I recently purchased tickets from MSP to CHI to catch a show later in Chicago later in August. Since then I've been checking the on time status of the Empire Builder. I'm beginning to wonder if I made a mistake. The eastbound has regularly been running 8 to 30 hours late and annulled a couple of times.
The westbound does not seem to be having the same problem, arriving in Seattle within a couple hours of schedule. Even a little early a few times. One exception was an apparent annulment this past Thursday.
There is no 'customer alert' posted on the Amtrak website. Anybody out there know what's going on and if it will be resolved soon?
I'd hate to have to get off at LaCrosse so I don't miss my train back home.
MarknLisa I recently purchased tickets from MSP to CHI to catch a show later in Chicago later in August. Since then I've been checking the on time status of the Empire Builder. I'm beginning to wonder if I made a mistake. The eastbound has regularly been running 8 to 30 hours late and annulled a couple of times. The westbound does not seem to be having the same problem, arriving in Seattle within a couple hours of schedule. Even a little early a few times. One exception was an apparent annulment this past Thursday. There is no 'customer alert' posted on the Amtrak website. Anybody out there know what's going on and if it will be resolved soon? I'd hate to have to get off at LaCrosse so I don't miss my train back home.
Hi, Amtrak been running Express Bus from MSP, MN to Chicago for local people going to Chicago, if the train is very late that day. I am going on the Amtrak 7 & 8 train next week Wed july 8, 2012 from Chicago to Essex, MT for few days at the Inn and back on Aug 13 from Essex, MT. Amtrak Empire Builder is having another Bad year with Sun kinks, track work, 3 trains going off the track about 3 or 4 weeks ago. I am very worried about miss the Lake Shore Limited 48 to New York City. Every day is diffrent you don't know if its ontime one day and another days its 10 hours late. Take your Chance with this train. Maybe go a day early? I hope my train next week is running better times.
I am leave Aug 8 not july 8 like in my post.
When I was a RailCamp a few weeks back, Amtrak said that they are planning on adding a customer alert feature to let someone know if a train is late or ahead of schedule.
I also know that the kinks caused by welded rail expanding and derailments haven't been helping, nor have the failures of the P42s. If you need to, just take a different train.
The Lehigh Valley Railroad, the Route of the Black Diamond Express, John Wilkes and Maple Leaf.
-Jake, modeling the Barclay, Towanda & Susquehanna.
Thx. I see in news wire that after a month of problems AMTK is finally issuing an advisory. 'bout time!
Sad
Lehigh Valley 2089 When I was a RailCamp a few weeks back, Amtrak said that they are planning on adding a customer alert feature to let someone know if a train is late or ahead of schedule. I also know that the kinks caused by welded rail expanding and derailments haven't been helping, nor have the failures of the P42s. If you need to, just take a different train.
Johnny
If Amtrak runs a train that is unpredictable, running 8-30 hours late, and rarely on time, how can it be said that anybody would ride that train as regular transportation from A to B? Sounds more like a leisurely land cruise, and as such, it is hard to justify a government subsidy for folks wanting to take such a cruise. By the same logic, why not subsidies for sea cruises in the Carribean or to Alaska?
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
I know the Zephyr can have crazy late schedules and it's often caused by UP / BNSF conflicts and Single Track issues that you just can't get a train passed another train to maintain schedule...
Darren (BLHS & CRRM Lifetime Member)
Delaware and Hudson Virtual Museum (DHVM), Railroad Adventures (RRAdventures)
My Blog
Yes and that can happen. But when it is pretty chronic, it sorta proves most folks cannot use the CZ or EB or any other LD train as alternative transportation, which might justify continuing the route.
Don't generalize to "any other train," and hopefulliy the difficulties will be solved. As they have been now with the Sunset. With regard to the Builder, some towns have no other choice at the present time..
When I moved to Florida I flew back to Denver at Christmas for two years, both years the airport in Denver was closed by blizzards, the bus ride to the Orlando airport is 2 hours and so I sat there for ten hours the first time waiting for it to reopen, the second time (2006) all of the flights into DIA were cancelled for two days, so those of us on cancelled flights had to wait on standby at the airport for enough people to cancel on the flights that finally went through so that we could get a flight. I sat in the airport for three days from the time it opened in the morning until it closed at night before I finally was able to make it to Denver, all of my dentist appointments in Denver were cancelled, I had to pay around $150 to leave my car at the airport, etc.. There are no direct Florida to Denver trains, but it still would have taken far less time for me to go north to New York and then west to Denver on Amtrak, which stayed open through Denver. The last two times I have driven straight through from Florida to Denver, 26 straight hours (true story), rather than endure that.. So Amtrak is not the only passenger carrier afflicted by long delays caused by weather.
It does make one wonder how many escape from cites where the airport is offline via train even if it is just to get to a city where they can catch a different plane or train to get to their destination...
Some of the delays on the Empire Builder have been related to BNSF track work. There has been a large scale undercutting project going on in the mountains in western Montana. The lengthy maintenance windows to allow for undercutting, and the resulting traffic jam, have lead to delays for all trains, including Amtrak. The eastbound train tends to get the worst of it because it arrives in Montana in the morning, and gets to the maintenance area about the same time as the windows start for the day. Going west, the train does not get to the effected area until later in the day, so the wait is shorter for MOW to clear up and for the windows to be over.
BNSF has been detouring trains on the former NP line, to help reduce delays, but even with the detours, there is a lot of congestion caused by the undercutting. Amtrak could potentially be detoured that way too, and be less delayed, but it would miss all of the Montana stops and most of the North Dakota stops, so it just is not practical.
Last week's 12 hour delay for EB #28 was due to a bad sleeper in Portland which delayed the departure by 2 hours. Next came many hours of delay due to conflicts with BNSF freight trains. We were actually forced to sit in sidings for ballasts carrying trans to arrive. Do rocks complain if they are a few minutes late??? Finally CN closed a key bridge between ST Paul and Chicago for night time repair work and since we were 10 hours late by then we were diverted into Wisconson skipping all stops between St Paul and Chicago which were serviced from St Paul by motorcoaches.
It has been so long since I have heard it that I really don't remember anything, but I remember the rep. saying that an alert would be sent out to those who are riding the train that just got behind schedual. Similar to what the airlines are doing.
Sorry I responed so late and that I couldn't be of much help.
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