Recent content by RebelRider

Received three redemption e-mails here too. Logged in and saw no suspicious activity in the transaction history. I suspect the phone lines will be busy tomorrow.

The requirements for an exterior and interior calendar day inspection are spelled out in 49 CFR 238 Subpart D. Equipment must be inspected once per calendar day or every 1,500 miles. A calendar day means any time from 0000-2359. So a car inspected at 0001 on Monday doesn’t need another...

There is one VL-I sleeper, 62043, painted in Phase III. That's probably what you saw. AFAIK, no VL-II sleepers have operated anywhere except the Silver Service. The Cardinal currently operates with two coaches, one Amfleet II Cafe, one VL-I sleeper and one VL-II bag/dorm car.

The contract between Amtrak and the SMART-TD Union spells out the minimum crew requirements as follows: 1 Revenue Car 1 Conductor 2-6 Revenue Cars 1 Conductor, 1 Asst Conductor 7+ Revenue Cars 1 Conductor, 2 Asst Conductors Long Haul Train 1 Conductor, 1 Asst Conductor A revenue car...

Call and see if they will change you to a different Acela at no charge. Even though it is on a separate reservation, I would considered that "logical trip" and thus price protected due to the schedule change. Use the term logical trip, too, when speaking with them.

Looks like the Ventures grand debut is planned for February 1, 2022 between Chicago and St. Louis on 303 and 306.

Amtrak has begun telling unions the Long Distance service reductions will continue past March. TLDR; Amtrak has no idea what it is doing.

Or the 9210 sleeper is already full and unavailable.

There are no current plans I've even heard rumored to close HUN. Amtrak is currently advertising for new hire AC jobs there. Now, when the Roanoke train is extended to Christiansburg, we might see an engineer base open in CVS.

There is common storage space both in sleepers and coaches to accommodate the folded wheelchair and walker. These are bi-level cars, so book lower level accommodations if you want to avoid the stairs. The sleepers have roomettes, a family bedroom and an accessible bedroom downstairs. Lower level...

You are correct - the press release is a bit misleading. The railroad is already double track from the connection with CSX at Alexandria to Nokesville. They're not constructing a 7 mile siding, just adding back the second main track between Nokesville and Calverton. This will result in just over...

Anyone with affected reservations will be accommodated on another date or train at no additional charge, regardless of the current price. If the same space is not available resulting in a downgrade, the difference should be refunded, not put into an eVoucher.

No room at the inn for a second overnight train. It will be a mid-day turn. Look for an extension of 151 WAS-RNK. 67 will continue to NPN, but 66 will be flipped to originate from RNK. In its place, 186/124 will be extended to originate from NPN in the afternoons.

Fine. Go park yourself on a train, IN COACH, for 30 hours with full toilets, no food, pissed off passengers all around you, exhausted crew members and report back on your five star experience.

Did you not see what happened in Virginia just last week? It was chaos. Trains stranded all over the place. Trees down in front of them, trees down behind them. Over a foot of snow on the ground. Very little help could come because the roads were jammed with downed trees and stranded vehicles...