There is some kind of problem for the whole NS Crescent route. Noticed that many days both 19 and 20 has not exceeded 60 MPH between CLT ( Gastonia ) and Atlanta. That has caused both north and south bound Crescents to constantly loose 30 - 45 minutes between CLT and ATL. Now this alert today has come out. Anyone with more info ?
Crescent Train 20 which departed New Orleans (NOL) on 1/3 is currently operating about 4 hr 25 min late due to Railroad congestion and speed restrictions along the route.
Crescent #20 / 31 latest train system wide again. Arrived 3:59 late NYP. NS arrived it 4:14 at WASH. 1:07 late at Atlanta. North of ATL getting worse.
Weather cancellations south of BHM today! Guess 19 will turn to 20 somtime today/
Service Alert: Crescent Train 20 scheduled to depart New Orleans (NOL) on 12/28 is now canceled between NOL and Birmingham (BHM) due to severe weather in the area causing unforeseen track work on the host railroad. Alternate bus transportation will be provided between NOL & BHM.
Service Alert: Crescent Train 19 that departed New York (NYP) on 12/27 will terminate in Birmingham (BHM) due to severe weather in the area causing unforeseen track work on the host railroad. Alternate bus transportation will be provided between BHM and New Orleans (NOL).
blue streak 1Here it is 2230 Christmas eve and the latest train system wide is #19/23 going toward NOL at over 3:30. No other trains are over 2 hours late. Guess what 19/24 has lost 1:20 WASH - '''''charlottesville. Only 3 other Amtrak trains ( That is all trains LD, SD, NEC ) are more than 1:00 but less than 1:30 late.(14,6,91 ) NS a big fat pew ! Note NS has allways been my favorite RR but ==============
My understanding is the CSX is shutting down most all freight operations from 0700 Dec. 24 to 0700 Dec. 26. There should be very little if any CSX freight train interference to Amtrak over the holiday.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Here it is 2230 Christmas eve and the latest train system wide is #19/23 going toward NOL at over 3:30. No other trains are over 2 hours late. Guess what 19/24 has lost 1:20 WASH - '''''charlottesville. Only 3 other Amtrak trains ( That is all trains LD, SD, NEC ) are more than 1:00 but less than 1:30 late.(14,6,91 ) NS a big fat pew ! Note NS has allways been my favorite RR but ==============
Again #19/23 & #20/23 are only Amtrak LD trains more than 3 hours late as of 1020 Monday morning. What is it with NS?
Here it is Christmas week and 2 out of the three LD trains late are #19 /22 and #20/22 more than 3 hours. Now is getting stabbed both north and south of ATL. The results on this link show black for trains more than 3 hours late that travel 550+ miles.
https://asm.transitdocs.com/map
BaltACD Sofware delays is sounding like PTC data issues and potentially line of road data issues.
Sofware delays is sounding like PTC data issues and potentially line of road data issues.
Update: Palmetto Train 89/20 is currently operating about 2hr 15min late due to earlier host railroad software issues throughout the route and a vehicle blocking the tracks at Florence (FLO). Please check http://Amtrak.com or our mobile app for additional status updates.
blue streak 1Well # 19 lost another hour at Howell CP. This may be another CSX problem note this 3 alerts from Amtrak .Since the Star operates mostly on CSX pprobably their problem. Amtrak AlertsVerified account @AmtrakAlerts 3h3 hours ago More Crescent Train 19 which departed New York (NYP) on 12/19 is currently operating about 1 hr 44 min late due to Norfolk Southern Freight Train interference and host Railroad software issues along the route. Amtrak AlertsVerified account @AmtrakAlerts 2h2 hours ago More Silver Star Train 92 which departed Miami (MIA) on 12/19 is currently operating about 2 hr 56 min late due to Railroad congestion and host Railroad software issues along the route. Amtrak AlertsVerified account @AmtrakAlerts 2h2 hours ago More Silver Star Train 91 which departed New York (NYP) on 12/19 is currently operating about 2 hr 36 min late due to Railroad congestion and host Railroad software issues along the route. EDIT Note Stars did not take delays on their NS portions.
Crescent Train 19 which departed New York (NYP) on 12/19 is currently operating about 1 hr 44 min late due to Norfolk Southern Freight Train interference and host Railroad software issues along the route.
Silver Star Train 92 which departed Miami (MIA) on 12/19 is currently operating about 2 hr 56 min late due to Railroad congestion and host Railroad software issues along the route.
Silver Star Train 91 which departed New York (NYP) on 12/19 is currently operating about 2 hr 36 min late due to Railroad congestion and host Railroad software issues along the route.
EDIT Note Stars did not take delays on their NS portions.
Well # 19 lost another hour at Howell CP. This may be another CSX problem note this 3 alerts from Amtrak .Since the Star operates mostly on CSX pprobably their problem.
Crescent #19 lost 3 hours today ATL - Anniston then hit a car just south of BHM . Now 9 hours late with best NOL 8 hours late of 0330 AM.
http://www.wbrc.com/2018/12/16/killed-birmingham-train-accident/
Just to keep things in turmoil. Not all NS delays are on 29 and 49, Crescent 1:37 late at ATL. ======= now.
Update: Crescent Train 19 that departed New York (NYP) on 12/13 is currently operating about 6hr 17min late due to freight train congestion, signal issues, speed restrictions and mechanical issues along the route south of Washington (WAS).
Now even if no more delays # 20 tomorrow will leave NOL late due to crew turn HOS ! Note # 19 leftCLT just 19 minutes late.
As of 10:00 PM 2200 Crescents operating today are all in the red or black as not on time 20 aarrived NYP 5+ hours late. Only other late LD is #1. Even Empire all trains in green with #8 arriving today early into CHI.
It is again NS snafu !!!
#20 6+ hours late in VA.
And now crew ran out of HOS so crew had to van down to LYH
Crescent Train 20 which departed New Orleans (NOL) on 11/23 is currently operating about 6 hours late due to freight train interference north of Tuscaloosa (TCL). Please check http://Amtrak.com for updates.
Crescent Train 20 which departed New Orleans (NOL) on 11/23 is currently stopped in Lynchburg (LYH) for unforeseen crew changes. More information to come
oltmanndNS has been trying to run the Crescent on PTC for the past several weeks. I know at least one day, it make a huge mess of the Piedmont Div. The cell networks couldn't keep up with the data updates to be uploaded to the Amtrak train en route. Apparently, one train without good route data stops everything. Don't know if this is ongoing problem or not. Usually, route data for a trip is uploaded over WiFi at origin terminal. With Amtrak, apparently they upload just enough to get rolling and are supposed to do the rest while en route.
Don't know if this is ongoing problem or not.
Usually, route data for a trip is uploaded over WiFi at origin terminal. With Amtrak, apparently they upload just enough to get rolling and are supposed to do the rest while en route.
Is 'short routing' PTC a NS operating strategy or Amtraks response to some other NS PTC operating strategy?
When I retired in my area of responsibility, CSX had only made PTC operational on dark territories and PTC managed the limits of the authorities as well as Main Track Switch positions. Operations had not been started on signalled territory.
If multiple radio communications are required between the 'back room' and the train for every switch and signal on a route - and there are multiple trains operating on a line at the same time - there COULD be quite at bit of 'radio overload' on the assigned radio channels.
oltmanndWhile the train is moving along the ROW via the cell network (AT&T and Verizon)
I thought part of the problem was that all the updating 'transactions' had to confirm before the system would let the train move safely.
blue streak 1 Don thanks for the explanation ! One thought. Is the updating happening on just a crew change or with a same crew ? Just another reason that Amtrak does not seem to care about LD trains ?
Don thanks for the explanation ! One thought. Is the updating happening on just a crew change or with a same crew ? Just another reason that Amtrak does not seem to care about LD trains ?
While the train is moving along the ROW via the cell network (AT&T and Verizon)
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
NS has been trying to run the Crescent on PTC for the past several weeks. I know at least one day, it make a huge mess of the Piedmont Div. The cell networks couldn't keep up with the data updates to be uploaded to the Amtrak train en route. Apparently, one train without good route data stops everything.
blue streak 1 Verified account ago More Does it appear that Amtrak ( Anderson ) does not care and is not complaining about these delays ? Crescent is only train other than a #2 Sunset that is extremely late. These lates are getting worse !
Does it appear that Amtrak ( Anderson ) does not care and is not complaining about these delays ? Crescent is only train other than a #2 Sunset that is extremely late. These lates are getting worse !
Based on a randomly selected five dates in October and early November, the Texas Eagle, No. 21 averaged 1 hour, 55 minutes late into San Antonio, which means that it is getting into the Almo City near midnight.
No 21 that departed Chicago on November 19th and was due in San Antonio at 9:55 pm on November 20th did not arrive in the Alamo City until 9:19 am, November 21st.
Imagine you are planning to meet a family member that is supposed to arrive in San Antonio at 9:55 pm, only to find out that she will not arrive until 9:19 the following morning. She will not be happy. And neither will you! Never again is likely to be your mutual refrain!
I don't know whether Anderson cares. But it may not make any difference. The freight carriers that host Amtrak's long distance trains hold all the cards. And as long as they do, they will prioritize their money making trains over Amtrak's money losing long-distance trains.
As reported in other threads, Amtrak does not pay the fully allocated cost of hosting its passenger trains. So why should the freight carriers go out of their way to see that Amtrak's trains are kept to their schedule?
Rio Grande Valley, CFI,CFII
follow up # 20/22 was 5:45 late at ATL additional loss till GAS then made up :30 to GRO and now lost more according to Amtrak. Only @:09 lost on the attached delay notice between TCL and BHM.
UPDATE: Crescent Train 20 which departed New Orleans (NOL) on 11/22 is currently operating about 6 hr 11 min late due to an earlier crossing incident south of Birmingham (BHM) and additional Freight Train interference along the route.
Persons that in past to use Crescent to get to WASH at an early day time cannot anymore depend on it other than being 2 - 4 hours late.
Crescent 20/22 out of NOL already 4:30+ late at Birmingham. No more alerts today as alerts shut down for holiday
Crescent Train 20 that departed New Orleans (NOL) on 11/22 is currently operating about 2hr 26min late due to earlier mechanical issues, speed restrictions and freight train interference between NOL and Meridian (MEI).
20/15 delayed ! 5:50 into ATL last night further delays.
UPDATE: Crescent Train 20(15) is currently operating about 6 hr 11 min late due to additional Freight Train interference along the route. Please check http://Amtrak.com or our mobile app for status updates.
Maybe NS knows something about Amtrak not citing NS for extreme delays ? ?
blue streak 1For those who want to know a detailed description of the Howell CP go to the following link. You will have to page down many pages to appendix "D" Looking at the diagrams the many possibilities of delay to the Crescent will become apparent. http://www.dot.ga.gov/InvestSmart/Rail/Documents/StateRailPlan/StateRailPlan-Appendices-2015.pdf#search=appendix%20d%20rail%20plan%2A
These are D3 and D4, pages 116 and 117 (of 195) in the PDF if you want to go directly to them.
October appeared to be getting better but there has been a decline this month . For Friday 19 got to NOL 5:30+ hours late and 20 scheduled now to arrive ATL 0330 or later. 7 + hours late. Note 20 did leave NOL 3 + hours late. Emphasis on later !
Estimated CLT 0800 or later . Will miss connection to Carolinian train 80.
Among all the lines that entered Atlanta, only one was constructed to run through Atlanta--the East Tennessee Virginia and Georgia's line that connected its line into Rome with the Macon and Brunswick--in 1882.
The Georgia RR was the first into Atlanta, about 1834, and the W&A began in 1836. Thus, the W&A (now operated by CSX) was the first line through Howell. The Georgia Western, which became the east end of the Georgia Pacific (Atlanta to Greenville, Miississippi), was chartered in 1854, and apparently was the first road to cross the W&A.
The Atlanta and Richmond Airline, which eventually became part of the Southern, began in Atlanta by 1871.
The Georgia, Carolina, & Northern (which became a part of SAL) reached Inman Park (on the GaR) in 1892.
Other roads have less, if any, conflict with the W&A and Howell.
I understand that when the GaRR was planned, the planners wanted to stop in Decatur--but the city fathers said "No you don't stop here"--so the west end was set about six miles further on, and was called, at first, "Terminus."
Johnny
BaltACD All the carriers that entered Atlanta viewed the city as their Terminal when they were creating themselves. When you are a end point you don't engineer rights of way for through movement, and none of the carriers did, when the land was available to do it. Atlanta and the South itself grew and the carriers become land locked with just interchange routes between each carriers terminal yards. While the NS nowadays gets screwed by CSX, the layout of CSX tracks in Atlanta causes CSX to screw itself frequently as well. NS also screws CSX when train use the NS trackage to Eastpoint.
All the carriers that entered Atlanta viewed the city as their Terminal when they were creating themselves. When you are a end point you don't engineer rights of way for through movement, and none of the carriers did, when the land was available to do it. Atlanta and the South itself grew and the carriers become land locked with just interchange routes between each carriers terminal yards.
While the NS nowadays gets screwed by CSX, the layout of CSX tracks in Atlanta causes CSX to screw itself frequently as well. NS also screws CSX when train use the NS trackage to Eastpoint.
blue streak 1 Electroliner 1935 Maybe Atlanta needs its own equivalent of Chicago's CREATE project. That is exactly what will be needed. There cannot ever be a reliable commuter rail service from the north of Atlanta until Howell is mitigated. There are 7 different potential commuter rail routes from the north that all converge going thru Howell, That certainly seems to be cause for a need for flyovers and possibly more tracks thru, over, and under Howell CP. That would be more complicated than even Zoo !
Electroliner 1935 Maybe Atlanta needs its own equivalent of Chicago's CREATE project.
Maybe Atlanta needs its own equivalent of Chicago's CREATE project.
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