Service Disruptions on #5&6 and #7&8

[The Davy Crockett]

Amtrak has a service disruption notice on its homepage. It says #5 & 6 are susupended betwenn Denver and Chicago through at least June 14, starting with #5 on 6/10 and #6 on 6/9.

Trains # 7 & 8 are suspended through 6/9/11.

:help: :help: :help:

 

[Amtrak George]

AN IDEA TO HELP DISPLACED PASSENGERS:

I figure since both the Zephyr and the Builder are 'flooded," this is a good place to discuss what "should be done!"

If the Chief is the only daily train to and from the West, surely there are enough transcontinental passengers that extra capacity on the Chief and the Coast Starlight should be added. That would take care of folks going to and from the Bay area, Portland and Seattle. Add a locomotive, a couple of sleepers, a couple of coaches, and a cross country cafe (there are spares sitting around) and use the displaced attendants from the CZ and Builder to staff them.

I know the Starlight and Chief don't connect on the Chief's eastbound trip, but Amtrak could cut a deal with a hotel in LA and I bet many passengers wouldn't mind paying for one night (if reasonable) or making the connection on the San Joaquin/bus if they don't want to spring for a motel.

When weather closes a freight line, the railroads still move the freight on alternate routing. Amtrak should try to do the same with its passengers.

 

[Kaki]

AN IDEA TO HELP DISPLACED PASSENGERS:

I figure since both the Zephyr and the Builder are 'flooded," this is a good place to discuss what "should be done!"

If the Chief is the only daily train to and from the West, surely there are enough transcontinental passengers that extra capacity on the Chief and the Coast Starlight should be added. That would take care of folks going to and from the Bay area, Portland and Seattle. Add a locomotive, a couple of sleepers, a couple of coaches, and a cross country cafe (there are spares sitting around) and use the displaced attendants from the CZ and Builder to staff them.

I know the Starlight and Chief don't connect on the Chief's eastbound trip, but Amtrak could cut a deal with a hotel in LA and I bet many passengers wouldn't mind paying for one night (if reasonable) or making the connection on the San Joaquin/bus if they don't want to spring for a motel.

When weather closes a freight line, the railroads still move the freight on alternate routing. Amtrak should try to do the same with its passengers.

I agree!!

The California Zephyr was my 1st back up plan. (flooded)

The Southwest Chief was my 2nd back up plan. Sold out

I even looked at driving part way and picking up the SWC west of us....sold out.

Oh well, we will get a refund from Amtrak and the drive will cost half as much.

 

[anir dendroica]

Here's an update from BNSF. Could be awhile before #5/6 are running again.

http://domino.bnsf.com/website/updates.nsf/updates-service-agricultural/B33ABB1EDB1B270F862578A70065FE06?Open

To: BNSF Agricultural Products Customers

06/06/2011

BNSF Grain Network Update

BNSF continues to experience unprecedented challenges from record rainfall, snow melt, and dam releases. We have made some progress on track restoration in the North, most notably returning our Hettinger, SD service route late Friday, June 3. We also continue to maintain operability on mainline routes from Fargo to Minot to Havre (KO, Glasgow and Milk River Subdivisions), as well as Glendive to Billings (Forsyth Subdivision). Both routes, however, continue to require daily track maintenance under traffic to manage soft track conditions.

We remain out of service to branch lines servicing:

Bisbee and Cando - Rolla Subdivision (expected return June 9)

Niobe - Niobe Subdivision (expected return June 8)

Powers Lake - Grenora Subdivision (expected return June 11)

Of special note: BNSF expects additional significant water related outages to develop as soon as June 9th in the Lincoln to Galesburg and Lincoln to Kansas City corridors. We are making contingency plans of human and equipment resources for an extended outage, possibly 30-45 days, during which trains will be detoured around these corridors.

The existing and expected conditions requiring detour routes to keep traffic moving pose likely 24-72 hrs delays to most traffic through corridors including Fargo, Minot, Minneapolis, Sioux City, Lincoln, Kansas City, Billings, Spokane, Portland, Seattle and Denver. Also, while we will do our best to work with you to execute your business on a train by train basis, please continue to understand that our ability to prioritize specific trains will be limited as our focus has to be to run trains as conditions permit.

 

[Rider]

Ouch. This hurts. I already changed from the EB to the CZ for thursday's trip back east. Now I have no idea what to do but I am on hold with Amtrak to see what my options are.

Ahh well ... roll with it somehow - maybe I can get on the SWC - or else call up my old stand by, Jet Blue - but it's just not the same!

 

[bretton88]

What that sounds like is that the CZ will probably be on the UP line in northern Iowa for a while. Or worst case, a detour on the 45mph IAIS line.

 

[JayPea]

I have a CZ trip scheduled Chicago-Sacramento beginning August 2nd. It looks like the worst of it will be over by then, but one never knows, especially with unprecedented flooding like this.

 

[Rider]

I am having trouble understanding why the whole transcontinental run is cancelled because of one badly flooded area. This seems to have happened a lot on the EB and now the CZ - also others in the South.

Why no bustituions around the affected areas? Is it a change of policy or just logistics?

 

[bwitt]

So much for my trip to Denver this weekend, I'm on hold with Amtrak right now, looking at my tickets to go to Denver Thursday and return Monday.

 

[the_traveler]

BNSF continues to experience unprecedented challenges from record rainfall, snow melt, and dam releases.

Dam rain and dam snow!

 

[Hermann Schmidt]

I am very disappointed with Amtrak. The web site indicated the the Empire Builer is cancelled through June 9. When I call the 800 number, they tell me it is cancelled through June 11. My son and I are going cross country on Amtrak starting on Friday June 10 from Chicago to Seattle. Amtrak offers zero assistance in making alternate travel arrangements. As is previously posted, I cannot believe the whole run between MSP and Spokane is closed because of flooding and freight congestion in ND. Zero customer service. This is when the government runs an agency. Why no bus between Fargo and Minot?

Hermann

Chicago

 

[fredandgingermad]

oh crumbs, i have (as part of a railpass) trips on the CZ on the 5th July (CHI-OMA) and 7th July (OMA-GBB), i guess i can only watch for now and phone Amtrak at the weekend, can see that being a very expensive phone call :unsure:

 

[Mackensen]

I am very disappointed with Amtrak. The web site indicated the the Empire Builer is cancelled through June 9. When I call the 800 number, they tell me it is cancelled through June 11. My son and I are going cross country on Amtrak starting on Friday June 10 from Chicago to Seattle. Amtrak offers zero assistance in making alternate travel arrangements. As is previously posted, I cannot believe the whole run between MSP and Spokane is closed because of flooding and freight congestion in ND. Zero customer service. This is when the government runs an agency. Why no bus between Fargo and Minot?

Hermann

Chicago

Probably because parts of Minot were evacuated due to the flooding.

 

[frugalist]

What's the extended outlook (going into July) for #3 & 4, the Southwest Chief? How does its route look?

 

[PA Traveler]

We were scheduled to leave on the CZ for Salt Lake City on Saturday. We got a phone call from Amtrak last night telling us that that train has been canceled due to the flooding. They gave us several options, including cancel completely, just go to Chicago and continue from there on our own, or leave from Pittsburgh on our own. We have opted to take the train to Chicago as scheduled and then have a flight direct to Salt Lake City at 4 PM from Chicago. To fly from Pittsburgh meant at least two stops and going through such places as Philly, Charlotte, DC, Dallas, even LA. Particularly after just being on 12 flights to, from, and within Australia and New Zealand, I just couldn't stand the thought of all those airports, so we decided to keep the Pittsburgh to Chicago portion of our trip on Amtrak. I booked the air tickets round trip, but if the trains are running, we will come back on Amtrak and just forgo the return flights. It was not much less to book the flight one way to Sale Lake City and then we might have to do that again returning if the flooding is still holding up the trains. Canceling the whole trip wasn't a good option as we have nearly two weeks planned in The Grand Tetons and Yellowstone with this trip.

Now I have to add hotel nights to our trip and repack as I pack different luggage on a train than a plane. :wacko:

 

[frugalist]

I was getting a bad case of anxiety thinking that our "Trip of a Lifetime" from Florida to Vancouver to an Alaska Cruise and return in July might be messed up by all these cancellations. Part of our train trip included the CZ from Chicago to Emeryville.

I just got off the phone with a fantastic AGR rep who worked with me through a number of confusing segments and changes. We are now booked on the SWC from Chicago to LA, then on the CS from LA to Seattle (the ride on the Cascades to Vancouver wasn't affected). We were able to get a bedroom on the SWC as far as Albuquerque, but we have to change to a roomette (at least it's in the same car) at ABQ. The rep snagged a bedroom for the entire ride on the CS (we already had a BR reserved on that train from EMY to SEA). Our departure date from home and our arrival date/time in Vancouver stay as originally planned.

I can't praise the AGR rep enough for her patience and diligence in helping us.

The downside to this change is we lose our ride on what is said to be Amtrak's most scenic route. The upside is we gain a ride on what is also said by many to be Amtrak's most scenic route! And, we get an extra 12 hours to enjoy the CS's PPC.

To me, there are two take-away points here: 1) be proactive when managing your reservations. When it looks like there may be a problem down the road, don't wait for Amtrak to call you. By then it will probably be too late to make any arrangements that don't involve taking out a second mortgage or pawning your first-born.

2) It is sometimes hard to keep our little problems in perspective. This is only a vacation. The poor people in the midwest are losing their homes and their livelihoods to this flooding. We can always take another vacation. But these people's lives will never be the same.

 

[darien-l]

I'm ticketed Chicago-Denver on June 15. Should I cancel now and make alternate arrangements, or wait and hope that Amtrak will start running the detour?

 

[darien-l]

On a different note, someone at Amtrak screwed up and instead of listing service between DEN and CHI as suspended, listed service between WIP (Fraser/Winter Park)and CHI as suspended (eastbound trains only).

Try booking anything to DEN from any point west during June 10-15 and you'll see what I mean.