Amtrack???

[dodge man]

We just returned from a trip to Estes Park Colorado. We made the mistake of taking Amtrack. We left from Burlington Iowa and got off in Denver. The train was suppose to be about a 12 hour ride. Going to Denver it was four hour late. Coming home it was over 8 hours late. Needless to say we won't be lining up to buy Amtrack tickets soon but is this typical for their schedule?

 

[bcp]

Check average on-time % here:

Amtrak Train Route On-Time Performance

Amtrak runs on a schedule, but the freight trains that delay them usually don't. That alone makes it challenging. Then add accidents, weather, and track maintenance.

And here is a site that will let you check the location and time status of any Amtrak train.

Amtrak Status Maps

Click on your region to see the location of each train, then click on the train number for details.

Bruce

 

[dodge man]

I have used on of those web sites before but the other one was new. I see the train we took, the California Zephyer, had a less than 2% on time rating for June, I'm betting July won't be any better than June. I guess we expected delays just not anywhere the amount of time we had.

 

[bcp]

There must be something happening on that route.

The Coast Starlight is probably a comparable length, but it was 71.7 for June, and 87.8% on time for the last year.

Bruce

 

[HHR]

The Empire Builder train seems to always get behind but the engineer seems to make up some of the time on downhill runs by going 85+ mph.

 

[davrow]

What I hate is that coming down from Seattle to San Diego you change trains in Los Angeles. No problem, except if they arrive in LA 1/2 hour late the train has gone and they stuff you on a bus for 2-3 hours. I paid for a train, I want a train. They just don't get it.

 

[crashz]

Amtrak runs on tracks that are primarily owned by other lines, ie freight. And their track use agreements typically give the freight companies the right of way. So they may be doing maintenance, and repairs, and allow trains through those zone, only when stacked with a freight train, or based upon the freights schedules.

Tunnels and bridges are slow going when work is performed on them. Track protection is paramount, and sometimes contractors can't clear the fouled tracks very quickly. I worked on the Hudson line a few years ago and we had to stop night time traffic for up to a half hour just to clear the tracks. Add a couple of these and the slow acceleration/deceleration and you have some big delays.

 

[dodge man]

I have read that Amtrack lost a court case in the last year or two. Congress had passed a law that gave Amtrack priority on tracks not owned by them but a judge through it out.

 

[crashz]

Their agreements (leases) entitle them to certain things, most of which are beyond my knowledge, but I'm positive that the track owners control the traffic on those tracks. The owners also need to maintain those tracks to a higher degree per FRA regs for passenger trains. Passenger trains typically run at higher speeds than freight, so the tracks must meet the speed ratings of the passenger lines and weight ratings for freight (as well siting distances, crossing, etc. for both).

When working on the tracks, the owners provide track protection, and therefore any train on that line must yield when required. Owners can manipulate their own schedules to get around the work and based upon the cost of those delays, where as daily scheduled passenger trains simply get delayed unless there are penalties (typically from local commuter lines).

We worked at night on the Hudson line to avoid delaying the commuter trains. Garbage at night was delayed. On the Selkirk line, we worked during the day, delaying the Amtrak passenger trains, and avoiding any delay to freight.

All about the $$$$