Amtrak Cancels Service South Of DC

[Viewliner]

And it continues with boneheaded decisions. I wish someone could explain the logic of running 90 and 97 to me, because it doesn't make sense to me.

Ditto, they should run 89 and 92 as well, as you've said.

I guess Amtrak and Logic don't seem to be in the same place.

 

[jccollins]

Amtrak doesn't mention the good ole' Sunset Limited. Will it too be affected by these cancellations, or is it far enough south? <_<

 

[Amfleet]

Amtrak doesn't mention the good ole' Sunset Limited. Will it too be affected by these cancellations, or is it far enough south? <_<

Sunet is way far south of Isabel In fact Florida and Georgia are not even being affected by the storm. The hot spots include South Carolnia, North Carolinia, Virginia and most of the Northeast where winds are gusting 60+ mph and up to 8" of rain is falling.

 

[battalion51]

The Sunset is running as "scheduled." (It's probably still eight hours late like usual though :lol: ).

 

[AlanB]

And now for the 7:00 PM update:

SEPT. 18, AS OF 7:00 P.M. EDT:
AMTRAK TO OPERATE MOST NORTHEAST CORRIDOR TRAINS FRIDAY

Service remains suspended south of Washington

WASHINGTON -- Amtrak continues to closely monitor the progress of Hurricane Isabel and has made modifications to its services in the interest of passenger safety.  Customers are advised to visit www.amtrak.com or call 1-800-USA-RAIL for the most updated information.

In addition to previously announced adjustments to train schedules for Thursday, Amtrak will make the following changes to train schedules on Friday, Sept 19:

NORTHEAST CORRIDOR:  Amtrak plans to operate most scheduled service on the Northeast Corridor between Washington, Philadelphia, New York and Boston on Friday.  However, the number of trains operating between Washington and New York will be slightly reduced between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. to match capacity with passenger demand and to enable work crews to address any necessary track repairs.  

Northbound service from Washington will begin at 5:35 a.m., with subsequent departures at 7:00 a.m., 7:30 a.m., 8:00 a.m., 8:35 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 9:05 a.m. and 10:10 a.m.  Southbound service to Washington from New York will be offered at 2:15 a.m., 6:00 a.m., 6:35 a.m., 7:18 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.

Due to the schedule modification, passengers are encouraged to call Amtrak to verify their train number and departure time prior to leaving for the station.  

Between New York and Boston, Amtrak will operate a normal schedule Friday with no anticipated cancellations or delays.  Similarly, there are no planned cancellations of Clocker and Keystone trains between New York, Philadelphia and Harrisburg.

SERVICE SUSPENSION IN THE SOUTHEAST:  With the exception of limited intra-Florida service, all Amtrak trains operating south of Washington, D.C., have been cancelled on Friday, Sept. 19, including the Palmetto, Silver Star, Silver Meteor, Crescent, Auto Train, Piedmont, and Regional service in Virginia.  The Carolinian, which normally operates between New York and Charlotte, will operate north of Washington only.  Amtrak will operate intra-Florida service representing trains 90 and 97 between Miami and Jacksonville only.  

NORTHEAST TRAINS TO/FROM POINTS WEST:  On Friday, Amtrak has cancelled the westbound Capitol Limited (train 29 from Washington to Chicago), the westbound Cardinal (train 51 from Washington to Chicago), and the Pennsylvanian (trains 42/43 between Pittsburgh and New York).  Amtrak plans to operate the eastbound Capitol Limited (train 30 from Chicago to Washington), the Lake Shore Limited (trains 48/49/448/449 between Chicago and New York City/Boston) and the Three Rivers (trains 40/41 between Chicago and New York).

Amtrak will make additional schedule adjustments and cancellations as necessary, keeping the safety of our passengers as our highest priority.  Amtrak will reaccommodate passengers as services permit and will waive exchange and cancellation fees for affected trains.

The full press release can be found here.

 

[battalion51]

Well it looks like things are getting a little better, but still lacking some sense within Florida.

 

[jccollins]

Thanks for the info on the Sunset - I am glad to hear that it won't be affected by the cancellations. Living on the West Coast has its disadvantages sometimes, unfortunately I don't know the east coast geography very well.

 

[AlanB]

And now for the 10:00 PM Thursday night update:

SEPT. 18, AS OF 10:00 P.M. EDT:
AMTRAK TO OPERATE MOST NORTHEAST CORRIDOR TRAINS FRIDAY

Service remains suspended south of Washington

WASHINGTON -- Amtrak continues to closely monitor the progress of Hurricane Isabel and has made modifications to its services in the interest of passenger safety.  Customers are advised to visit www.amtrak.com or call 1-800-USA-RAIL for the most updated information.

In addition to previously announced adjustments to train schedules for Thursday, Amtrak will make the following changes to train schedules on Friday, Sept 19:

NORTHEAST CORRIDOR:  Amtrak plans to operate most scheduled service on the Northeast Corridor between Washington, Philadelphia, New York and Boston on Friday.  However, the number of trains operating between Washington and New York will be slightly reduced between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. to match capacity with passenger demand and to enable work crews to address any necessary track repairs.  

Northbound service from Washington will begin at 5:35 a.m., with subsequent departures at 7:00 a.m., 7:30 a.m., 8:00 a.m., 8:35 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 9:05 a.m. and 10:10 a.m.  Southbound service to Washington from New York will be offered at 2:15 a.m., 6:00 a.m., 6:35 a.m., 7:18 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.

Due to the schedule modification, passengers are encouraged to call Amtrak to verify their train number and departure time prior to leaving for the station.  

Between New York and Boston, Amtrak will operate a normal schedule Friday with no anticipated cancellations or delays.  Similarly, there are no planned cancellations of Clocker and Keystone trains between New York, Philadelphia and Harrisburg.

SERVICE SUSPENSION IN THE SOUTHEAST:  With the exception of limited intra-Florida service, all Amtrak trains operating south of Washington, D.C., have been cancelled on Friday, Sept. 19, including the Palmetto, Silver Star, Silver Meteor, Crescent, Auto Train, Piedmont, and Regional service in Virginia.  The Carolinian, which normally operates between New York and Charlotte, will operate north of Washington only.  Amtrak will operate intra-Florida service representing trains 90 and 97 between Miami and Jacksonville only.  

NORTHEAST TRAINS TO/FROM POINTS WEST:  On Friday, Amtrak has cancelled the westbound Capitol Limited (train 29 from Washington to Chicago), the westbound Cardinal (train 51 from Washington to Chicago), and the Pennsylvanian (trains 42/43 between Pittsburgh and New York).  Amtrak plans to operate the eastbound Capitol Limited (train 30 from Chicago to Washington), the Lake Shore Limited (trains 48/49/448/449 between Chicago and New York City/Boston) and the Three Rivers (trains 40/41 between Chicago and New York).

Amtrak will make additional schedule adjustments and cancellations as necessary, keeping the safety of our passengers as our highest priority.  Amtrak will reaccommodate passengers as services permit and will waive exchange and cancellation fees for affected trains.

The full press release can be found here.

 

[battalion51]

I just spoke with the Conductor from 97, and this is what the news is from the rails. All service will begin again on Sunday out of New York (Monday out of Miami [This is according to an Amtrak manager]). His train coming south is a consist of a P-42 (55), lounge, and two Amfleet II's, that's it. He has 50 passengers on the train out of Winter Park, and is working the Orlando station now. His crew will deadhead home to JAX tonight, and will deadhead back down to Miami on Sunday to be in position for Monday's deaprture on 98. So we'll see what happens, my plan for tomorrow is to ride trains 90 and 97, swapping at OKE to 97.

 

[AlanB]

Here's the latest from Amtrak:

SEPT. 19, AS OF 3:30 P.M. EDT:
AMTRAK NORTHEAST CORRIDOR SERVICE FULLY RESTORED

Long-distance trains begin resuming service Saturday

WASHINGTON -- Amtrak resumed full service on the Northeast Corridor between Washington, Philadelphia, New York and Boston late this morning and will operate a regular Saturday schedule on the Corridor tomorrow.

Also on Saturday, Amtrak will begin resuming a number of long-distance services that had been halted by Hurricane Isabel, including most service between the East Coast and Chicago and four trains south of Washington.

Train services today and for the weekend include:

NORTHEAST CORRIDOR:  At approximately 11:00 a.m. today, Amtrak resumed full service between Washington, New York and Boston, and will run a regular schedule through the weekend.

LONG-DISTANCE TRAINS TO/FROM THE EAST:  Today, Amtrak is resuming operation of the eastbound and westbound Lake Shore Limited (trains 48/49/448/449) between Chicago and New York City/Boston and the eastbound Three Rivers (train 40) from Chicago to New York.  Cancelled are the Capitol Limited (trains 29/30) and the westbound Three Rivers (train 41).  On Saturday, Sept. 21, Amtrak plans to operate all scheduled Chicago-East Coast service except the westbound Capitol Limited (train 29) from Washington to Chicago and the eastbound Cardinal (train 50) from Chicago to Washington.

SOUTHEAST:  Four trains south of Washington will resume service on Saturday. These are the northbound Crescent (train 20) from New Orleans to New York, the southbound Crescent (train 19) from New York to New Orleans, and the Piedmont (trains 73/74) between Charlotte and Raleigh.  Resumption of other services south of Washington is pending a damage assessment and permission to operate over CSX-owned rail lines.

PENNSYLVANIA:  Keystone service is operating between Philadelphia and New York, and all Clockers are operating on a normal schedule between Philadelphia and New York, as well as Regional, Metroliner and Acela Express service.  An announcement about resumption of service between Harrisburg and Philadelphia will be made once work crews clear downed trees.  Because of this damage, the Pennsylvanian (trains 42/43) between New York and Pittsburgh has been cancelled today.

The full press release can be found here.

 

[AlanB]

I just spoke with the Conductor from 97, and this is what the news is from the rails. All service will begin again on Sunday out of New York (Monday out of Miami [This is according to an Amtrak manager]).

Well the official press release disagrees with the Conductor's news, as Amtrak is saying that no decision has been made yet at all regarding Silver Service or the Auto Train.

Apparently Amtrak is waiting on CSX to figure out where they stand.

 

[battalion51]

Well we'll find out soon enough. I would love it if they ran a full slate tomorrow, but that probably isn't likely (God I hope I'm wrong).

 

[steve_relei]

How does Amtrak protect its trains and equipment that may be on layover in stations and or yards from such high winds? If winds are strong enough to uproot cars and trucks, there must be times when it is strong enough to uproot rail equipment, trains, etc. How are Amtrak and other rail lines faring with the flooding? Any lines under water?

 

[battalion51]

Amtrak (and other rail companies) usually protect their equipment by moving the equipment out of the area where the storm is expected to make landfall. CSX and NS drew back equipment from the coastal area, while Amtrak held equipment in Washington (since it did not run trains south to Newport News or Richmond for a few days prior to the storm). MARC secured its equipment in outer Maryland by moving equipment to Frederick where the yard isn't as close to water as its Brunswick facility.

 

[AlanB]

How are Amtrak and other rail lines faring with the flooding? Any lines under water?

To answer the second part of your question, from what I'm hearing by and large they did ok. Amtrak had some downed tree problems in Maryland and Pennsylvania, but all is cleaned up now.

It would also appear that NS didn't do too badly, or Amtrak would not be resuming service to the Carolina's and New Orleans tomorrow. MARC expects to run normal service on Monday, they don't operate on the weekends.

So the only unkown here is CSX. So far I haven't heard anything about them yet. In our favor though is the fact that Isabel moved faster than expected. Most flooding was caused by tidal surges, not by rain. Forecasters had expected up to a foot of rain from the storm, most areas however received 5 inches or less.

That's not to say however that RR's don't have to contend with flooding problems. This past weekend, before Isabel was even close to the US, there was a freak storm that hit eastern Pennsylvania and Deleware. Some areas got 12 inches of rain or more, in about 5 hours. Because of flooding a small tourist RR that runs Steam excursions in Delaware, the Wilmington & Western, had 11 of their bridges washed out.

The normal depth of the creek these bridges crossed is 3 feet, after the storm, the creek crested at 13 feet deep. At present it's not known if this tourist operation will be able to recover from the loss and rebuild.

 

[AlanB]

And now the Friday 7:30 PM update:

This one includes some Silver Service, in addition to the trains mentioned earlier.

SEPT. 19, AS OF 7:30 P.M. EDT:
AMTRAK NORTHEAST SERVICE RESTORED

Southeast and other services to resume this weekend

Amtrak restored all services in the Northeast Corridor today and plans to run a normal schedule of trains on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 20-21, between Washington, Philadelphia, New York City and Boston.

Additionally, starting Saturday, Sept. 20, Keystone train service between Harrisburg and Philadelphia will resume, as will some services in the Carolinas and Florida.  The first northbound train from Miami, the Palmetto, will depart en route to New York.

Specific service resumptions include:

NORTHEAST CORRIDOR:  At approximately 11:00 a.m. Friday, Amtrak resumed full service between Washington, New York and Boston, and will run a regular schedule through the weekend. On Saturday, full Keystone Service between Harrisburg and New York, via Philadelphia, will resume.

LONG-DISTANCE TRAINS TO/FROM THE EAST:  On Saturday, Amtrak plans to operate all scheduled Chicago-East Coast service except the westbound Capitol Limited (train 29) from Washington to Chicago and the eastbound Cardinal (train 50) from Chicago to Washington.

SOUTHEAST/FLORIDA:  Seven trains south of Washington will resume some or all of their service on Saturday. These are the northbound Crescent (train 20) from New Orleans to New York, the southbound Crescent (train 19) from New York to New Orleans, and the Piedmont (trains 73/74) between Charlotte and Raleigh.  The Carolinian (trains 79/80) will operate between New York and Washington and between Charlotte and Raleigh only.   In addition, Amtrak plans to originate the Palmetteo (train 90), departing Miami Saturday afternoon en route to New York.

The full press release can be found here.

 

[Viewliner]

This is certainly good news. Did they rename the Palmetto again. :lol:

 

[AlanB]

Did they rename the Palmetto again. :lol:

Oops. Sorry.

But I still think of anything headed to Florida from NYP as Silver Service, even if it no longer has a sleeper and a diner.

 

[Viewliner]

Did they rename the Palmetto again. :lol:

Oops. Sorry.

But I still think of anything headed to Florida from NYP as Silver Service, even if it no longer has a sleeper and a diner.

No, I meant on the Amtrak Press Release they spelled it Palmetteo

 

[battalion51]

Because of flooding a small tourist RR that runs Steam excursions in Delaware, the Wilmington & Western, had 11 of their bridges washed out.

That's too bad about the Wilmington & Western, they have such a great operation over there. IT's really sad, I was talking with the Conductors while I was over there this summer, and they said that they'd just finished within a few months of being able to run the enitre line again, which makes it much worse.
On the subject of Amtrak I spoke with someone in reservations, a stub train representing P097 will run tomorrow from JAX to Miami. With all the cancellations there have been some phenominal runs over the past few days. 97-16 made the run from JAX to Miami in 7 hours 56 minutes, while 97-19 did it in 8 hours 11 minutes (97-19 got in earlier though since they were on time out of JAX, 8:53 arrival in Miami).

 

[AlanB]

No, I meant on the Amtrak Press Release they spelled it Palmetteo

Ah, quite right. I completely missed that one. :blink:

 

[AlanB]

And now the Saturday Update:

Quick summary, all service except trains to and from Florida will run normal. Due to power outages in Virginia, there is still no Silver Service and no Auto Train.

SEPT. 20, AS OF 11:30 A.M. EDT:
AMTRAK RESTORES WASHINGTON-CHICAGO SERVICE

Washington-Southeast/Florida trains still curtailed

Amtrak plans to restore all east-west services between Chicago and New York City and Washington by Sunday, but is unable to operate its routes via Richmond, Va., to the southeast and Florida due to the lack of commercial electric power.

Effective Sunday, the Chicago-Pittsburgh-Washington Capitol Limited (trains 29 & 30) and the Chicago-Cincinnati-Washington Cardinal (trains 51 & 50) will resume scheduled operations in both directions.

However, plans to restore service between Washington and points south and east via Richmond are postponed until there is additional commercial electric power available.  The lack of electricity has disabled trackside signals needed to properly dispatch rail traffic and has disabled grade crossing warning lights and gates.

CSX Transportation, owner of the route Amtrak uses for service to the southeast, estimates trains would be delayed for up to eight hours while operating through the areas without commercial electric power.

Amtrak service on the routes to and from Florida will be limited to an intrastate train between Miami and Jacksonville until more electric power is restored.

Amtrak service on the route used by the Crescent (trains 19 & 20) between New York-Washington and New Orleans, via Atlanta, uses a different route and was restored on Saturday, as was service within the Carolinas on the Carolinian (trains 79 & 80).

Amtrak restored all services in the Northeast Corridor on Friday and the regular schedule of trains is being operated between Washington and Boston, via New York.  Keystone services in Pennsylvania were restored on Saturday.

You can find Amtrak's full press release here.

 

[battalion51]

Well everything is ready to go down here when they do finally get their act together and get these trains out of Miami. Yesterday while at the Miami Amtrak station, I observed (they were hard to miss) two full trainsets in the station (on tracks 1 and 3). The engines were idling just waiting to go out.

On a seperate note, yesterday's 97 (P097-19) achieved the earliest arrival into Miami with an 8:40 PM arrival. :huh: