Amtrak 12 hours late

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Super Chief
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Amtrak 12 hours late

Unread post by Super Chief »

According to M-live the Wolverine was 12 hours late into Pontiac arriving at 1:30 pm instead of 1:17am as advertised. Late out of Chicago for 2-1/2hours due to engine issues, 1 hour delay due to switch problems at New Buffalo, sat 4 hours in Kalamazoo for new crew after it arrived 4 hours late, sat in Albion 1 hour for more crewmembers, then full speed ahead got to love holidays and Amtrak.

hoborich
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Re: Amtrak 12 hours late

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Back in 1992 I took Amtrak back from Florida. It was the ride from hell, in January! It was already below freezing when we got to Jacksonville, and just got colder. We got into Washington DC about 7 hours late, but they held our connection for us. We got off one train and crossed the platform and boarded the other train. We pulled out of DC and about four miles out of the station, the entire train went dark, just as the conductor was coming through our car. He called the engineer to stop the train. I was listening on my scanner. OK, now what? Well, back er back into the station.So we slowly backed four miles into the DC station, where they changed a broken head end power cable. An hour later we were back under way. Crew was making excuses. Several passengers said this train was always late. Then we stopped again. Oh, it was 12 below zero now!!!. There was talk of frozen switches. We were on the Water Level route to Toledo, and we passed one freight train after another. The toilets were frozen and overflowing onto the floor. NO HEAT IN THE CAR!!. Stewards came around with tiny postage stamp sized blankets. Went to the buffet car. "We can't make coffee because all the water lines are frozen". Hunkered back down in my seat with the blanket over my head warming myself with my own breath. When we finally pulled into Toledo station, there were people all over the place sleeping on the floors, from another train that had broken down. They bused us to Dearborn station, where my girlfriend picked me up. I was seriously hypothermic. Went directly to my house, jumped into bed and cranked up the electric blanket on high for the next five hours!!!!
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ConrailDetr​oit
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Re: Amtrak 12 hours late

Unread post by ConrailDetr​oit »

354 leaving Chicago 2 hours late using the trainset from 353.

hoborich
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Re: Amtrak 12 hours late

Unread post by hoborich »

More on the train. Some interesting comments too.

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/ind ... river_home
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Stinger4me
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Re: Amtrak 12 hours late

Unread post by Stinger4me »

Never been impressed by the folks who work for AMTRAK in Chicago. Other locations are a different matter but Chi-town is out there.

EWRice
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Re: Amtrak 12 hours late

Unread post by EWRice »

Why does it seem like Amtrak always takes so much heat for issues like this? Years back, I was stranded in Detroit with about 30 other people because our flight was cancelled. No explanation, no news coverage. Most people I talk to that have had cancelled or delayed flights (and this is alot of people), just write it off as the norm. I understand (probably more than most) that mechanical issues happen, be it track, car or motive power, but delays because of crew changes are unacceptable in my book. If there is a known chance that a crew change will be needed, and I mean even a minimal chance, then a new crew needs to be on standby and, if needed, changed out at a planned time and place. Even if you have to pay a crew to be on standby, it has to be far cheaper then refunds and the bad publicity.

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Schteinkuh
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Re: Amtrak 12 hours late

Unread post by Schteinkuh »

EWRice wrote:Why does it seem like Amtrak always takes so much heat for issues like this? Years back, I was stranded in Detroit with about 30 other people because our flight was cancelled. No explanation, no news coverage. Most people I talk to that have had cancelled or delayed flights (and this is alot of people), just write it off as the norm. I understand (probably more than most) that mechanical issues happen, be it track, car or motive power, but delays because of crew changes are unacceptable in my book. If there is a known chance that a crew change will be needed, and I mean even a minimal chance, then a new crew needs to be on standby and, if needed, changed out at a planned time and place. Even if you have to pay a crew to be on standby, it has to be far cheaper then refunds and the bad publicity.
C'mon, cut them some slack. Obviously this is the Central Division's first Michigan winter.
Its that time of the year for Amtrak. Mechanical failures are a plenty. 6 trains left CHICAGO with freight leaders so far today, with 3 more freight leaders inbound, and 371 had a compressor issue which led to it leaving GR around noon today with a CSX motor. CUS mechanical must be having a spectacular day.
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Doktor No
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Re: Amtrak 12 hours late

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Go check your airlines today, tomorrow and the rest of the weekend....they ain't flying either..at least up the east coast.
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Super Chief
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Re: Amtrak 12 hours late

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Yeah airlines we were waiting to board a plane in Clearwater but they said there would be a 3 hour delay to get to South Bend. Said a stewardess was driving her car from Janesville to Des Moines to crew a plane and that would be ours. I asked the customer service rep. don't you fly into Sanford Fl. too. Well yes and you don't have a plane and crew over there to take us North? Well that's a good idea let me make a phone call. Half hour later plane at gate were on our way. Maybe Amtrak should take all the High Speed Train signs down in winter and replace with It Is What It Is signs till spring.

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Re: Amtrak 12 hours late

Unread post by J T »

Super Chief wrote:Yeah airlines we were waiting to board a plane in Clearwater but they said there would be a 3 hour delay to get to South Bend. Said a stewardess was driving her car....
They actually used that archaic word? haha
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Re: Amtrak 12 hours late

Unread post by SousaKerry »

I try to only fly in the corporate turboprop when I can. Only 9 seats but those pilots will fly in any weather, we load up in a heated hanger no TSA open the doors and go.
What smells like lube oil and diesel.... Oh wait it's just my "Locomotive Breath"

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Doktor No
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Re: Amtrak 12 hours late

Unread post by Doktor No »

Good job SuperChief..! Hit em with logic! You'd be surprised with what can happen when you make a 'suggestion.' We used to take 6 or more hours to get out of Barr and off the Barr B&OCT sub during the conrail merger fiasco. One day I suggested we use the IHB cause we're qualified....lo and behold, at CalPark we crossed over and away we went up the IHB to CP501. Kinda neat but it worked!
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Super Chief
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Re: Amtrak 12 hours late

Unread post by Super Chief »

Thanks Doc for the compliment. My next phone call should be to MDOT as this story has now gone nation wide. The press can be brutal but really what does MDOT stand for? MANY DELAYS ON TRAINS. Well Aunt Bertha we went 110mph between the 2-1-4-2 hour stops in between. Counted the mile posts flying by in between the 9 hours of nap time. Its got to be a jewel out east right now. Next stop Detroit shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

PatAzo
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Re: Amtrak 12 hours late

Unread post by PatAzo »

EWRice wrote:Why does it seem like Amtrak always takes so much heat for issues like this? Years back, I was stranded in Detroit with about 30 other people because our flight was cancelled. No explanation, no news coverage. Most people I talk to that have had cancelled or delayed flights (and this is alot of people), just write it off as the norm.
Fear not, the airlines are getting their licks this weekend. Planes waiting hours to pull up to the terminal. Fist fights among passengers stuck at JFK. Passengers waiting hours for their baggage to be moved from the plane to the terminal. A 777 being towed clipping the tail of another parked at the terminal.

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