Texas Trackwork

[City of Miami]

Tentatively the Eagles will be disrupted in mid-late February and in early March between Dallas and Longview due to major trackwork according to Trainorders website.

Bustitution planned. No announcement by Amtrak.

I don't want no stinking bustitution so I won't be taking the Eagle/Cardinal to Charlottesville that I was considering.

 

[Bob Dylan]

:angry: Not again! Remember the Bustitution we had last Jan. during the Texas Mini-Fest? I'll be returning on an AGR Award from my Trip Around North America from CHI-AUS on March 1st, so it Looks like a Bustitution from LGV-FTW since they will Turn the NB Eagle#22 in FTW, not DAL! (Will miss Lunch on the Train Again! Hope the Hot Dog Guy is Working @ the FTW Station that Day! :help: )

 

[henryj]

Tentatively the Eagles will be disrupted in mid-late February and in early March between Dallas and Longview due to major trackwork according to Trainorders website.
Bustitution planned. No announcement by Amtrak.

I don't want no stinking bustitution so I won't be taking the Eagle/Cardinal to Charlottesville that I was considering.

Do what I do. Just fly SWA into Chicago and take the Cardinal from there. You can just fly back or take the Crescent to New Orleans and fly back from there. Since our only train here in Houston is the Sunset, I usually have to fly to my train rides.

 

[crescent2]

Does Amtrak not notify passengers with reservations when they know there will be a bustitution ahead of time? Or, tell you when you make your reservation? If not, this isn't good! We would be terribly disappointed if our long distance train trip was turned into a bus ride. Even more so if Amtrak knew ahead of time. Not that changing hotel reservations and especially flights would be easy, but still.

Does it do any good to ask when you make your reservations? Or is that another "depends on which agent you get" situation? Thanks-

 

[Amtrak Cajun]

It would probably depend on the agent as usual.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Tentatively the Eagles will be disrupted in mid-late February and in early March

Kinda hard to let passengers know when Amtrak doesn't know yet what dates will be affected.

 

[Ryan]

Don't go confusing the issue with facts and logic. What are you, some kind of AmPologist?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Don't go confusing the issue with facts and logic. What are you, some kind of AmPologist?

No, just a realist-optimist or is it optimist-realist? :giggle:

 

[Train Rider]

I have a trip on the TE scheduled for two weekends in mid-to-late February and the Amtrak agent today stated that she knew of the impending construction and that my trips would not be bustituted.

I have no idea on what may happen during weekday trains.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Don't go confusing the issue with facts and logic. What are you, some kind of AmPologist?

Everyone has their own idea of what constitutes a major problem and what's a minor inconvenience. That's perfectly understandable and does not make anyone into an apologist. What is not understandable is how some of the folks who quickly forgive virtually anything Amtrak does overreact over even the most minimal problem with an airline or bus company. That is where the "apologist" term comes from, in my view. It's not about what you expect so much as how consistent you are about it. Or at least that's the way I see it.

Where I work we try to give advance notice of major impacts, even if we may not yet know the specific date and time, so we're not stuck handing out last minute alerts that nobody knew were coming. I guess we're the exception and not the rule. I recently had an airline make a schedule change that screwed up a trip to Las Vegas. The replacement flight was unacceptable to us, so we called them up and changed it to another flight in the span of a few minutes. I'm sure Amtrak would attempt to provide other options as well.

Unfortunately the difference with Amtrak is that they simply do not have the resources to make fine grain changes to reroute or reschedule around a complication. As a result a relatively minor problem often requires a major fix, assuming a fix is possible in the first place. I think that feeds into the view that Amtrak is less accommodating than other travel options among those of us who work with several carriers on a regular basis.

 

[June the Coach Rider]

Tentatively the Eagles will be disrupted in mid-late February and in early March between Dallas and Longview due to major trackwork according to Trainorders website.
Bustitution planned. No announcement by Amtrak.

I don't want no stinking bustitution so I won't be taking the Eagle/Cardinal to Charlottesville that I was considering.

I am already booked for the TE from LAX to CHI on March 1st, does this mean I will have to be bussed for part of the trip?

Edited to add:

I just got off the phone with Amtrak CS, they have a notification that there will be track work done, but the majority of the work will be done on the overnights and on Sunday when the "local" commuter trains do not run.

As I have no idea what other trains use those tracks, I am just glad that I will not at this point be affected.

 

[Train Rider]

Tentatively the Eagles will be disrupted in mid-late February and in early March between Dallas and Longview due to major trackwork according to Trainorders website.
Bustitution planned. No announcement by Amtrak.

I don't want no stinking bustitution so I won't be taking the Eagle/Cardinal to Charlottesville that I was considering.

I am already booked for the TE from LAX to CHI on March 1st, does this mean I will have to be bussed for part of the trip?

I would call an Amtrak agent and ask. I won agent roulette and hit a knowledgeable one today.

 

[crescent2]

No one ever really said--Do they contact you, or do you have to ask them? Will they change your reservation dates with no penalty?

This would be more than an inconvenience to us, as the train ride and scenery are the sole reasons for the trip. And it's an expensive trip, in dollars and AGR. (Flights to and from train stations, hotels, boarding the dog-child, AGR sleepers.)

I'm just asking, not trying to ruffle feathers! (And yeah, if Delta planned to switch me to a train instead of a plane, I'd still expect them to let me know!)

 

[tonys96]

Not sure if this is the trackwork mentioned, but UP is replacing the tracks between FTW and DAL right now (TRT-909 train is doing the work, an amazing piece of machinery) and is supposed to continue on to the east from Dallas.

 

[fillyjonk]

Hm. Well, maybe that means I shouldn't travel for my Spring Break, but stay here and work on research instead.

*kicks soil with foot*

I COULD leave out of Longview, I guess, if that's where it's originating/ending.

 

[City of Miami]

I just got off the phone with Amtrak CS, they have a notification that there will be track work done, but the majority of the work will be done on the overnights and on Sunday when the "local" commuter trains do not run.

As I have no idea what other trains use those tracks, I am just glad that I will not at this point be affected.

Sounds like this agent was referring to the work Tony96 mentioned, the commuter train being TRE which doesn't run on Sunday. That apparently has little to do with the planned disruption between Dallas and Longview later next month; so I wouldn't count myself in the clear if I were you, June.

Unless the schedule is going to be effected maybe Amtrak doesn't feel obligated to inform passengers. IIRC last year folks actually made the bus bridge in shorter time than the train schedule.

 

[crescent2]

I guess from Amtrak's standpoint, if they get you there, all is well. But from the passenger's standpoint, unless they just want "transportation" (in that case, flying would often be the logical choice, both in time and $$) from point A to B, it does matter. Amtrak is well aware that many passengers on the CZ, as well as some other LD trains, are there solely for experiencing the scenery from the trains. Their schedules even reflect that. So, imo, that doesn't let them off the hook. I think they should inform passengers and do all they can to help with alternate arrangements. If I'm paying for train, I expect train, and if that can't be delivered, they should go all out to remedy it.

Any other mode of transportation would be expected to do that. Change ship to plane? Change plane to train? (That one would be wonderful with most of us here at AU, but not for most flyers.) I don't think any of that would go over well with their passengers! Changing train to bus doesn't go over well with some of Amtrak's passengers, either.

Bottom line: We need to ask? (and hope we get one of the "good" agents)

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I guess from Amtrak's standpoint, if they get you there, all is well. But from the passenger's standpoint, unless they just want "transportation" (in that case, flying would often be the logical choice, both in time and $$) from point A to B, it does matter. Amtrak is well aware that many passengers on the CZ, as well as some other LD trains, are there solely for experiencing the scenery from the trains. Their schedules even reflect that. So, imo, that doesn't let them off the hook. I think they should inform passengers and do all they can to help with alternate arrangements. If I'm paying for train, I expect train, and if that can't be delivered, they should go all out to remedy it.
Any other mode of transportation would be expected to do that. Change ship to plane? Change plane to train? (That one would be wonderful with most of us here at AU, but not for most flyers.) I don't think any of that would go over well with their passengers! Changing train to bus doesn't go over well with some of Amtrak's passengers, either.

Bottom line: We need to ask? (and hope we get one of the "good" agents)

Again, Amtrak CANNOT always predict WHEN it will need to busitute. And it's not like they can just "take the next exit" to detour around the problem. Yes, sometimes they can use a different route. I'm sure you'd enjoy seeing Wyoming instead of Colorado Rockies if bolders happen to fall on the tracks the CZ normally takes. <sarcasim>

The engineer and conductor need to be qualified for any routes they take. The track owners need to give Amtrak permission to take detours. Do you see why it's not as simple as airlines & cruise ships making changes?

As to the expected track work in TX, the dates are not set in stone, so they can't just say all passengers riding the train between 2/?? and 3/?? will be busituted.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Last January Trackwork in East Texas during the Texas Mini-Gathering in DFW, the Eagles were Rerouted as follows:

#22/#422 from SAS-FTW, Vehicles were on the Platform when the Train arrived. Crews rode in Limo, Passengers for Dallas went via a Small Bus like Nursing Homes/Tourist Facilities use for Shuttles and Passengers for Stops between Dallas and Longview Loaded on Regular Size. Charter Busses.

#21/#421 was Turned in Longview, same Procedure as above, Passengers going to FTW and Points South and West changed in FTW where they caught the turned #22/#422. Lunch was Missed (we ate in the FTW Station with the Hot Dog Vendor :wub: )so Customer Relations sent us a $100 Voucher good towards Future Travel!

During Trackwork on the UP Mainline between FTW and DAL, the Eagles took the BNSF/TRE Route via Irving, much Faster and Smoother Trip! The Ride on the Busses was Smooth and Faster than the Train and the Crews said they felt Special riding in a Limo between FTW and LGV! (even the Infamous Miss Polly was Smiling all the way to CHI! :giggle: )

 

[June the Coach Rider]

Last January Trackwork in East Texas during the Texas Mini-Gathering in DFW, the Eagles were Rerouted as follows:
#22/#422 from SAS-FTW, Vehicles were on the Platform when the Train arrived. Crews rode in Limo, Passengers for Dallas went via a Small Bus like Nursing Homes/Tourist Facilities use for Shuttles and Passengers for Stops between Dallas and Longview Loaded on Regular Size. Charter Busses.

#21/#421 was Turned in Longview, same Procedure as above, Passengers going to FTW and Points South and West changed in Dallas for FTW where they caught the turned #22/#422. Lunch was Missed (we ate in the FTW Station with the Hot Dog Vendor :wub: )so Customer Relations sent us a $100 Voucher good towards Future Travel!

During Trackwork on the UP Mainline between FTW and DAL, the Eagles took the BNSF/TRE Route via Irving, much Faster and Smoother Trip! The Ride on the Busses was Smooth and Faster than the Train and the Crews said they felt Special riding in a Limo between FTW and LGV! (even the Infamous Miss Polly was Smiling all the way to CHI! :giggle: )

This sounds like a good situation, I am wondering about checked baggage, is it transfered to the bus also?

 

[Bob Dylan]

Carry on Luggage was carried by the passenger, the Ft. Worth Baggage crews handled the Checked baggage! In Longview the same procedure was followed, it just took Longer since there is only One Agent there! Longview is also where the Bus Passengers from Houston and Shrevport meet the Eagle!

 

[Train Rider]

I received an email from Amtrak today stating that the southbound leg of my February TE trip will have me arrive 1 hour later in San Antonio than it normally would.

 

[b243923]

I was scheduled to go on the Auto Train on February 21/13 and I received an email last week saying my trip is cancelled due to track work.

I have been refunded my money for the trip, however I feel I should be compensated in some way. I now have to travel 1700 miles to Florida by car. I have made hotel reservations on route and have had to cancel.

Amtrak just says it is not their fault. I realize they do not own the tracks but they should be more sympathetic. There are 5 trains leaving Lorton and 5 coming back from Sandford that have been cancelled.

Ben

 

[crescent2]

I understand that things happen which Amtrak cannot control. No need for sarcasm. My point is that Amtrak should notify passengers and then do whatever they can to find the best solution.

 

[jphjaxfl]

Hmm, I wonder why the private railroads rarely bustituted passengers before Amtrak. Back in the mid 1960s, I used to ride the MP/T&P trains from Little Rock through Marshall/ Longview to Dallas and other.Texas points. Also Little Rock through Alex to Shreveport, Marshall/Longview to Texas points. There were lots more trains. 3 or more each way to Ft. Worth depending if the Texas.Eagle had an extra section. 2 to San Antonio, 2 to Houston,.2 from New Orleans through Shreveport to Texas. I was never bussed. Sometimes, the section gangs would be working on tracks and trains would.slow until they passed the gang. Marshall/Longview was great place to watch both passenger & freight trains because of the junction and high frequecy. Cotton Belt freight only route also paralelled with high speed Blue Streak Merchandise Freights. Wonder why Amtrak has to bustitute for one lone paasenger train in each direction?.Probably UP anti-passenger MO.Io