I have been following the SL two-tracking thread a tad, but may I respectfully ask if anyone knows of the its on-time performance (LA to NO especially) for the Sunset Limited in the very near future. I will be aboard soon, but am somewhat off-put by the alleged late arrivals. Anyone have recent information? Thanks in advance.
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
oltmanndAmtrak has historical on time perf on thier web site under the "routes" tab on the home page.
A better source is Amtrak's report page.
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer/Page/1241245669222/1241245669129
Page down to May Performance Report or any other month.
Then look at pages E-7 for end to end performance and Page E-5 for each RR's performance which list number of delay minutes/ 10,000 miles.
Thank you, "oltmannd" for your kind reply. But, I fear that I did not phrase my initial post very well, for which I apologize.
Yes, I had checked the Amtrak website performance numbers for the SL, and got some intellectually-interesting numbers, including who was at fault for the various performance issues. But 80.8% on-time arrival in June 2010 did not give me much clarity for the situation in reality. For example, does that mean that the train arrived in NO on the scheduled time about 4 out of 5 days, and on the ca. 10% delayed days - by what margin of time delay (5 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, etc.)?
What I was hoping to learn, from perhaps knowledgeable forum members, was what kind of actual time delays could be experienced in a NO arrival. Might you, or others, have that kind of information, even if only anecdoticallly? Thanks in advance.
travelingengineerThank you, "oltmannd" for your kind reply. But, I fear that I did hot phrase my initial post very well, for which I apologize. Yes, I had checked the Amtrak website performance numbers for the SL, and got some intellectually-interesting numbers, including who was at fault for the various performance issues. But 80.8% on-time arrival in June 2010 did not give me much clarity for the situation in reality. For example, does that mean that the train arrived in NO on the scheduled time about 4 out of 5 days, and on the ca. 10% delayed days - by what margin of time delay (5 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, etc.)? What I was hoping to learn, from perhaps knowledgeable forum members, was what kind of actual time delays could be experienced in a NO arrival. Might you, or others, have that kind of information, even if only anecdoticallly? Thanks in advance.
Thank you, "oltmannd" for your kind reply. But, I fear that I did hot phrase my initial post very well, for which I apologize.
Thanks (again), "oltmannd." That's good info: allow about thirty minutes at NO destination. That way, I can better arrange my depot pickup person.
travelingengineer Thanks (again), "oltmannd." That's good info: allow about thirty minutes at NO destination. That way, I can better arrange my depot pickup person.
If you have a cell phone when you pass New Iberia, La expect about 3 - 3-1/4 hrs to New Orleans. Call your pick up and give them an estimated arrival time. Once in a while there are delays at Avondale yard or on the Huey P Long bridge most likely on Fridays.
For actual times of arrival, you can check the status report of #2 at NOL (it goes back five days) on the Amtrak site. Yesterday, #2 arrived 1:24 early; last Friday #2 arrived one minute late. Usually the train arrives an hour or more early--but there are exceptions.
Johnny
Thanks "blue streak 1" for your cell phone suggestion. That is a great idea, IF I had a cell phone, which by choice I mercifully do not. But I have found, these days, that everyone else in the world has one, usually with unlimited calling. So, on previous trips as necessities required, I have found willing passengers, and even a cafe car employee once, who kindly and graciously lent me their own phone for my quick and unplanned use, for which I expressed my deep gratitude.
"Deggesty": Great resource re: actual NOL arrival times in the last five days. But I cannot find this information on the Amtrak website. Would you please be so kind as to direct me to the proper sequence of clickable icons? Thanks very much in advance.
travelingengineerDeggesty": Great resource re: actual NOL arrival times in the last five days. But I cannot find this information on the Amtrak website. Would you please be so kind as to direct me to the proper sequence of clickable icons?
Thank you, for directing me to the proper page of the Amtrak website re: recent scheduled and actual departure and arrival times, "Deggesty." Really cool ! Thanks.
Looking at this past Sunday's data, the LAX departure time certainly gave me pause. Why in the world did the Sunset Limited (#2) depart an hour and 45 minutes late? Good grief. I know of no service interruptions in CA, such as for feeder trains. What could have caused that extraordinary delay?
travelingengineerLooking at this past Sunday's data, the LAX departure time certainly gave me pause. Why in the world did the Sunset Limited (#2) depart an hour and 45 minutes late?
The delay may have been caused by equipment problems.
Last month, we left LA 10 minutes late, El Paso 1 minute late, Del Rio on time, arrived in San Antonio 1:55 late, (I did not notice when we left), arrived in Houston 20 minutes late and left 5 minutes late--then sat at a signal for about three hours (no one could tell us why), arrived in Beaumont 3:36 late, had to wait for the relief crew to come from their hotel and left 3:59 late, left New Iberia 3:26 late, left Shriever 3:34 late, sat at West Bridge Jct. for 5 minutes (I did not note what time we passed East Bridge Jct.), and arrived in New Orleans 2:15 late.
Incidentally, between Houston and Beaumont, EB traffic runs over the Beaumont, Sour Lake & Western (MP) and WB traffic runs over the Texas and New Orleans (SP).
he June performance report has the Sunset arriving on time 80.8% for June and 88.5% YTD.UP delays were mainly freight train inerferrence.s
Well, I've now "been there and back" on the Sunset Limited from Los Angeles to New Orleans this past week. Learned something that I shoulda seen before. Despite the fact that this particular Amtrak train #2 for me was about an hour and a half late approaching Louisiana, we arrived about right on scheduled time. No worries !
Looking over the schedules of other major Amtrak routes, such as the Southwest Chief, it is now clear to me that the frequent and major en route delays are easily made up toward the end of the route, because (as can be noted in the timetables) there is a large amount of time scheduled in for just such purpose. Sometimes three hours or so to go about 60 miles !
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