POSTPONED: CS, Cascades delays and bustitutions due to track work

[CHamilton]

Amtrak Cascades Train 508: Possible Delays; Coast Starlight Trains 11 and 14 - Busing between Portland and Eugene

Effective November 16 - 21, 2014
Track work being performed by Union Pacific Railroad will affect the Coast Starlight and Amtrak Cascades starting November 16 through November 21, 2014.

Amtrak Cascades Train 508

• Train 508 may encounter delays of up to 30 minutes due to track work.

Coast Starlight Trains 11 and 14

• Train 11, which originates in Seattle on November 16 through November 21, 2014, will terminate at Portland. At Portland, all passengers will detrain and board a bus that will make stops at Salem, Albany and Eugene. At Eugene, passengers will board southbound Train 11 destined for Los Angeles and intermediate stations.
• Train 14, which originates in Los Angeles on November 15 through November 20, 2014, will terminate at Eugene on November 16 through November 21, 2014. At Eugene, all passengers will detrain and board a bus that will make stops at Albany, Salem and Portland. At Portland, passengers will board northbound Train 14 destined for Seattle and intermediate stations.

...

Southbound Coast Starlight Train 11: Expect Delays South of Klamath Falls, Oregon

Effective on Select Dates through November 18, 2014
Track work being performed by Union Pacific Railroad will affect Coast Starlight Train 11. Southbound Train 11 will operate as scheduled from Seattle to Klamath Falls. Upon departing Klamath Falls on Monday of each week starting September 29, 2014, Train 11 will encounter delays of approximately two hours through its arrival in Los Angeles the following day.

Dates That Delays Will Affect Southbound Train 11: Departing Klamath Falls on Mondays and Arriving in Los Angeles on Tuesdays

• November 3 through November 4, 2014
• November 10 through November 11, 2014
• November 17 through November 18, 2014

Only trains departing Klamath Falls on Mondays will encounter delays. Trains departing Klamath Falls Tuesdays through Sundays will not be affected. Additionally, this track work project will not affect northbound Train 14, which will operate according to the normal published schedule at all stations on the route.

 

[CHamilton]

I just got a call from Amtrak. The trackwork (at least on the 16th, the day I'll be traveling) has been cancelled, so no bus for me And they had given me a small refund, which I can keep. Yay!

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

I wonder how they are going to handle having to put together extra Coast Starlight sets. My guess it will be a basic Stub Train north of PDX, maybe with no Sleepers or Diner and just a Cafe for service. Sort of a Heartland Flyer II.

 

[fairviewroad]

I wonder how they are going to handle having to put together extra Coast Starlight sets. My guess it will be a basic Stub Train north of PDX, maybe with no Sleepers or Diner and just a Cafe for service. Sort of a Heartland Flyer II.

No need. They turn 14 in EUG to become 11. The last 14 that headed north before the trackwork and is therefore isolated north of PDX is used as the

stub train. The schedules are actually quite conducive to this. The chief problem is if 14 is running quite late into EUG, they can't turn it in time for an

on-time departure as 11. But most days it's "close enough." [This particular section of track closure has been annoyingly common in recent years.]

 

[SubwayNut]

Do the OBS crews ride the buses or turn with the train?

 

[CHamilton]

I understand that the entire week's worth of track work has been postponed. The new dates have not yet been scheduled.

 

[rickycourtney]

Do the OBS crews ride the buses or turn with the train?

I imagine it depends on the particulars of the bustitution.
My only experience with a bustitution has been on the San Joaquin.

On the unplanned bustitution, both the LSA and the T&E crew rode the bus with the passengers. On the planned bustitution the LSA stayed with the train.

It was actually pretty interesting having the T&E crew on board, but somewhat off duty. In fact before we left the bus driver turned around to the conductors in the front row and asked for permission to highball.