Hurricane Sandy and Amtrak.

[NY Penn]

Why is Amtrak taking so long to even admit that Sandy will affect it? At this point it should be obvious that it will have to shut the NEC down.

 

[The Davy Crockett]

From Amtrak's website:

AMTRAK BEGINS TO CANCEL SOME SERVICE IN ADVANCE OF HURRICANE SANDYPassengers encouraged to travel earlier and check train status before departing to station

Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012

6:30 p.m. ET

As Hurricane Sandy continues to progress, Amtrak is canceling some service for Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012. Passengers are encouraged to travel on earlier available trains on Sunday. Additional cancelations might be necessary in the coming days as this major storm moves north.

While Amtrak will be contacting passengers who have provided information in their reservations, customers are encouraged to monitor Amtrak.com/alerts and those Northeast Corridor passengers on Acela Express, Northeast Regional or Keystone Service trains can follow @AmtrakNEC on Twitter to be notified when updates are posted on Amtrak.com. Amtrak will also be providing updates on the Facebook.com/Amtrak and Twitter.com/Amtrak pages.

The following cancelations have been made:

Origination dates of Sunday, Oct. 28

Canceled between Richmond and Newport News, Va.: Northeast Regional Train 99

Canceled between Chicago and Washington D.C.: Capitol Limited Train 30

Canceled between Miami and New York: Silver Star Train 92

Canceled between Washington D.C. and New York: Silver Meteor Train 98 and Crescent Train 20

Origination dates of Monday, Oct. 29

Canceled between Washington D.C. and Chicago: Capitol Limited Train 29

 

[Anderson]

Well, it looks like at least the "odd" LD trains are still originating tomorrow, so that's good. But I'm really glad I didn't bet on Monday's train.

 

[Trogdor]

And I'm booked on the Meteor tomorrow night. I moved my departure up as much as my schedule allows me to in light of the changing storm schedule.

Edit: Oddity I've noticed. The Meteor is down to one room left and the Star is sold out (those sleepers are selling quite quickly today...I'm guessing I'm not the only one doing what I'm doing). Why in the blazes are the Meteor roomettes still at $322 rather than at $458?

I believe they resell cancelled res. rooms for what the original price paid was.

I think you're partly right...actually, I'm guessing that it's "they at least do so unless revenue management gets to the room first."

I don't know the specifics of revenue management for this train, but Arrow does not automatically resell a canceled room at the original bucket. It sells at whatever would be the prevailing fare for that level of availability (meaning, if there's 1 roomette left, it will sell at $X). How revenue management specifically handles things is beyond my area of expertise, but one possibility is that for what's generally a low travel period, a late cancellation may result in a room going unsold. Therefore, they set rates to a lower bucket to increase the chance that a late cancel will resell.

I'll agree that it probably would have made sense to shut down inventory so that they could start rebooking folks off the cancelled trains, but I believe that's actually a different group that does that vs. revenue management (not that it makes a difference).

 

[Guestlsa]

Just reported that some trains are cancel . Wow sandy wants to visit all places at 1 time

 

[amamba]

Stay safe everyone! It is like the calm before the storm right now by me. Gloomy and gray and the wind is starting to pick up a little.

 

[The Davy Crockett]

Stay safe everyone! It is like the calm before the storm right now by me. Gloomy and gray and the wind is starting to pick up a little.

Same here in Northern VA.

 

[BOS-T-Time]

Hello all,

This storm is unprecedented in size and nature, with it being a tropical force (Hurricane) combined with a cold low (Nor'easter) barreling at the coast from almost due east. This storm is going to be extremely dangerous for areas from North Carolina through Maine with storm surge predicted for Long Island and New York City to be 4-12 feet and winds at Hurricane force. I can not see the NEC operating during the height of this storm especially along the CT and RI coast, or any other train in the North East for that matter. Along with the winds covering a 900 mile wide path, the rain is a major concern with upwards of 10" predicted for parts of PA, NJ, DE, and NY. Please everyone be safe and listen to the forecasts as this is a very dangerous storm. I have two friends that are meterologists and they have never seen anything like this, and are warning everyone to be prepared for a period of no electricity.

I hope Amtrak and the host railroads are able to keep the infrastructure clear and up and running for as long as possibly is safe and back in working order as soon as the storm passes. I know I had my first overnight LD train planned for weeks using points leaving on Tuesday but I went ahead and cancelled it because I do not think conditions are going to be good to get from BOS to NYP.

BOS-T-Time

PS. the MTA is shutting everything down at 19:00 this evening per the Governor of N.Y.

 

[SubwayNut]

The MTA here in New York City just said their suspending all Subway, Bus, Metro-North, and LIRR service effective 7pm this evening in preparation for the storm. The big fear about the storm from the serge is that salt water could enter any and all underwater tunnels. As part of the MTA release alert:

The Metro-North suspension also will affect all service on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor.

This means that Amtrak service between New York and New Haven has already been officially canceled effective 7pm! I assume that also means Empire Service Trains.

 

[jis]

It is very likely that very little will be moving on the NEC morning of Tuesday. Things might start getting better late in the day.

Mayor Bloomburg just announced that all of MTA including LIRR and MNRR will be shutting down starting at 7pm Sunday and will remain shut on Monday. NJT Rail, Bus and Light Rail operations will be shut down starting sometime late evening Sunday and will remain closed on Monday. Decision about Tuesday to be made on Monday.

I expect Amtrak will announce its full disposition for Monday sometime late this afternoon or early evening.

 

[afigg]

It is very likely that very little will be moving on the NEC morning of Tuesday. Things might start getting better late in the day.

Given that the forecast has the center of the storm over SE PA at 8 AM Tuesday and slowly moving to the NW and North through Wednesday, we may see the NEC entirely shut down through Wednesday, except perhaps for some limited traffic on the Boston end.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

Some of the worst case scenario models have a 40 foot wall of water driving into the Sound as well as up the East and Hudson Rivers. While that is an extreme scenario, that should be enough to encourage anyone in the City or Long Island to get out and head inland.

 

[June the Coach Rider]

I just hope all fellow AUs stay safe and indoors, going out to watch the huge waves or to watch the wind blow is just asking for trouble. Stay inside with your train books, nice hot coffee and someone or something to cuddle with.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

I just hope all fellow AUs stay safe and indoors, going out to watch the huge waves or to watch the wind blow is just asking for trouble. Stay inside with your train books, nice hot coffee and someone or something to cuddle with.

Better yet pack all essential supplies and papers and head well west out of the area. Hopefully Amtrak will move all equipment out and to high ground in upstate New York or elsewhere as well.

 

[CHamilton]

Google's "crisis map" is up, with information about

Storm: Current location

Storm: Forecast track

Storm: 3-day forecast cone

Cloud imagery

Weather radar (US)

High wind probability

Public alerts

Hurricane evacuation routes (US)

Traffic conditions

Webcams

Active emergency shelters (US)

and other information. Hmm, no "train cancellation" category.

 

[MrFSS]

Are you guys seeing that local businesses and schools are announcing they will be closed while all this is going on? Wonder what essential services employees do about getting to work, hospitals, etc.

 

[CHamilton]

Amtrak posts on Facebook:

We will be announcing additional cancellations due to Hurricane Sandy shortly. We thank you for your patience.

 

[gatelouse]

@AmtrakNEC reports no NEC or Keystone service on Monday. Looks like 30 is also canceled for Tuesday (shows sold out for WAS-RKV) though not officially announced yet.

 

[amamba]

Are you guys seeing that local businesses and schools are announcing they will be closed while all this is going on? Wonder what essential services employees do about getting to work, hospitals, etc.

They have closed the public schools in my town for tomorrow. And we are not even that close to the storm. (Rhode Island) I know we will be affected but we aren't looking at the same kind of danger as folks farther south.

 

[CHamilton]

Amtrak Northeast Corridor Services Canceled on Monday, October 29

by Amtrak on Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 11:57am ·

All Acela Express, Northeast Regional, Keystone and Shuttle services are canceled for trains originating on that date. Also Empire Service, Adirondack, Vermonter, Ethan Allen and Pennsylvanian train services suspended, along with overnight services to and from the East Coast.

The predicted landfall of Hurricane Sandy, with associated high winds and heavy rains in the mid-Atlantic region, combined with emergency declarations in several states, has led Amtrak to cancel Northeast Corridor service north of New York starting at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 28, and to cancel nearly all service on the eastern seaboard on Monday, October 29.

All Acela Express, Northeast Regional, Keystone and Shuttle services are canceled for trains originating on that date. Also Empire Service, Adirondack, Vermonter, Ethan Allenand Pennsylvanian train services are suspended, along with the overnight Auto Train, Capitol Limited, Crescent, Lake Shore Limited, Palmetto and Silver Meteor trains.

Exceptions: The Maple Leaf (Trains 63 & 64), will operate only between Toronto, Ontario, Canada and Albany-Rensselaer, N.Y., rather than originating and terminating at New York City; the Carolinian (Trains 79 & 80), will operate only between Charlotte and Raleigh rather than originating and terminating in New York City; the Silver Star (Trains 91 & 92) will operate only between Jacksonville, Tampa and Miami, Fla., rather than originating and terminating in New York City. Piedmont service (Trains 73-76) within North Carolina will operate normally.

Amtrak Thruway Bus Services associated with these canceled trains are also suspended. Alternate transportation for canceled services is not available.

Dates for service restorations are pending. Amtrak will update this statement by 6:00 p.m. ET on Monday, October 29, or as needed.

While Amtrak will be contacting passengers who have provided information in their reservations, customers are encouraged to monitor Amtrak.com/alerts and those Northeast Corridor passengers on Acela Express, Northeast Regional or Keystone Service trains can follow @AmtrakNEC on Twitter to be notified when updates are posted on Amtrak.com. Amtrak will also be providing updates on the Facebook.com/Amtrak andTwitter.com/Amtrak pages.

Passengers who have paid but choose not to travel due to this service disruption can receive a refund or a voucher for future travel. Some tickets booked online that have not yet been printed can be modified or canceled on Amtrak.com or by using the free Amtrak mobile app.

To be notified of major service disruptions resulting in delays of 60 minutes or more to multiple trains on the Northeast Corridor, follow @AmtrakNEC on Twitter.

Amtrak regrets any inconvenience. This information is correct as of the above time and date. Information is subject to change as conditions warrant. Passengers are encouraged to call 800-USA-RAIL or visitAmtrak.com/alerts for Service Alerts and Passenger Notices. Schedule information and train status updates are available at the Amtrak.com home page.

 

[Anderson]

Ok, I'm really glad that I placed my bet on Sunday rather than Monday.

A particularly...interesting thought: I'm very glad I opted to do Canada last weekend instead of this weekend (I'd considered both options at different times). Not only did I get the dome car, but I actually got home!

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Are you guys seeing that local businesses and schools are announcing they will be closed while all this is going on? Wonder what essential services employees do about getting to work, hospitals, etc.

I imagine the same thing they do when there's a big snow storm predicted. Probably arrive at the hospitals, etc early or are picked up by people driving SUVs/Trucks/Etc that can navigate the poor driving conditions.

I work for a company tha processes bill payments and it's a 24/7 operation. I have not heard yet if they will close tomorrow. I sent my boss an email saying if they don't need me (my work is not 24/7 stuff) I will take a personal day and stay home. I live less than 10 mins from the office so if they need me to help out with anything, I told him to let me know.

 

[Ryan]

Are you guys seeing that local businesses and schools are announcing they will be closed while all this is going on? Wonder what essential services employees do about getting to work, hospitals, etc.

School districts here in Maryland are starting to close for tomorrow.
Essential employees will usually stay at/near work for the duration. My Dad is a shift supervisor in the central control center for PEPCO - he's going in early/mid-day tomorrow and will stay at work until the service restoration is complete. They've got a block of hotel rooms reserved up the street and a bunkroom on site if things get too bad.

 

[The Davy Crockett]

The winds are picking up here in ALX, but no rain - yet. The Feds have not said what they are doing for tomorrow. The city of ALX has declared a state of emergency

 

[crescent2]

Praying for the people and animals in the Northeast, stay safe.