I have noticed delays in both directions of 2-6 hours recently. It appears the time lost is in North Dakota. Are we back to the same old congestion problem with too much traffic or is track work being performed again? Does anyone know?
I wonder how they're coming with cleanup of that oil-train derailment on the cut-off and about the impact of diverted traffic on Amtrak's route via Grand Forks.
Track between Minot and Grand Forks, ND is in tough shape. Since Amtrak serves GF they cannot take the Slossen Cutoff and follow the better track. Word has it that soon the Minot to Grand Forks track will be clear of slow orders and the Empire Builder won't lose so much time. Time will tell.
Unconfirmed but -- Builder cannot carch a break. Fire near Wenatchee on BNSF sub has closed the Scenic sub. #7 probably running as #27 (?) is routed on Columbia river gourge. Wonder if train will terminate in PDX ?
Today No. 7/27 was 43" late out of Minot, but lost another hour-plus between there and Whitefish, into which its ETA is 11 p.m., 2 hrs late.
This is awful, a real business killer. Daylight into Whitefish, through Glacier, is one of the selling points.
Eastbound EB started 3 hours late from Spokane and is now (morning of 1 July) 7 hours late thru N.D. Maybe the snow drifts in Minot haven't melted yet. The disaster continues.
As petit says, the problems continue, contrary to the chirpy report in the August TRAINS. And they're not confined to the Fargo-Minot segment.
Today, for instance, No. 7 was 1+ hr. late out of Minot, is expected into Whitefish 2+ hours late. (No Glacier for you.) No. 8 was 1 hour down out of Whitefish, is advertised for (at best) 1:48 down into Minot.
After years and years of being so faithful, BNSF is killing Amtrak on this route for the third year in a row. That should be worth an Amtrak conversation with the railroad, followed (if necessary) by a visit to the Surface Transportation Board.
I wonder how Warren Buffett would like that?
Four hours late, after midnight, for No. 7/27 into Whitefish tonight, without even (you can be pretty sure, on a holiday weekend) the excuse of trackwork. It could be Amtrak's doing, rather than BNSF's, but somehow I doubt it.
If Amtrak isn't careful, it's going to lose its best LD train after the Auto Train the same way it lost its worst, the Sunset (or most of it), and for the same reason, non-performance by the host railroad(s).
Just another sad example of how quality passenger train service is basically incompatible with RoWs controlled by private freight lines.
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
petitnjWord has it that soon the Minot to Grand Forks track will be clear of slow orders and the Empire Builder won't lose so much time. Time will tell.
The Devils Lake sub (GF to Minot) is getting some CTC islands (sidings) also, not sure about end-to-end CTC as it is twice as long as Hillsboro. The leveling off / downturn in BNSF business may have impacted this schedule.
As they say in baseball, wait until next year ....
Links to my Google Maps ---> Sunset Route overview, SoCal metro, Yuma sub, Gila sub, SR east of Tucson, BNSF Northern Transcon and Southern Transcon *** Why you should support Ukraine! ***
Maybe some historian should find out how the NP or Milw handled track work in summers and still maintained schedules we need anm Amtrak chief who is not afraid of politicians or RR Brass
ROBERT TINDALL Maybe some historian should find out how the NP or Milw handled track work in summers and still maintained schedules we need anm Amtrak chief who is not afraid of politicians or RR Brass
In the age before Amtrak, MofW work was not as centralized into large highly mechanized gangs that require 8 to 12 hours of absolute track time per day to be productive. Getting a 6 to 8 man section gang to clear the track is not the same kind of problem as getting a 150 man gang with 40 to 60 individual machines in the clear. One can clear in 10 to 15 minutes from notification; the other will take 2 to 4 hours.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
BaltACD ROBERT TINDALL Maybe some historian should find out how the NP or Milw handled track work in summers and still maintained schedules we need anm Amtrak chief who is not afraid of politicians or RR Brass In the age before Amtrak, MofW work was not as centralized into large highly mechanized gangs that require 8 to 12 hours of absolute track time per day to be productive. Getting a 6 to 8 man section gang to clear the track is not the same kind of problem as getting a 150 man gang with 40 to 60 individual machines in the clear. One can clear in 10 to 15 minutes from notification; the other will take 2 to 4 hours.
Johnny
The delays don't sound encouraging for future travel. I'm considering a trip from Washington State to Chicago. In May 1972 my new wife & I took an Empire Builder round-trip from Yakima, WA to Glenview, IL so my family in Chicago could meet her. We traveled coach eastbound and had a sleeper on the return trip a week later. We paid a total of $246.95 plus $6.00 for a Sleeping Car on the return only. That same trip today will cost us about $800 each (in a Sleeping Car) for the round trip from Pasco, WA (our closest depot) to Chicago. I would love to take the train but the combination of delays and price may make me think again.
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