Unconfirmed report all LD trains arrived NYP early. The closest was LSL only 7 minutes early. All NEC trains arrived close to on time as well. Two western trains late Chicago this date but Builder early. Horrors..
I am taking a trip from Arizona to the east coast. We leave Flagstaff, AZ on February 3rd on the "Southwest Chief" connecting to the "Lake Shore Ltd." on February 4th. to NYC.
I checked the Lake Shore past performance on the Amtrak website. The arrival times in Penn Station are horrorable! Four to fourteen hours LATE. There is a notice, on the website, warning of delays through January 12th.
My question is: Will these delays be solved after January 12th?
I have read the articles in Trains Magazine concerning this situation. They are not very encouraging.
Can anyone out there give me some insight to this situation? I have e-mailed Amtrak concerning this and am waiting for their response.
One alternative would be to take the Capital Ltd to Washington, DC and then up to NYC. I just noticed that Amtrak just pulled off the dining car and lounge car off this train. I sure do not want this, however, might just have to put up with it.
I paid a lot of $$$ for accomodations and this is how I'm treated?
Fustrated!
Steve
Amtrak is replacing the full length dining car and Sightseer Lounge car on the Capitol Limited with a combination dining/lounge car, as per this announcement:
"Beginning January 12, 2015 through February 28, 2015, the Dining car and Sightseer Lounge car will be removed from the Capitol Limited for maintenance and replaced with a Diner/Lounge car. Meals normally provided in the Dining car will be provided on one side of the Diner/Lounge car and the opposite side will serve as the Lounge car."
I suspect the car is similar to the cross country cafe cars that run on the Texas Eagle and, I believe, the City of New Orleans. They are more than adequate, although the staff may need to increase the number of seatings to accommodate the Capitol's passengers.
According to the current published timetables, the time to travel from Chicago to New York on the Capitol and a NEC Regional connecting train, at least on February 28th, as an example, would be 20 hours, 57 minutes. The time for the Lake Shore Limited is 19 hours, 53 minutes. The Lake Shore leaves Chicago at 9:30 p.m. and arrives in NYC at 6:23 p.m. the following evening. The Capitol leaves Chicago at 6:40 p.m. and arrives in Washington at 1:10 p.m. the following day. The NEC Regional train leaves D.C. at 3:30 p.m. and arrives in NYC at 6:57 p.m.
When I travel from Temple, TX, which is the closest station to my home, to NYC, I book via the Capitol and a connecting NEC Regional train. As a rule I get a better rate than going on the Lake Shore Limited. Also, the Superliner equipment on the Capitol is more comfortable than the low level equipment on the Lake Shore Limited.
According to the Hungeford 1911 book. the fastest NY - Chicago trains, either via PRRor NYC, took 18 hours. Over 100 years ago, 18 hours, wow!
I strongly recommend the Capitol Limited. And, just for the experience, you might want to pay the just short of exhorbidant step-up to Acela for Washingtonj - NY.
daveklepper According to the Hungeford 1911 book. the fastest NY - Chicago trains, either via PRRor NYC, took 18 hours. Over 100 years ago, 18 hours, wow! I strongly recommend the Capitol Limited. And, just for the experience, you might want to pay the just short of exhorbidant step-up to Acela for Washingtonj - NY.
In 1953, according to my PRR System Timetable, Number 29, the Broadway Limited, took 16 hours to run from NYC to Chicago. It departed NYC at 5:00 p.m., and arrived in Chicago at 8:00 a.m.
Sam1In 1953, according to my PRR System Timetable, Number 29, the Broadway Limited, took 16 hours to run from NYC to Chicago. It departed NCY at 5:00 p.m., and arrived in Chicago at 8:00 a.m.
In 1967, the Broadway,#28 eastbound, it did it in 15 1/2 hours, leaving Chicago at 5:00 pm, arriving in New York at 9:30 am. The westbound, # 29, left NYC at 6:00 pm and arrived in Chicago at 9:00 am. The 1962 NYC 20th Century Ltd. kept the same schedule westbound as the Broadway, 6 to 9, 16 hours. Sad that 50 odd years later, it takes so much longer. Real progress!
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
Despite the nasty weather in the NE all trains arrived NYP early except LSL which was 9 minutes late. As well all trains along the NEC arrived within Amtrak's 30 minute window.
Wedensday all LD trains except 49 arrived Chicago early. Is it because RR construction season is over and weather is not bad?
Consumer Affairs.
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/travel/amtrak.html
People who review mostly complain, whether irlines, busses or trains. However, reading the content of some of the 408 reviews, even by once loyal customers, suggests Amtrak is a very poorly run organization, with poorly thought out systems and procedures and incompetent and/or uncivil staff.
I was on a trip from Gallup, NM to San Bernardino, CA on the night of November 19. The train was already late for almost 1 hour. Juan ** was the one who collected my ticket before I boarded the train. I requested an aisle seat from him, he did not respond to me, instead, he just wrote a seat # and handed to me. I assumed it was an aisle seat. But when I got on the train, I realized it was not an aisle seat, I got a window seat, and with another passenger seating next to me. The wind/air blew all over my face and my neck, I could not slept well. And there were so many empty seats during the whole trip, he did not assign me an aisle seat which I wanted. Therefore, I switched to an aisle seat myself since I could not stand for the cold wind.
And there was another lady in our train, she just fell asleep and laid her legs to the seat right next to her, which no one was seating there. The conductor Irene ** woke her up, and told her to put her legs back to her own space. She was so cold and mean to customers! And later on, the conductor Irene ** found out that I switched my seat, she woke me up, and requested me to go back to my own seat. But my neighbor who sat next to me at the window seat already felt asleep, I did not want to wake him up to walk back to my seat, and I explained to her that the wind blew my neck. She responded that "the wind blow everywhere, if you do not want to wake him up, I will." Therefore, she woke up my neighbor, and requested me to go back to my own seat. And there were so many empty seats available at this time! After negotiating with Irene and Janet, Irene said she would try to find me am aisle seat after new passengers finishing boarding at the next stop. However, after boarding, and the train took off again, I walked over and asked her. She said, “unfortunately, there were no seats available.” But it was so obvious that there were so many aisle seats available!!!
Here is the second issue. I requested to change my ticket by adding money and stop by Union Station instead of San Bernardino. I made this request when I was boarding in Gallup, NM by talking to Juan ** and the previous conductor. They said I need to talk to the conductor for the next shift (which Irene was the next one, she was not there at that moment). Later, when Irene took the shift, I explained to her. She literally wanted me to call the Amtrak customer service myself. She said if I could not get it change myself, I had to be kicked off from the train in San Bernardino. Therefore, I was on hold on Amtrak customer support forever until my phone almost draining out of the battery, still not get a hold of a customer support.
Finally, I almost get an agent, but I was too lucky that the train passed through Victorville area, the phone signal was lost, I was disconnected. And I talked to Juan **, he told me that I should change the ticket at the stop Flagstaff. But no one ever told me I am supposed to change at Flagstaff. This is my first time get on the train in my life. But ** said to me that “It is common sense that everyone should change the ticket at Flagstaff, you want to get my name to complain? My name is Juan." Do you expect a person who get on the train first time to know everything? And I made this request at the beginning when I was boarding, no one even mentioned about the Flagstaff, they assume all passengers are experts, which they said "common sense".
At the end, I had to get off at San Bernardino, and took the metro-link to Union Station, with my stiff neck and stiff face because the wind blew my face and neck the whole night. And I had to show up work late because metro-link was a lot slower than Amtrak to travel to the Union Station. This is my first time to take the train, and my worst customer experience ever in my life in all types of transportation!
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