Reason Why Capitol Limited Is Departing Chicago Late

[Anonymous]

I am riding Amtrak Train 30 (Capitol Limited) from Chicago to Washington next week. I've noted on Amtrak's web site that for the last few days it is departing Chicago late, anywhere from 1 to over 4 hours late. Amtrak customer service isn't giving me a straight answer. Does anyone know why this is happening and if may continue next week? Also, is the Capitol dependent upon another train's arrival in Chicago & if so, which one?

[Anonymous]

It's an Amtrak train, therefore it is late. Sorry, but a delay of 1 to 4 hours sounds pretty normal for most of Amtrak based upon my experience...

LC

[Anonymous]

I read somewhere that they were working on the tracks in sothern Chicago recently.... This might be the reason why Amtrak is holding the train.....

No one expects to travel from Chicago to New York City without seeing some road construction along the way when they drive their cars, but somehow can not comprehend that the same goes for railroad tracks too.....

[BaltACD]

QUOTE: Originally posted by donclark

I read somewhere that they were working on the tracks in sothern Chicago recently.... This might be the reason why Amtrak is holding the train.....

No one expects to travel from Chicago to New York City without seeing some road construction along the way when they drive their cars, but somehow can not comprehend that the same goes for railroad tracks too.....

Comprehend it!

Major track maintenance creates major operational headache's. Railroad's in the US have been on the 'bean counters' path of 'Right Sizing' their physical plant for the past several decades. Right sizing is the process of eliminating 'excess' capacity' as in the bean counters mind, if an individual track segment doen't actually have a train on it at any moment in time the track is excess. Therefore the railroads have reducec many multiple track territories to single track and just outright abandoned many single track routes. As a consequence most Class I's operate there physical plant at or near the lines capacity, just conduction normal everyday business. Comes the time for major track work, which with today highly mechanized gangs requires track to be totally given over to the engineering forces for periods of 10 to 12 hours or more for every day of the 'curfew' and you are when on the way to creating a major mess....Without major reroutes you are now expecting a line to handle its normal 24 hour volume in 12 to 14 hours. Even if traffic is rerouted to other lines this presents additional traffic on lines that are already at capacity and as a consequence the traffic on these lines slows to a near stand still as the traffic competes for the scarce physical resources (yard space and sidings).

Major track work will bring traffic on the affected routes to near standstill conditions as the customers do not and can not concern themselves with what is taking place with the railroads physical plant. In times past, when the railroads did have some 'excess' capacity they could handle the traffic dislocations from routine major track work....in the RIGHT SIZE world of today THEY CAN'T.

[RudyRockvilleMD]

If the Capitol Limited leaves Chicago late it may not make up much time along the way, in fact, it may lose more time. In fact every time I have observed the Capitol Limited passing through Rockville, the last stop before Washington, it was well over an hour late. I don't mean to make you feel bad, but that's the way it is.

The eastbound Capitol Limited is scheduled to take 58 minutes to travel from Rockville, MD to Washington, DC. Some of it could be time allowance for the train to run around the wye north of Union Station, and back into the station the way the B&O's thru trains from the west to Jersey City used to do. Part of it may be a little water in the schedule.

Another possibility. For a while Amtrak was thru-routing equipment from the west through Chicago to the east. That is, the consist that arrived in Chicago on the Southwest Chief, for example, might continue eastbound to Washington on the Capitol Limited a few hours after it arrived in Chicago; They did this with other east-west trains as well, and I don't know if Amtrak still does this. But, the point is if the inbound equipment from the west is late, then there will be a delay in servicing it, and a delay in leaving Chicago as a continuing eastbound train.

System track work in a limited area is a given; but, from what I have observed, when freight railroads put work windows on limited areas of track to take it out of service they do it after making sure the work window won't delay any of Amtrak's trains.

[Anonymous]

the capitol limited = late. Ive seen it go by 30 minutes early on eday, and 6 hours late the next (Or stop cus it ran out of fuel, or have a problem and wait here in brunswick for hours, or......., so you just have to live with what they offer.

and by the way, why has the Vermonter baggage car been on the capitol a few times recently?

[Puckdropper]

Why don't you just ask the train crew when you *finally* leave?

It left Chicago late December 18, 2003. Didn't get to Waterloo until 1:50 AM. It was supposed to be there about 9:00 or so. I was dropping a friend off at the train station before heading home myself... That night, we were glad it was late (but not glad it was THAT late) because of a major accident on I-69.

[daveklepper]

Also, on occasion, Amtrak will hold an eastbound departure in Chicago for connecting passengers from one or more very late trains from the West Coast.

[Anonymous]

Reason: CSX.

[Anonymous]

Ive got a solution ride the Three rivers through Pennsylvania.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Vista Dome Passenger 1

Ive got a solution ride the Three rivers through Pennsylvania.

Yeah but CSX operates the western part of the Three River's and NS usualy makes the Three River's sit in Harrisburg until a freight or two goes by.

[eolafan]

Guaranteed if you tried to drive it you would spend about two to three hours extra trying to navigate the construction delays on I90/94 on the southern tip of Lake Michigan (locally called the Boreman Expressway)...construction has it an absolute parking lot!!!!!!!

[BaltACD]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dougal

Reason: CSX.

Reason: NS

You can't run On Time what comes to you 3 hours late!

[Anonymous]

I'd have to say it's a combination of things... I take freights into the South Side of Chicago and I've seen Amtraks sitting on the NS track waiting to get onto the Belt and further down onto the UP line over to either the CSX or GTW line that they use. One was delayed due to the dispatcher packing trains together so tightly that nothing could move. Another time the dispatcher couldn't get the switch to throw and Thornton Junction, so the Amtrak crew had to wait on a signal maintainer to come come out. A lot of times dispatchers seem to be at the mercy of the local yardmasters who can't get trains out on time and then their yards get backed up. Barr Yard is one of the worst I've ever seen, trains are held out all the time due to conjestion, so then that inbound train goes dead holding up everything turning the mainline into a parking lot. There are times when I've come out of Danville only to have to sit about 40 miles outside my destination yard due to conjestion, which means there are about 8-10 trains in front of me waiting on the same thing. It also seems depend on what dispatcher is on duty. The daytime dispatchers like the Belt Dispatcher handles Metra's, BRC, BNSF, CSX, NS, UP, and Amtrak trains and does it so well that everything moves great, and then there are dispatchers who could barely dispatch the model trains in your basement!!! [2c]

[Anonymous]

I live on the BNSF west line and have seen the Southwest Chief running late but not badly.

The California Zephyr is constantly late because its regular route is being rebuilt and it is being detoured over another one.

I suspect the Eastern trains are being held for these late arrivals. This is my guess