I rode a Full #22 from AUS-TAY Wednesday 10/24 for a Points/Bar-B-Q Run! Tempo has upped the fare to $8.00 each way (it was $7 a year ago, then $7.50, wonder if Tempo hired an Airline Revenue Manager???) On time, had a Nice Lunch @ Muellars and spent a Pleasant 100 Degree Afternoon @ the Really Nice Air Conditioned City Library! I checked with Julie every couple of hours on #21/#421s Progress Southbound, On Time as far as McGregor so @ 5:00PM I headed for the Picnic Table with a Roof Station and arrived @ 5:15PM for a 5:36PM Departure!
My Phone pinged an e-mail from Amtrak and it advised me of a 30 Minute Delay, pretty Routine on the UP Freight Clogged Routes now-a-days! 6PM came so I lcalled Julie and Surprise, #21/#421 has a Service Disruption between McGregor and Temple!
Since there were about 6 People waiting with me heading for places from Austin to LAX, I called Amtrak and a Agent told me that the SINGLE Engine had broke down and that UP was dragging the Train to Temple where a Mechanic would attempt to fis it since there was no Head in Power on this 104 Degree Day! (hence No A/c/ No Diner etc.) I was told to call back in an Hour and they should have Updated Info on the plan of action/Status of the Eagle!
Needless to say the other folks waiting werent happy and several called Amtrak and really got into it with the Hapless Agents who were doing the best they could! i tried to assure the others that soon as they had info Amtrak would let us know and that they WOULD get to where they were going, it was just a matter of How and When???
7:00PM came and went and people continued to call in and become irate with the Amtrak Agents!
Since I had been through this a time or two before I called Customer Service and found out that Busses had been ordered, that the Pax on the Train were inside the Temple Station and that Pizza, Snack Packs and Water was ordered for everyone! I knew that one of the Austin Agents was working Temple that day so I called him on his Cell Phone (he's an excellent Agent and a really Nice Guy!)for an update! He told me that the Buses were arriving, that everyone for San Antonio would be loaded first since it was a #421 Day and Connections had to be made in SAS! There was a Lady with us going to LAX and several for SAS so he told me that the Bus would come by Taylor and Pick them up and that those of us going to Austin (me ) and San Marcos would be picked up on the "Local" Second Bus which should be in Taylor around 9-9:30PM!! He also said that the Conductors and Engineer would be on the Busses but that the OBS were going to ride the Eagle back to Ft. Worth which would be hauled by a UP Rescue Engine and where it would become #22 in the morning since FTW has a Rescue Amtrak Engine available!! (Pax between SAS and Cleburne would be Bustituted on Thursday morning to FTW) This info seemed to calm down the other folks alot! ^_^
Finally about 9:30PM a Charter (Coach USA) Bus rolled in to the Taylor UP Station lot and about 10 People got off, the Conductor Unloaded their Luggage, then Loaded ours and scanned our tickets and we got on the Bus! He passed out Water, Pizza and Snack Packs to those of us boarding in Taylor and we Highballed towards Austin! Low and Behold, the A/C quit working soon as we started up 79 heading for Round Rock and Austin! The Conductor and the Bus Driver conferred and we were given the option of getting off in Round Rock and waiting on a Substitute Bus or going on to Austin w/o AC via the Toll Road which is much faster than the I35!!! It was Unanimous to head for Austin so we made a Warm but Speedy Trip down MoPac, the Driver then had to ask the Conductor how to find the Amtrak Station in Austin, it';s not Easy, it's Austin! (even your GPS gets Lost here! )I climbed off the Bus@ 10:30PM, only 4 Hours Late and headed for home wondering why Amtrak still runs the Eagle with one Engine, especially in the 100 Degree Summers??? :blink: :angry:
Based on previous experience (lots in Chicago!)I thought that Amtrak did a First Rate job of handling this Crisis and will be letting Customer Relations know this when I call to Complain about only the one Engine being on this Train! I am not gonna ask for a Voucher, it was only an $16 ticket and i really didnt miss out on anything but time which, as a retired person, I have plenty of!
Time to plan my next Trip but to somewhere Cool!! :giggle:
My Phone pinged an e-mail from Amtrak and it advised me of a 30 Minute Delay, pretty Routine on the UP Freight Clogged Routes now-a-days! 6PM came so I lcalled Julie and Surprise, #21/#421 has a Service Disruption between McGregor and Temple!
Since there were about 6 People waiting with me heading for places from Austin to LAX, I called Amtrak and a Agent told me that the SINGLE Engine had broke down and that UP was dragging the Train to Temple where a Mechanic would attempt to fis it since there was no Head in Power on this 104 Degree Day! (hence No A/c/ No Diner etc.) I was told to call back in an Hour and they should have Updated Info on the plan of action/Status of the Eagle!Needless to say the other folks waiting werent happy and several called Amtrak and really got into it with the Hapless Agents who were doing the best they could! i tried to assure the others that soon as they had info Amtrak would let us know and that they WOULD get to where they were going, it was just a matter of How and When???
7:00PM came and went and people continued to call in and become irate with the Amtrak Agents!
Since I had been through this a time or two before I called Customer Service and found out that Busses had been ordered, that the Pax on the Train were inside the Temple Station and that Pizza, Snack Packs and Water was ordered for everyone!
I knew that one of the Austin Agents was working Temple that day so I called him on his Cell Phone (he's an excellent Agent and a really Nice Guy!)for an update! He told me that the Buses were arriving, that everyone for San Antonio would be loaded first since it was a #421 Day and Connections had to be made in SAS! There was a Lady with us going to LAX and several for SAS so he told me that the Bus would come by Taylor and Pick them up and that those of us going to Austin (me ) and San Marcos would be picked up on the "Local" Second Bus which should be in Taylor around 9-9:30PM!! He also said that the Conductors and Engineer would be on the Busses but that the OBS were going to ride the Eagle back to Ft. Worth which would be hauled by a UP Rescue Engine and where it would become #22 in the morning since FTW has a Rescue Amtrak Engine available!! (Pax between SAS and Cleburne would be Bustituted on Thursday morning to FTW) This info seemed to calm down the other folks alot! ^_^Finally about 9:30PM a Charter (Coach USA) Bus rolled in to the Taylor UP Station lot and about 10 People got off, the Conductor Unloaded their Luggage, then Loaded ours and scanned our tickets and we got on the Bus! He passed out Water, Pizza and Snack Packs to those of us boarding in Taylor and we Highballed towards Austin!
Low and Behold, the A/C quit working soon as we started up 79 heading for Round Rock and Austin! The Conductor and the Bus Driver conferred and we were given the option of getting off in Round Rock and waiting on a Substitute Bus or going on to Austin w/o AC via the Toll Road which is much faster than the I35!!! It was Unanimous to head for Austin so we made a Warm but Speedy Trip down MoPac, the Driver then had to ask the Conductor how to find the Amtrak Station in Austin, it';s not Easy, it's Austin! (even your GPS gets Lost here! )I climbed off the Bus@ 10:30PM, only 4 Hours Late and headed for home wondering why Amtrak still runs the Eagle with one Engine, especially in the 100 Degree Summers??? :blink: :angry:Based on previous experience (lots in Chicago!)I thought that Amtrak did a First Rate job of handling this Crisis and will be letting Customer Relations know this when I call to Complain about only the one Engine being on this Train! I am not gonna ask for a Voucher, it was only an $16 ticket and i really didnt miss out on anything but time which, as a retired person, I have plenty of!
Time to plan my next Trip but to somewhere Cool!! :giggle:
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