What's Great Haul?
PTC "Server disruption" service issue (March 2023)
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A spelling error.
Great Hall
Of course it could be a auto correct, but knowing my spelling and grammar issues I pretty sure it a me thing.
Empire Builder has a on time departure from Chicago with a track assigned.
All other western long haul are showing “Great Hall”.
All other western long haul are showing “Great Hall”.
RebelRider
Service Attendant
Right, because a bus on a highway is so much safer, statistically, than a train without PTC.
My impression is the issue is on Amtrak's server-side, hence why MARC isn't affected.
They don’t share route for too long, I don’t think. And for a good portion of Michigan services Amtrak owns the tracks. Wish I understood these issues better. Clearly there are intricacies involved that the train knowledgeable people know how to interpret. When I hear PTC or servers it sounds like something needs to be rebooted.
The trains are getting canceled again.
Across the board, all long distance western train have been canceled.
Across the board, all long distance western train have been canceled.
trimetbusfan
OBS Chief
It would be nice if Amtrak worded their alerts this way.
Upon a quick google search it seems that when something like this happened last October they did use the wording ‘positive train control.’
Upon a quick google search it seems that when something like this happened last October they did use the wording ‘positive train control.’
From a post on FB (TE/SL group)
"Chicago is such a mess they will bring sleepers into the station to house people who have now been stranded for 2 days. "
"Chicago is such a mess they will bring sleepers into the station to house people who have now been stranded for 2 days. "
What does that mean? Are they telling people to just hang around? Why not just say "Delayed" with no time estimate?
Doesn't matter now. All western trains leaving Chicago 3/25/23 have been cancelled.
They're having a pizza party for all the passengers who are affected.
In the App it now shows the midday Wolverines cancelled also, with the evening trains still operating (354 and 355). Hope the issues get resolved.
IMHO that's a great idea, as long as they have power and the restrooms are being maintained. I wish they would stage the SL sleeper overnight in NOLA for people making an overnight connection (as Southern did with the thru sleeper back in the day.)
They hold off on the 4pm or later train in hope they can launch them. Seem a FRA requirement that the train must be log in to the PTC prior to departure.
So maybe tonight.
I got a hotel and going to fly out in the morning. I deserve a shower at this point.
jis
Permanent Way Inspector
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Frankly, knowing what is going on out west, I would just bail on Amtrak and fly. Under these circumstances they usually refund the trip without penalty when they have no hope of getting you where your going within days or weeks of the original time.
Anyway, it would be interesting to know which corrupted file got loaded where by a novice this time to cause the spectacular outage.
@Just-Thinking-51 yes, the requirement is that no train shall depart from an originating terminal with PTC inoperative. In I-ETMS territory that means it has to complete logging in and initialization successfully. The requirement in ACSES area is much less onerous since there is no logging in involved, it being a highly distributed system and less prone to single point of failure type of outages. But still, at least the radio link must be working and the transponder readers must be working, and of course the coded track circuit based enforcement system together with the ACSES civil speed enforcement system must be working. These are all local self tests.
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Completely unorganized chaos here, but yes there pizza in the old lounge.
jis
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Amtrak isn't affected on CSX around Washington DC either.Right, because a bus on a highway is so much safer, statistically, than a train without PTC.
My impression is the issue is on Amtrak's server-side, hence why MARC isn't affected.
ATSFNewton
Train Attendant
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My #4 SWC trip on 3/29 is canceled, I’m guessing because today’s #3 is canceled So can’t be turned in LA. I bailed and got a flight reservation. Here’s hoping ATC computers don’t fail!
I use the Location History on the tracker to try to determine if a train "lost" it's PTC. Looks like 5(23) lost theirs around Winnemucca.
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With a few exceptions this really hasn't been picked up by the press, but when it is it may not be pretty. In Chicago, ABC7 has a reporter at Union Station interviewing stranded passengers who say they are not getting good answers from Amtrak. We can assume thousands of passengers have now had their trips cancelled or seriously delayed. The national press will probably notice this shortly and the coverage may be as unkind to Amtrak as it was to Southwest Airlines a few weeks ago. We'll see. Meanwhile, it's too bad there aren't still the excellent transportation beat reporters like Fred Frailey at the Chicago Sun Times or Don Phillips at the Washington Post who would have gotten us the real facts by now.
Your linked story is from Friday. This is day two of this mess. The service recovery is going to be a equal big pain. All this equipment in the wrong location.
Yeah it pretty standard for Amtrak Chicago to put passenger in the Great Hall if there train is going to be delay. This is a old school thing.
With the Sleeper lounge relocated they use the older lounge (Hiawatha Lounge) sometime for delayed passenger. Today it was in use for the pizza party.
Chicago was disorganized, and understaffed. The lack of command and communication was noted. Individual staff members were trying, but too many were make things up as they go. This is why I knew about the 4pm train were not canceled yet. As one employee chase after another to tell him it was only the Western Trains so far.
My recommendation is a better uniform. Clear communication. Hard to spot Amtrak personal wear a dark blue jacket with minimal signs. There was a few staff standing around looking lost and confused. While a limited number of staff at the counter helping passenger. I got a redcap to recover my check baggage, but he was in red and hard to miss. Very helpful to me, but he was freelancing.
I talked to people who missed their train and had to wait three days for the next one. (Sunset Limited)
People who trying to final mile it to Michigan after flying in from Germany, now waiting for family to drive into Chicago to pick them up.
Now the Auto Trains, 52/53 of 3/25 are canceled. Is that part of the PTC mess?
jb
jb
Mystic River Dragon
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Could this affect the northeast corridor? I have a trip from NJ to Mystic, CT on a regional on Monday.
If there are PTC issues, I don’t mind finding hotel space for a few more days there, but I’d definitely like to get there!
If there are PTC issues, I don’t mind finding hotel space for a few more days there, but I’d definitely like to get there!
Amtrak Alerts mentioning all Hiawatha trains, most if not all Illinois Services, and today's 3, 5, 7/27, 21, and 22 canceled today. Didn't see anything about tonight's CONO or any NY/DC-bound trains.
Apparently 2(24) canceled entirely and 422(24?) will start at SAS. 1(25) also cancelled in its entirety.
There was a mention that 4(25) was canceled, but Amtrak announced about thirty minutes ago that train will depart LAX on time today.
What a mess.
Apparently 2(24) canceled entirely and 422(24?) will start at SAS. 1(25) also cancelled in its entirety.
There was a mention that 4(25) was canceled, but Amtrak announced about thirty minutes ago that train will depart LAX on time today.
What a mess.
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