Southwest Chief late a lot lately

bhofer · May 11, 2019

I am taking the Southwest Chief from KCY to CHI week after next. I have made this trip a handful of times over the last dozen years and never experienced more than an hour delay. Recently I am seeing 3 to 4 or more hour delays. Does anyone know what is causing this?

Thirdrail7 · May 11, 2019

Traffic, congestion, floods, equipment malfunctions on both sides of the equations, weather. The usual suspect.

You can follow the delays. https://twitter.com/AmtrakAlerts?lang=en

bhofer · May 11, 2019

Thanks so much for the link. It is most helpful.

JayPea · May 11, 2019

#4 scheduled for Chicago today is late because all rail traffic around Flagstaff was held up for hours due to a freight train hitting a trespasser on the tracks.

PaulM · May 11, 2019

Thirdrail7 said:
Traffic, congestion, floods, equipment malfunctions on both sides of the equations, weather. The usual suspect.

I'm not sure what "both sides of the equation means"; but I may have experienced it recently in what I describe as man bites dog.

We boarded #4 at Lamy on time and we left La Junta on time. Then somewhere before Lamar we came to a halt and the lights went out (but fortunately came back on shortly thereafter). Eventually, the conductor announced that there was a broken down freight ahead of us; and our lead engine had been disconnected in order to push the freight out of the way. Four hours later we got going again. Solve for

m = miles to siding.

4 hours = decision/permission + 2x[(unhook + hookup) + m x MPH]

BNSF wasn't finished with us yet. Three times between KCY and Fort Madison (our destination), we had to stop and wait for an opposing freight to go by, the last two as we were about to stop at the station. The four hours had grown to six.

It took us quite a while to collect our luggage and load it in the car (the parking lot at FMD is huge). Fifteen minutes after I heard the conductor give the all aboard call, Amtrak was still sitting in the station. Then I saw a freight go past in the same direction, blocking Amtrak's exit from the station track.

Some one with more knowledge than I, tell me: is this the way it works, or was it a newbie dispatcher?