Superliner Diner
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California travel agent Gene Poon, a very reputable source of Amtrak information, has made several posts to rail-oriented discussion groups today, telling us that a few changes may be in the works for the Texas Eagle. Following is the texts of his first post:
A report this morning from an identified source known to most passenger rail advocates, but one whom I cannot name, says that an Amtrak manager based in Chicago is seriously considering terminating the through Coach and Sleeping Car operated as Trains 421/422 between Chicago and Los Angeles on the Texas Eagle and Sunset Limited.
The report says that this manager feels the two through cars are an impediment to run-through operation of the Texas Eagle to one of the other Superliner trains.
If this is true, and it is by no means a done deal because it has to get past some more layers of management, it again shows that there are some managers out there who put their own operational convenience above the needs and desires of Amtrak passengers. The Sunset/Eagle through cars provide a substantial amount of ridership and revenue to Amtrak; they tried dropping them a few years ago, and that proved to be a disaster. But it seems somebody doesn't remember history, and is thus doomed to repeat it.
-Gene Poon
And a second post by Gene follows:
A Union Pacific inspection car went over the DeSoto Sub over the past 48 hours. As a result, many new 10 mph orders are in effect. Expected delay to the Texas Eagle is roughly estimated as being an hour or more, beyond the delays that it incurs already, account existing slow orders. Further, one of the two main tracks on the ex-MoPac from Bald Knob, about two hours north of Little Rock, to a point just south of Little Rock itself, is now limited to 40mph, and numerous 40mph slow orders already have existed from Texarkana to Marshall. The 40mph restrictions are being referred to as "PERMANENT" and are in the orders and clearances issued to crews, instead of being displayed on slow order boards at the site.
And now...despite the continuing and longstanding inability to get the Sunset across the UP system...Amtrak operations people in Chicago want to shorten the layover time in San Antonio between the arrival of Train 2 (Sunset from Los Angeles) and the departure of Train 22 (Eagle to Chicago). This is part of a plan to get Train 22 into Chicago sooner, apparently for the operating convenience of the Chicago Terminal operation. This plan appears at the same time as the idea to axe the through Sunset/Eagle cars because they interfere with plans to run-through the trainset, and it might NOT be a coincidence.
End of Gene Poon's posting --------
My thoughts: Through-running of Superliner equipment, made necessary by the recent shortages, may be the only good news to come out of this. As Mr. Poon says, operations are being put above the needs of passengers if this does come to fruition. The slow orders, some of which are deemed as permanent, certainly won't help this train, given its long trip and the other delays it encounters so frequently. I am not sure why somebody at Amtrak thinks that the Eagle/Sunset through cars are an impedement to run-through operations in Chicago. Just as they are added or removed in San Antonio, they can also be added or removed in Chicago if needed. Or, they can provide more capacity on the train that is partnered with the Texas Eagle sharing its equipment through Chicago.
A report this morning from an identified source known to most passenger rail advocates, but one whom I cannot name, says that an Amtrak manager based in Chicago is seriously considering terminating the through Coach and Sleeping Car operated as Trains 421/422 between Chicago and Los Angeles on the Texas Eagle and Sunset Limited.
The report says that this manager feels the two through cars are an impediment to run-through operation of the Texas Eagle to one of the other Superliner trains.
If this is true, and it is by no means a done deal because it has to get past some more layers of management, it again shows that there are some managers out there who put their own operational convenience above the needs and desires of Amtrak passengers. The Sunset/Eagle through cars provide a substantial amount of ridership and revenue to Amtrak; they tried dropping them a few years ago, and that proved to be a disaster. But it seems somebody doesn't remember history, and is thus doomed to repeat it.
-Gene Poon
And a second post by Gene follows:
A Union Pacific inspection car went over the DeSoto Sub over the past 48 hours. As a result, many new 10 mph orders are in effect. Expected delay to the Texas Eagle is roughly estimated as being an hour or more, beyond the delays that it incurs already, account existing slow orders. Further, one of the two main tracks on the ex-MoPac from Bald Knob, about two hours north of Little Rock, to a point just south of Little Rock itself, is now limited to 40mph, and numerous 40mph slow orders already have existed from Texarkana to Marshall. The 40mph restrictions are being referred to as "PERMANENT" and are in the orders and clearances issued to crews, instead of being displayed on slow order boards at the site.
And now...despite the continuing and longstanding inability to get the Sunset across the UP system...Amtrak operations people in Chicago want to shorten the layover time in San Antonio between the arrival of Train 2 (Sunset from Los Angeles) and the departure of Train 22 (Eagle to Chicago). This is part of a plan to get Train 22 into Chicago sooner, apparently for the operating convenience of the Chicago Terminal operation. This plan appears at the same time as the idea to axe the through Sunset/Eagle cars because they interfere with plans to run-through the trainset, and it might NOT be a coincidence.
End of Gene Poon's posting --------
My thoughts: Through-running of Superliner equipment, made necessary by the recent shortages, may be the only good news to come out of this. As Mr. Poon says, operations are being put above the needs of passengers if this does come to fruition. The slow orders, some of which are deemed as permanent, certainly won't help this train, given its long trip and the other delays it encounters so frequently. I am not sure why somebody at Amtrak thinks that the Eagle/Sunset through cars are an impedement to run-through operations in Chicago. Just as they are added or removed in San Antonio, they can also be added or removed in Chicago if needed. Or, they can provide more capacity on the train that is partnered with the Texas Eagle sharing its equipment through Chicago.