"San Francisco Zephyr" vs Union Pacific

[ns145]

California Zephyr Schedule Changes

Effective July 25 – August 1 and August 8 - 15, 2023

Due to infrastructure work being performed by Union Pacific Railroad, California Zephyr service is impacted immediately through August 1, and August 8 through 15, as outlined below. Schedules listed on Amtrak.com have been updated to reflect these changes.

July 25 - August 1 and August 8 - 15

• Train 6 will depart Emeryville at 12:10 pm, 3 hours later than normal and operate on an adjusted schedule through to Chicago.
• Train 5 will operate on a normal schedule but may be subject to delays west of Reno.

 

PSN 0723-94

https://www.amtrak.com/alert/infrastructure-work-impacts-california-zephyr-schedule.html

 

[croteaudd]

UP is super notorious for patch fixing its track, thus, slow orders are everywhere!  And they last for months and months!  I believe that is what you are asking about.

[CatFoodFlambe]

The San Francisco Zephyr has almost uniformly taken six hour hit this summer - usually  three hours on the west slope of the Sierras between Colfax CA and Reno, then another three hours in eastern Utah.

What's causing this?   I can see summertime trackwork in the Sierra as a cause - but isn't the old Denver and Rio Grande Western down to just a couple of freights each way a day?