How OT Are #14 and #28?

[Kevin C. Smith]

I am planning a trip and my connections are in Portland, Ore., from the Coast Starlight to the Empire Builder and later from the Builder to Jefferson Bus in Saint Paul, Minn. Amtrak's site gives the helpful-ish information of what % of the time either train is late...but nowhere does it say how late? I am scheduled to arrive in Portland at 3:32pm and leave at 4:45pm. Plenty of time...unless I'm late. Arrival in Saint Paul is supposed to be 7:43am and my connnecting bus leaves at 11:05am.

So, do I have a chance at either of these?

[Deggesty]

Kevin C. Smith

I am planning a trip and my connections are in Portland, Ore., from the Coast Starlight to the Empire Builder and later from the Builder to Jefferson Bus in Saint Paul, Minn. Amtrak's site gives the helpful-ish information of what % of the time either train is late...but nowhere does it say how late? I am scheduled to arrive in Portland at 3:32pm and leave at 4:45pm. Plenty of time...unless I'm late. Arrival in Saint Paul is supposed to be 7:43am and my connnecting bus leaves at 11:05am.

So, do I have a chance at either of these?

 

If I were planning the trip, I would allow for a day in Portland. I do not know if many people make plans for such a connection; I do not know if Amtrak holds #28 until #14 has arrived if #14 runs late. The view as you go up along the Columbia to Pasco is certainly worth seeing. As to the connection in St. Paul, I have no idea.

I do know that Amtrak held both #3 and #5 in Chicago until both #29 and #39 arrived from the east one day--#5 left 2:30 late, and arrived in Salt Lake City about six hours late (so I had two nights instead of one on board).

[Kevin C. Smith]

Ay, there's the rub. The connection on Portland will probably be missed. While I wouldn't mind a day in that city, the route through there is already adding a day to my journey. Additionally, I always allow an extra day to allow for the unforseen but I hate to write it off on the first leg of my trip. I have more bus options for the other end of the trip but they mean skipping Saint Paul Union Depot, which is part of the reason I want to take the Builder to begin with.

If Amtrak's "Historical On Time Arrival" function would provide information on how late a train was how often, I (and I suspect others) could make plans. A 70 minute connection is not a problem if a train is only 15 minutes late (even 100% of the time) but if it is an hour late once a week, I have to pause...

[Electroliner 1935]

Today, #14 is 2:55 late @ Chemult and forcast for 1:55 late at PDX. That would miss the scheduled departure for #28. I have taken this route but allowed a day in Portland to ride their light rail system. I have heard of them puting people in a taxi to a station East of Portland to make #28 but I doubt you would want that. 

[ORNHOO]

Instead of using the Amtrak.com Historical On Time Arrival function you could use

the Amtrak Status Maps archive Database at the Statusmaps.com (under Hitchhiker's Guide to Amtrak) and use the search connecting trains feature.

I would point out that since January 1 2016 this connection has been missed on two occasions and on seven occasions the departure of 28 was held to wait arrival of 14 ( on 01/19 #28 was  held until 5:51 p.m., more than one hour late.) On another forum it was mentioned that if 14 arrives in Klamath Falls so late that it can not make it to Portland less than one hour late passengers with connections to 28 are put on a bus north to (I think) Wishram (or maybe Pasco).