Couldn't even make the trains run on time.
Posted on 07/22/2014 11:23:07 AM PDT by Paul46360
On 21July2014 Amtrak Wolverine was due to arrive in New Buffalo Michigan at 8:10pm from Chicago. But it was over 2 hours late.
When my wife FINALLY talked with a REAL person she was told that AMTRAK's own dispatch center could NOTcontact the train and to call back in 10 min for update!!!!!!!!
The problem many times has to do with delays from freight, as Amtrak relies on running over some of those same tracks. Amtrak needs its own tracks!
Freight traffic in Chicago has 100% preference on the rails and switches. Ain’t no way around it.
Couldn't even make the trains run on time.
Needs more subsidy.
In 2014 railroad engineers don’t carry cell phones?
Willie Green is deeply saddened.
The engineers I’ve known probably wouldn’t lower themselves to make that call.
One got mad at people honking at him for blocking a road with his train so he just stopped his train and refused to move it for a couple hours. He almost got arrested except it would have taken even longer to open the road back up.
Railroad engineers and conductors are ABSOLUTELY FORBIDDEN to carry cell phones on the job. Apparently, they get distracted by texting etc. and then bad things happen.
Riding AMTRAK cross country in 1994, using
Burlington Northern lines, all the latrines
backed up, even in the compartments!
This was during June on the high plains.
It was a long 18 hours.
Willie Green is deeply saddened.
Poor Willie, He had all the answers, for the wrong questions though.
I live in NOVA and work in NYC and take AMTRAK weekly.
Service has been horrendous the last several weeks, and when my Acela was over an hour late last Thursday night into DC, I sent a complaint.
Today I get an acknowledgement of my complaint with a note that it may be as much as 6 weeks until I get a response.
Ugh.
Other railroads own the tracks (capitalism - because they built or bought them).
Amtrak uses the tracks through the graces of the owners. Amtrak passenger trains have last priority.
One should always make schedule calculations based on this and adjust arrival times by 10 - 20% of the trip total.
Some of the comments here are interesting. From what I remember, Amtrak always had priority over freight trains, even on the rails it does not own. That may have changed within the past 15 years but I don’t think so. Usually, when an Amtrak train is delayed, its an issue with switching or a mechanical issue. And yes, these issues routinely can take several hours to fix if the train is in the middle of nowhere when the breakdown occurs. Its one of the downsides of rail travel.
Freight has priority
In my experience with AmTrak, it’s best to expect it to be late... and don’t use it if being late at your destination is a big problem.
basic tracfone. not more distracting than a walkie-talkie.
you just finding that out.Its the government whats left to say
You could have a 2+ hour delay taking any given flight, and day, just as easily.
OK ... I got that from a retired MARC/Amtrak conductor. FWIW.
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