

Ah but then of course we could have something else to complain about

I cannot be absolutely sure but checked the times posted on Amtrak web site "Train Status". #22 departed at 7:00 and #2 arrived at 7:42.

 

[billosborn]

Based on my reading of previous posts on the subject, Amtrak has a plan in place to bus folks that were on the 422, to catch the TE further north. As the previous poster mentioned, the 22 Eagle would have departed over 2 hours late, not just 20 minutes, since it takes time to attach the 422 cars to the 22. This is why the Sunset Limited has a scheduled arrival time in San Antonio 2 hours before the 22's scheduled departure.

While busing passengers from the 422 cars isn't an ideal solution, the alternative is to inconvenience everyone along the route of the 22 due to its late departure.

I am in a roomette on 422 departing LA in September, so I will let you know if I have to get awakened early on the second morning to get bused north to catch the 22.

 

[Sidney]

Based on my reading of previous posts on the subject, Amtrak has a plan in place to bus folks that were on the 422, to catch the TE further north. As the previous poster mentioned, the 22 Eagle would have departed over 2 hours late, not just 20 minutes, since it takes time to attach the 422 cars to the 22. This is why the Sunset Limited has a scheduled arrival time in San Antonio 2 hours before the 22's scheduled departure.

While busing passengers from the 422 cars isn't an ideal solution, the alternative is to inconvenience everyone along the route of the 22 due to its late departure.

I am in a roomette on 422 departing LA in September, so I will let you know if I have to get awakened early on the second morning to get bused north to catch the 22.

Is it possible for the Sunset/Eagle to leave LA at 8PM instead of 10PM? If on time,the train would be in San Antonio two hours earlier leaving plenty of time to connect 422 with 22. Even running three hours late there would still be time to attach the sleeper and coach.

Seems 422 has been late quite a lot lately inconveniencing sleeper passengers connecting to 22. It seems logical,but I'm sure there is a reason it leaves at 10 instead of earlier. The SW Chief leaves at 5:55PM

 

[jis]

Seems 422 has been late quite a lot lately inconveniencing sleeper passengers connecting to 22. It seems logical,but I'm sure there is a reason it leaves at 10 instead of earlier. The SW Chief leaves at 5:55PM

Strictly speaking it is 2 that is late missing connection to 22, thus causing inconvenience to the passengers of 422, which forms part of 2 upto SAS and then forms part of 22. I suspect that they keep a protect set of cars in SAS to use when 2 misses connection to 22, and they bus the misconnecting passenger to catch up with 22 downline, possibly in FTW, if not earlier. @Bob Dylan probably can fill in the exact details of the standard practice these days.

It is not like 2 running late is a new phenomenon. There was a period in the past when it used to run way later, and then they changed the schedule for a while to accommodate more delays, which improved things a bit. Then all that track work was completed and the later departure from LAX was restored. UP on the Sunset route is just the latter day SP in a new livery and behaves accordingly, unfortunately.

I suspect the SL leaves that late to allow for connection from CS. Connection from CS to SWC is less critical since there is a way to get to the SWC from the Bay area via Bakersfield.

 

[Sidney]

Strictly speaking it is 2 that is late missing connection to 22, thus causing inconvenience to the passengers of 422, which forms part of 2 upto SAS and then forms part of 22. I suspect that they keep a protect set of cars in SAS to use when 2 misses connection to 22, and they bus the misconnecting passenger to catch up with 22 downline, possibly in FTW, if not earlier. @Bob Dylan probably can fill in the exact details of the standard practice these days.

It is not like 2 running late is a new phenomenon. There was a period in the past when it used to run way later, and then they changed the schedule for a while to accommodate more delays, which improved things a bit. Then all that track work was completed and the later departure from LAX was restored. UP on the Sunset route is just the latter day SP in a new livery and behaves accordingly, unfortunately.

I suspect the SL leaves that late to allow for connection from CS. Connection from CS to SWC is less critical since there is a way to get to the SWC from the Bay area via Bakersfield.

Passengers connecting from The Starlight to the Sunset still have that guaranteed connection,even though it's only an hour. An 8PM 2 departure could accomodate passengers coming from Washington,Oregon and Northern California by changing to the San Jaouquins in Sacramento.

 

[jis]

Passengers connecting from The Starlight to the Sunset still have that guaranteed connection,even though it's only an hour. An 8PM 2 departure could accomodate passengers coming from Washington,Oregon and Northern California by changing to the San Jaouquins in Sacramento.

My bet though, given that it is UP, is that it won't make a difference to when the SL arrives in SAS significantly. Cynic? Moi?

 

[Bob Dylan]

Strictly speaking it is 2 that is late missing connection to 22, thus causing inconvenience to the passengers of 422, which forms part of 2 upto SAS and then forms part of 22. I suspect that they keep a protect set of cars in SAS to use when 2 misses connection to 22, and they bus the misconnecting passenger to catch up with 22 downline, possibly in FTW, if not earlier. @Bob Dylan probably can fill in the exact details of the standard practice these days.

It is not like 2 running late is a new phenomenon. There was a period in the past when it used to run way later, and then they changed the schedule for a while to accommodate more delays, which improved things a bit. Then all that track work was completed and the later departure from LAX was restored. UP on the Sunset route is just the latter day SP in a new livery and behaves accordingly, unfortunately.

I suspect the SL leaves that late to allow for connection from CS. Connection from CS to SWC is less critical since there is a way to get to the SWC from the Bay area via Bakersfield.

You are correct Sir, the usual procedure is to Bustitute to Ft Worth when #2 misses #22 in SAS, but I'm mystified why #22 left twice recently when #2 was less than an Hour Late into SAS????

If you look @ #21 and #22s OTP you'll see that UP Freight Congestion is causing Daily Delays all along the Eagle Route, and Mechanical Problems with the Tired old equipment that the Eagletes usually get is contributing to the Delays also.

 

[jis]

All I can guess is they are trying to remove the "You did not give us a train in slot" excuse thrown about by the freight railroads.

I suppose there may also be an issue of how many connects could potentially be missed in Chicago given UP's handling of out of slot trains, not that they do much better with in slot ones I am afraid.

 

[zetharion]

Should they just make bussing passengers to Ft Worth the expectation at this point? Ill be heading from LA first week of November as my last leg back to Dallas and now expect to be bussed to Ft Worth just to get off the train in Dallas.

 

[TinCan782]

All I can guess is they are trying to remove the "You did not give us a train in slot" excuse thrown about by the freight railroads.

I suppose there may also be an issue of how many connects could potentially be missed in Chicago given UP's handling of out of slot trains, not that they do much better with in slot ones I am afraid.

I was thinking about "slots" while on my recent Sunset Limited trip. Many times we wound up out of slot due freight interference....that would make being out of slot Union Pacific's fault, not Amtrak's.

 

[DetroitDave]

FWIW, I was just in a roomette on the 422 from LAX on Friday 9/2. We arrived in SAS at 5:53am...and had no issues, luckily. Switching of cars was done by 6:15am, power restored by 6:33am, and we were on our way.