Amtrak Cancels evening service on the NEC NYP-BOS

[AlanB]

While so far no official update has been issued on Amtrak's website, Amtrak has decided to cancel all north/eastbound trains out of NYP immediately after the 5:00 PM departure of Acela 2168. I had noticed last night that Amtrak had blacked out all sales on trains after 2168, and similar blackouts coming west from Boston. This includes the overnight runs of 66/67.

Less than an hour ago I got the call telling me that I would not be able to travel on 2172 as they were cancelling my train. Thankfully I was able to get onto 2166 at 4:00 PM, but it's filling up fast. Only FC seating is left at this point in time. 2168 only has 3 FC seats left as of a few minutes ago.

So far, no cancellations for tomorrow, a pattern that I hope continues.

 

[PRR 60]

From Amtrak:

Some Service Changes in the Northeast
Last Updated September 3, 2010, 12:30 pm EDT

As Hurricane Earl continues to progress in the Northeast, Amtrak has made schedule adjustments to trains. Users of all travel modes along the Eastern Seaboard are advised to monitor weather conditions this Labor Day Weekend. Amtrak will post updates on Amtrak.com, notify affected customers who have provided contact information, utilize the news media and other means to provide information.

The following adjustments have been made for trains between New York and Boston (South Station) for Friday, September 3:

- Trains 94, 178 and 66 will terminate in New York, instead of Boston.

- Acela Express Trains 2170 and 2172 will terminate in New York, instead of Boston.

- Trains 177 and 67 will originate in New York, instead of Boston.

- Acela Express Train 2193 is canceled.

- Train 179 is canceled. Passengers connecting from Train 479 can travel on the Metro North Commuter Railroad to points south of New Haven.

Alternate transportation between New York and Boston will be provided on other Amtrak trains, as available.

Amtrak service in the Tidewater area to Newport News is also affected. The following adjustments have been made for trains traveling south of Washington DC to Richmond (Staples Mill Station) and Newport News for Friday, September 3:

- Train 66 will originate in Richmond, instead of Newport News.

- Train 94 will originate in Washington, instead of Newport News.

- Train 95 will terminate in Richmond, instead of Newport News.

- Train 83 will terminate in Washington, instead of Newport News.

- Train 67 will terminate in Richmond, instead of Newport News.

- Train 78 is canceled.

On Saturday, September 4:

- Train 194 will originate in Richmond, instead of Newport News.

- Train 82 will originate in Washington, instead of Newport News.

Alternate transportation will only be available between Washington and Richmond, as other Northeast Regional trains will operate to Richmond, plus the Carolinian, Silver Star, Silver Meteor and Palmetto.

 

[amamba]

That sucks.

it's not even raining anymore right now. it was for a while.

 

[AlanB]

Things got far worse after my earlier update and the Amtrak release posted by PRR60.

Some time around 12:30 PM a tree off of Amtrak property fell onto the tracks taking out the wires for both tracks in eastern CT. All trains have been cancelled, including mine at 4:00 PM. Trains already enroute, were turned around and sent back to their originating stations. At least 2 Acela's went back to Boston and 2 came back to NY. Several Regionals were also turned around too, although I believe two Regionals will actually complete their runs, as rumor has it that Amtrak has sent out a couple of diesels to try to get some people through.

I'm currently sitting in the NYP Club Acela, having totally altered our plans for the evening since all this went down to late for us to simply have remained home. We were both in NY by the time we learned of the issues.

So instead we're now booked on 2119 from NY to DC. Cancelled the hotel in Boston and the return train from Boston, and rebooked hotel and return train in DC.

Thank god this is the information age and my trusty laptop was with me to assist in all this.

 

[AlanB]

Here's the press release from Amtrak:

Through Service Suspended between New York and BostonOverhead Wire Damage and Severe Storms from Hurricane Earl

Last Updated September 3, 2010, 2:30 pm EDT

Overhead electrical system damage from a tree which fell from outside Amtrak property in Connecticut and more severe weather forecasted this evening has led Amtrak to suspend all through service between New York and Boston (South Station).

Those passengers currently on Amtrak trains in the affected area are being returned to their stations.

Amtrak will issue further statements regarding Hurricane Earl directly on Amtrak.com, Twitter and Facebook, on 1-800-USA-RAIL and to the news media.

Amtrak regrets any inconvenience. This information is correct as of the above time and date. Information is subject to change as conditions warrant. Passengers are encouraged to call 1-800-USA-RAIL or visit Amtrak.com for schedule information and train status updates.

 

[densgirl]

Things got far worse after my earlier update and the Amtrak release posted by PRR60.

Some time around 12:30 PM a tree off of Amtrak property fell onto the tracks taking out the wires for both tracks in eastern CT. All trains have been cancelled, including mine at 4:00 PM. Trains already enroute, were turned around and sent back to their originating stations. At least 2 Acela's went back to Boston and 2 came back to NY. Several Regionals were also turned around too, although I believe two Regionals will actually complete their runs, as rumor has it that Amtrak has sent out a couple of diesels to try to get some people through.

I'm currently sitting in the NYP Club Acela, having totally altered our plans for the evening since all this went down to late for us to simply have remained home. We were both in NY by the time we learned of the issues.

So instead we're now booked on 2119 from NY to DC. Cancelled the hotel in Boston and the return train from Boston, and rebooked hotel and return train in DC.

Thank god this is the information age and my trusty laptop was with me to assist in all this.

Alan, sorry to hear of your altered weekend but way to go on turning it into another destination all together, way to save the day. I hope something great happens as a result of your positive attitude and fate taking you to Washington, instead of Boston.

Michele

P.S. Love the do over of the boards, they look wonderful.

 

[dlagrua]

Those news people are totally clueless. If you keep listening to that negative doom and gloom stuff, there's no telling how screwed up your going to get. I ignore them all along with the opinion commentators that pawn themselves off as news people. Its all a bunch of BS.

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

Some time around 12:30 PM a tree off of Amtrak property fell onto the tracks taking out the wires for both tracks in eastern CT. All trains have been cancelled, including mine at 4:00 PM. Trains already enroute, were turned around and sent back to their originating stations. At least 2 Acela's went back to Boston and 2 came back to NY. Several Regionals were also turned around too, although I believe two Regionals will actually complete their runs, as rumor has it that Amtrak has sent out a couple of diesels to try to get some people through.

How many miles of catenary were de-energized as a result of this?

 

[boxcar479]

Here's the press release from Amtrak:

Through Service Suspended between New York and BostonOverhead Wire Damage and Severe Storms from Hurricane Earl

Last Updated September 3, 2010, 2:30 pm EDT

Overhead electrical system damage from a tree which fell from outside Amtrak property in Connecticut and more severe weather forecasted this evening has led Amtrak to suspend all through service between New York and Boston (South Station).

Those passengers currently on Amtrak trains in the affected area are being returned to their stations.

Amtrak will issue further statements regarding Hurricane Earl directly on Amtrak.com, Twitter and Facebook, on 1-800-USA-RAIL and to the news media.

Amtrak regrets any inconvenience. This information is correct as of the above time and date. Information is subject to change as conditions warrant. Passengers are encouraged to call 1-800-USA-RAIL or visit Amtrak.com for schedule information and train status updates.

Thank God you have a positive attitude and can whip up a batch of lemonade when a bushel of lemons fall in your lap

 

[AlanB]

Those news people are totally clueless. If you keep listening to that negative doom and gloom stuff, there's no telling how screwed up your going to get. I ignore them all along with the opinion commentators that pawn themselves off as news people. Its all a bunch of BS.

Who said anything about news people?

I'm here telling you what went down and the problems that Amtrak is having, which by the way are confirmed via various source none of which are media sources.

 

[AlanB]

Some time around 12:30 PM a tree off of Amtrak property fell onto the tracks taking out the wires for both tracks in eastern CT. All trains have been cancelled, including mine at 4:00 PM. Trains already enroute, were turned around and sent back to their originating stations. At least 2 Acela's went back to Boston and 2 came back to NY. Several Regionals were also turned around too, although I believe two Regionals will actually complete their runs, as rumor has it that Amtrak has sent out a couple of diesels to try to get some people through.

How many miles of catenary were de-energized as a result of this?

Sorry, but I have no idea.

Certainly enough to cause big problems though!

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

Certainly enough to cause big problems though!

Sure. But if a catenary outage could be isolated to something like 5, 10, or 20 miles, I'm wondering if it would be possible to put enough batteries in a locomotive to get past an outage like this. A Nissan Leaf which will go on sale in about four months can go 100 miles on batteries and isn't really much more expensive than a conventional gasoline powered car, and Tesla Motors has figured out how to build automobiles that can go over 200 miles on batteries.

Being able to go a short distance on batteries might also be useful for revenue service to Jamacia on Long Island for some of the New York City to DC trains, and for stopping at T F Green Airport.

Granted, with a fallen tree, the tree would still need to be cleared from the tracks and the dead catenary wire moved out of the way, but batteries might be able to help to limit the impact of a problem like this.

(Also, it might make sense to limit the top speed of the train to something like 30 or 50 MPH when moving on batteries, to minimize the need to carry lots of batteries just to overcome wind drag. If a catenary outage can be isolated to 5 miles, it will only take 10 minutes to cover 5 miles at 30 MPH.)

 

[Trogdor]

The problem with that is the trains don't have, nor are they set up to be easily equipped with, batteries.

There's also a pretty big difference between a one-ton automobile, and a 100-ton locomotive pulling an eight-car passenger train.

 

[PRR 60]

The situation is generally more complicated than just the traction power being out. There may be wires down on the tracks. The tree may have taken out the signal power and signals may be out. The tree or trees may be physically blocking the tracks. Generally, incidents like this are not simple.

 

[battalion51]

I agree with PRR, catenary going down isn't easy. Note that a tree fell in this situation. Even a diesel powered train can't get around a tree down on the tracks. You've got to cut up and clear the rails, then you've still got the wires to worry about, which isn't fun/easy to deal with under clear conditions, much less rainy/windy conditions. I did notice though that there was no mention of 54/55/56/57/140/148/143/147. Is the Springfield line still operational?

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

While Earl is now a dead storm, I agree with the call because if something did come down in front of a train clipping along at 100 plus, the news would not be good.

 

[DET63]

Seems like keeping trees far enough away from the tracks to prevent such an incident from happening would be highly desirable, even if the trees were not on the right-of-way.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Sure. But if a catenary outage could be isolated to something like 5, 10, or 20 miles, I'm wondering if it would be possible to put enough batteries in a locomotive to get past an outage like this. A Nissan Leaf which will go on sale in about four months can go 100 miles on batteries and isn't really much more expensive than a conventional gasoline powered car.

Joel, you must get over your obsession with batteries. It isn't healthy. I sincerely hope my tax money doesn't ever go to crackpot schemes like this.

A Nissan Leaf is an example of a marketing ploy. By the way, if you ever were interested in bothering to read details, the car is for sale... but its battery is not. You lease the battery. It costs a considerable sum of money, if I recall correctly. Batteries are horrible, inefficient inventions. Before people started painting them green, they were used only in situations where externally generated or internally generated power was not feasible. That is where they belong and where they should remain.

Lastly, I can power an HO toy train with a 1.5 volt AA battery for about half an hour. Said HO locomotive weighs approximately half a pound. Which means it weighs about 1/300,000th of what a real locomotive weighs. So to power a real locomotive for an hour, you need... 600,000 AA batteries worth of power. Rechargeable batteries will never have the life span of a non-rechargeable, so to make that rechargable, you'd need about a million AA batteries to move the locomotive of the train.

 

[AlanB]

I agree with PRR, catenary going down isn't easy. Note that a tree fell in this situation. Even a diesel powered train can't get around a tree down on the tracks. You've got to cut up and clear the rails, then you've still got the wires to worry about, which isn't fun/easy to deal with under clear conditions, much less rainy/windy conditions. I did notice though that there was no mention of 54/55/56/57/140/148/143/147. Is the Springfield line still operational?

Yes, Springfield is still operational AFAIK, but there are no Amtrak trains to connect to at New Haven. You're only choice is Metro North.

 

[AlanB]

Seems like keeping trees far enough away from the tracks to prevent such an incident from happening would be highly desirable, even if the trees were not on the right-of-way.

It would indeed be very desirable, even if Amtrak did just get in trouble for this in Woodside Queens. However, there is little that Amtrak can do about trees on private property, which AFAIK was thie case with this problem.

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

It would indeed be very desirable, even if Amtrak did just get in trouble for this in Woodside Queens. However, there is little that Amtrak can do about trees on private property, which AFAIK was thie case with this problem.

Aside from money from Congress, what is preventing Amtrak from observing the state of the trees on adjacent properties, and sending letters to the adjacent property owners expressing Amtrak's concerns about the possibility of the trees falling onto Amtrak's tracks, and Amtrak offering to cover the cost of trimming the trees if the property owner chooses to voluntarily agree to let the trees be trimmed? It seems to me that that would not eliminate 100% of the problem, but it would have the potential to reduce the frequency of this type of problem.

 

[the_traveler]

I don't know what the situation is around BOS, but here in KIN, we got very little rain (under 2/3 inch) and the forecast was for 20-30 MPH winds! (That is LESS than a "normal" day!

)

 

[rrdude]

A Nissan Leaf is an example of a marketing ploy. By the way, if you ever were interested in bothering to read details, the car is for sale... but its battery is not. You lease the battery. It costs a considerable sum of money, if I recall correctly. Batteries are horrible, inefficient inventions............

Not Exactly................

Nissan today announced that it will make its Leaf battery-electric vehicle available to U.S. consumers via lease or sale in a single transaction that includes the battery.

 

Nissan has said it plans to sell the zero-emissions, five-passenger car without the pricey battery in the rest of the world - to keep its cost competitive with the Honda Civic and other vehicles in its class. The battery would be leased separately.

 

Nissan executives were concerned, however, that U.S. buyers would balk at the idea of buying an EV that came without an essential piece of the electric powertrain.

 

Today the company made clear its intention to sell the battery-electric vehicle in one package in the U.S.

 

That likely means Leaf buyers in the U.S. will have to plunk down more cash, or finance a greater amount, than buyers elsewhere - although they will be relieved of carrying a separate monthly battery lease.

 

 

[Moses]

Resumes normal operations between Boston and New York

Last Updated September 4, 2010, 6:00 am EDT

Amtrak will resume normal train operations along the Northeast Corridor on Saturday, September 4. Northeast Regional Trains 195 and 150 will be the first to operate between Boston and New York. Northeast Regional Trains 66 and 67 will be the first to operate between Richmond and Newport News.

Overhead electrical system damage from a tree that fell from outside Amtrak property in Connecticut and forecasted severe weather from Hurricane Earl led Amtrak to suspend all through service between New York and Boston (South Station) on Friday, September 3.

All updates will be provided on Amtrak.com, Twitter, Facebook, and via 800-USA-RAIL.

Amtrak regrets any inconvenience. This information is correct as of the above time and date. Information is subject to change as conditions warrant. Passengers are encouraged to call 800-USA-RAIL or visit Amtrak.com for schedule information and train status updates.

 

[amamba]

Alan I am thrilled to hear that you were able to change your trip to DC. I did see on the news last night some people getting interviewed and a really bad shot of the PVD train station. Some guy said that he eventually had a family member pick him up in New Haven after he sat on the tracks for a while. But it was like a 10 second clip so I'm not sure what people really experienced.

But what a shame, and I do agree with Alan that unfortunately the rights of private property owners prevent amtrak from cutting down trees that are just "near" the ROW and not on amtrak property. Glad to hear that everything is fixed - and the sun is shining again!