One Sunset Ltd round trip truncated east of NOL

[Superliner Diner]

As posted elsewhere by Gene Poon. Capital letters from the source, Amtrak.

ADVISORY ISSUED 07OCT02

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DUE TO EXTREMELY HEAVY CSX FREIGHT CONGESTION NORTH/EAST OF NOL THE FOLLOWING WILL OCCUR:

TRAIN 2(06) WILL TERMINATE AT NOL. ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION WILL BE PROVIDED NOL-ORL AS WELL AS ON TIME BUS SERVICE NOL-ORL.

TRAIN 1(08) IS CANCELED ORL-NOL. NO ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION.

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R.W. LANGER / MANAGER TRAIN OPERATIONS

-Source: AMTRAK

 

[Superliner Diner]

This is most likely fallout from the closures last week due to Hurricane Lili.

 

[Viewliner]

It could be worse, it could happen every time. At least there is alternate transportation being provided once. Amature question from an experienced railfan, when they say "no alternate transportation being provided" does that mean the passengers are stuck, given a refund and have to fend for themselves?

 

[Superliner Diner]

It says that alternate service is being provided, both to meet the late Train #2(6), and another bus operated eastward from New Orleans at the scheduled departure time. Train #1(8) will not have alternate transporation, which usually means that passengers won't be booked on this segment. If they took advance reservations, and the annulled the train, then the passengers are due their refunds. This can only hurt ridership, since passengers going to New Orleans are out of luck, and those going beyond have no way to get to NOL to get their connections, other than to drive or take the bus.

However, one must wonder why, if they operated at least two buses from New Orleans to Florida to substitute for #2, why deadhead those buses back to Louisiana? They could have been used in revenue to take the passengers from the cancelled portion of #1. But then, I'm not paid to make sense, and apparently nobody at Amtrak is either.