Missouri Mules cancelled

[Guest]

Service Alert: Missouri Mules cancelled between St. Louis and Kansas City

May 4, 2007

Union Pacific Railroad has informed Amtrak the route used by the Missouri Mules passenger trains between St. Louis and Kansas City has an unusually high amount of freight train congestion today, May 4.

Therefore, service by Train 311, the morning westbound train from St. Louis, and by Train 314, one of afternoon eastbound trains from Kansas City, is cancelled today. Alternate transportation will be provided by Train 313, the afternoon westbound train from St. Louis, and by Train 316, another afternoon eastbound train from Kansas City, or by chartered motorcoaches.

Amtrak regrets any inconvenience.

This information is correct as of the above time and date and will be updated as needed. Passengers are encouraged to call 800-USA-RAIL or visit Amtrak.com for schedule information and train status updates.

 

[had8ley]

Service Alert: Missouri Mules cancelled between St. Louis and Kansas City
May 4, 2007

Union Pacific Railroad has informed Amtrak the route used by the Missouri Mules passenger trains between St. Louis and Kansas City has an unusually high amount of freight train congestion today, May 4.

Therefore, service by Train 311, the morning westbound train from St. Louis, and by Train 314, one of afternoon eastbound trains from Kansas City, is cancelled today. Alternate transportation will be provided by Train 313, the afternoon westbound train from St. Louis, and by Train 316, another afternoon eastbound train from Kansas City, or by chartered motorcoaches.

Amtrak regrets any inconvenience.

This information is correct as of the above time and date and will be updated as needed. Passengers are encouraged to call 800-USA-RAIL or visit Amtrak.com for schedule information and train status updates.

This proves the point that the UP could care less about Amtrak. If Omaha, (headquarters for the UP) heard that a freight train was being annulled because of heavy traffic heads would roll instantly. No, I don't think this was a by product of a charm school graduate but an anxious manager wanting to move freight tonnage. I also suspect that there were probably freight trains tied up on the main line due to yard congestion or a derailment.

 

[lostinphotoland]

honestly not that many people ride that line, although it was a Friday train...

 

[AlanB]

honestly not that many people ride that line, although it was a Friday train...

While I'll allow that it's not the NEC, I think that there are 119,257 people who would disagree with the statement "that not many people ride that line." That's how many people rode it last year and that number puts the Mules ridership higher than the following trains the Piedmont, Ethan Allen, Vermonter, Heartland Flyer, Adirondack, Hosier State, and the Piere Marquette.

And I be willing to bet that if UP performed better and would stop cancelling things on Amtrak, that the line would do even better.

 

[Sam Damon]

No, I don't think this was a by product of a charm school graduate but an anxious manager wanting to move freight tonnage. I also suspect that there were probably freight trains tied up on the main line due to yard congestion or a derailment.

If indeed this is a case of an anxious manager wanting to move freight tonnage, I'm concerned and upset. If it's a nasty yard derailment resulting in congestion, I'm somewhat less upset.

What worries me would be if UP got the impression they could cancel Amtrak trains when management feels like it. Worse, other railroads might get the same idea. "Let's cancel the Capitol Limited today, we have a maintenance blitz going on Track 1." "Okay, I'll tell Amtrak."

Ugly.

Of course, the OTP performance of the LSL and CL is pretty dismal at present, which suggests that the freight railroads are running Amtrak any d@*n way they feel like it.

 

[stlouielady]

honestly not that many people ride that line, although it was a Friday train...

While I'll allow that it's not the NEC, I think that there are 119,257 people who would disagree with the statement "that not many people ride that line." That's how many people rode it last year and that number puts the Mules ridership higher than the following trains the Piedmont, Ethan Allen, Vermonter, Heartland Flyer, Adirondack, Hosier State, and the Piere Marquette.

And I be willing to bet that if UP performed better and would stop cancelling things on Amtrak, that the line would do even better.

I'm one of those 119,257 people, and I'm a regular rider on this line. UP has contributed to making this route a bit of a joke. The last time I rode from Kansas City back to Kirkwood, the scheduled 5 hour trip took us almost 7. We sat along the sidings and watched freight after freight pass us by. As long as you're not in a hurry, this is a great way to get back and forth from St Louis to Kansas City, or to any of the other 9 stops that it serves. However, because of the shoddy performance of it, it loses passengers to people who'd rather drive and deal with the crazies out on Interstate 70. Everytime I take it, business class has only 2 or 3 people in it, and the two coaches are probably 1/2 to 2/3 full. What a shame.....

 

[battalion51]

This is just further proof of the capacity issues that plague the entire UP system. UP's system is melting down, they keep adding trains, but not places to put them. If only UP would take the Matt Rose approach.

 

[AlanB]

I'm one of those 119,257 people, and I'm a regular rider on this line. UP has contributed to making this route a bit of a joke. The last time I rode from Kansas City back to Kirkwood, the scheduled 5 hour trip took us almost 7. We sat along the sidings and watched freight after freight pass us by. As long as you're not in a hurry, this is a great way to get back and forth from St Louis to Kansas City, or to any of the other 9 stops that it serves. However, because of the shoddy performance of it, it loses passengers to people who'd rather drive and deal with the crazies out on Interstate 70. Everytime I take it, business class has only 2 or 3 people in it, and the two coaches are probably 1/2 to 2/3 full. What a shame.....

That sounds a bit like my trip a few years ago on that line. I caught the Ann Rutledge out of KC and we spent a great deal of time waiting for UP. In fact just as we were approaching the next to last stop before arriving into St Louis, they had a real tangle of trains. The dispatcher screwed up and put too many trains out on the line and then couldn't fit things through because he miscalculated the lengths of the trains. We ended up needing to back up about a 1/2 mile, so that he could push a westbound freight through the spot where we were sitting to clear up the jam he had created.

I seem to recall though that BC had a few more people than 2 or 3. I think it was closer to 5 or 6, including me. North out of STL however BC was about 3/4's full.

 

[EmpireBuilderFan1976]

UP or any railroad for that matter should not be allowed to just cancel and Amtrak train because of freight congestion. That is not Amtrak's nor the passengers who ride Amtrak's problem. I'm not going to hold my breath, but the only way this is going to be put to rest once and for all is if the government steps in and forces UP and the other railroads to give priority to Amtrak. It is ridiculous what these freight railroads are allowed to get away with.

 

[jefffromark]

Going westbound I thought the line split past Jefferson City so I dont see what the problem is - and Jeff City going east is mostly double track.

Anyway since Megabus has joined St.Louis and KC together you can travel non-stop under 4 hours for a low price. Greyhound has 4 departures a day for under 5 hours. I think even I could handle those few hours between the 2 cities. But for the local stops, then of course you have no choice but the train or drive yourself.

 

[como]

Much of this is tied into track work between St. Louis and Kansas City. Both KC to SL trains leave in the afternoon to avoid track work. Note the following from Amtrak's website on March 21.

Amtrak Adjusts Missouri Service Schedules to Accommodate Trackwork

Trains will continue to operate twice daily; Modified schedules take effect on April 2

CHICAGO - amtrak is adjusting train schedules between St. Louis and Kansas City effective April 2, 2007, due to a major track repair project by the line's owner, Union Pacific Railroad (UP). The project will continue through the fall of 2007 and is expected to lead to improved ride quality and reliability.

During the construction period, UP will install new rail, ties, ballast and replace surfaces at road crossings. Unlike 2006, when amtrak and the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) regularly chartered motorcoaches, this year's plan calls for two daily round-trips to be provided solely by train.

"Although we were able to maintain frequencies by using buses last year, ridership numbers were down because the buses could not equal the seating capacity, schedules and appeal of amtrak travel," said Rod Massman, Railroad Administrator at MoDOT. "The Missouri Rail Passenger Coalition and other customers have made it clear to us they expect to ride a train when they buy a ticket, so we've changed schedules to accommodate the UP track work and still provide twice-daily round-trips by train," Massman added.

Modified schedules for the Missouri Mule Service (Trains 311 & 316) and Ann Rutledge (Trains 314 & 313) are below, showing the two daily round-trips on the route. amtrak has reserved the right to occasionally charter buses to represent trains that would otherwise be greatly delayed. This is a practice also used in other parts of the amtrak network.

UP has informed amtrak and MoDOT there could be an opportunity for a schedule change that would restore Train 314 to an earlier eastbound schedule from Kansas City for several weeks this summer. Passengers are encouraged to check amtrak.com, www.morail.org, pay close attention to station notices or on-board announcements or call 800-USA-RAIL for any updates.

"We greatly appreciate the patience of amtrak customers while our crews complete the necessary track maintenance that will further enhance safe railroad operations across the state of Missouri," said Randy Blackburn, Union Pacific regional vice president, operations, for the Northern Region.

 

[AmtrakWPK]

Hmmmmmm. I think the solution should be that in the next appropriations bill for Amtrak, a clause is inserted that says that for each time an Amtrak train is sitting still on a siding while freights pass it in either direction, $1 per freight car gets paid by the freight line to each passenger on that train. The more passengers there are on the train (and are therefore inconvenienced), the more it costs that freight road for that freight train to take precedence over the Amtrak train. If the freight is sitting still while the Amtrak train passes, no penalty is paid. So if a 100-car freight passes an Amtrak sitting on a siding, each passenger on that train gets a check for $100 for THAT freight train delaying them. I suspect we'd see a whole lot of expediting of passenger trains, REAL QUICK. And if not, the passengers would probably be ok with it since their passage would probably be completely paid for by the freight road. Until it hits the freight rrs in the wallet hard enough to hurt, nothing is going to change, except maybe it's continue to get worse.

 

[DaveKCMO]

for only two trains a day, this route does rather well and is quite popular despite being threatened constantly by the missouri house and UP dispatching.

 

[Trogdor]

If indeed this is a case of an anxious manager wanting to move freight tonnage, I'm concerned and upset. If it's a nasty yard derailment resulting in congestion, I'm somewhat less upset.
What worries me would be if UP got the impression they could cancel Amtrak trains when management feels like it.

Well, this isn't the first time that the St. Louis-Kansas City service has been canceled due to congestion. I seem to recall this happening at least a couple of times a year in the past few years.

 

[lostinphotoland]

honestly not that many people ride that line, although it was a Friday train...

While I'll allow that it's not the NEC, I think that there are 119,257 people who would disagree with the statement "that not many people ride that line." That's how many people rode it last year and that number puts the Mules ridership higher than the following trains the Piedmont, Ethan Allen, Vermonter, Heartland Flyer, Adirondack, Hosier State, and the Piere Marquette.

And I be willing to bet that if UP performed better and would stop cancelling things on Amtrak, that the line would do even better.

I'm one of those 119,257 people, and I'm a regular rider on this line. UP has contributed to making this route a bit of a joke. The last time I rode from Kansas City back to Kirkwood, the scheduled 5 hour trip took us almost 7. We sat along the sidings and watched freight after freight pass us by. As long as you're not in a hurry, this is a great way to get back and forth from St Louis to Kansas City, or to any of the other 9 stops that it serves. However, because of the shoddy performance of it, it loses passengers to people who'd rather drive and deal with the crazies out on Interstate 70. Everytime I take it, business class has only 2 or 3 people in it, and the two coaches are probably 1/2 to 2/3 full. What a shame.....

This was my point. I'm not trying to talk bad about the line, I think it's great that we have the opportunity. The problem is, there is usually a light load. People would rather fly/drive than be stuck on a train right before the weekend. Kinda scary is this line is better off than others!

I did read somewhere else about the UP maintenance was complete and the line should pick up...has anyone in the past few months rode this route?

Now speaking out of ignorance, is MULES only KC-STL, or does it include the routes serviced into IL?

 

[AlanB]

Kinda scary is this line is better off than others!

Welll it might be better off in ridership, but not necessarily in time keeping.

I did read somewhere else about the UP maintenance was complete and the line should pick up...has anyone in the past few months rode this route?

Maintenance is just about to start for the summer, if it hasn't already. That's why Amtrak changed the schedules of the trains, to avoid the maintenance work. Those changes unfortunately also killed the Ann Rutledge technically, since you must now overnight in STL to connect to Chicago.

Now speaking out of ignorance, is MULES only KC-STL, or does it include the routes serviced into IL?

The numbers that I quoted are only for KC to STL, although I believe that someone who is riding from KC to CHI would be included in the counts for KC - STL.

 

[sechs]

The Kansas City Mule and St. Louis Mule go only between those two cities.

With the advent of the additional Illinois service, the Ann Rutledge was officially truncated at St. Louis, although I'm led to believe that the equipment goes on to Chicago under a new name and number.

 

[AlanB]

With the advent of the additional Illinois service, the Ann Rutledge was officially truncated at St. Louis, although I'm led to believe that the equipment goes on to Chicago under a new name and number.

Well until this new timetable, the equipment did continue on with new names and numbers. Now with the interesting schedule caused by the UP track work, there is no longer any possible connection or run through going to Chicago. The first train out of KC arrives into STL after the last train for the day north to Chicago has already left.

Going in the other direction it is still possible to run through the equipment and to connect.

 

[DaveKCMO]

it's only a problem if your originating city is somewhere on the mules route besides STL and KCY. if you're in KC, the best and fastest way to CHI is on the SWC.

 

[como]

It is also faster to take the SWC if you live near the intermediate stops. I live in Columbia and can drive 1 hour to La Plata, catch the SWC there at 9:45 a.m. and be in Chicago by 4 p.m. Taking the Ann Rutledge from Jefferson City, a 30 minute drive, I would leave at 11 a.m. but not arrive in Chicago until after 8 p.m.

 

[AlanB]

Taking the Ann Rutledge from Jefferson City, a 30 minute drive, I would leave at 11 a.m. but not arrive in Chicago until after 8 p.m.

Sadly that is the old schedule. As of April 2nd, the Ann Rutledge is scheduled to depart Jefferson City at 3:33 PM and arrive in St. Louis at 6:25 PM. That arrival time is 1 hour and 25 minutes after the very last train of the day to Chicago leaves St. Louis. So you are now stuck in St. Louis overnight, and would finally get to Chicago the next morning at 10:00 AM, assuming that you want to wake up early enough in St. Louis to catch the 4:35 AM departure. :blink: