Both Autotrains & Silver Meteor in Service Disruption

[Palmland]

I'm surprised Amtrak didn't opt to detour the trains as there were two detour routes available that would have been only a three-four hour delay instead of these massive ones.

Are you really surprised? We’re talking about Amtrak and CSX. Both will do what’s easy, not what‘s best for the passengers. But your probably right that crew availability for pilots on a detour move was a factor.

Since it appears there will eventually be funding for the former Seaboard mainline restoration Petersburg to Raleigh, I wonder if that shouldn’t become the preferred route for Silver Service. That would improve service to the two state capitals, Raleigh and Columbia. The Palmetto on the A line (ACL) could be scheduled to provide connecting service for Charleston, also a significant market. Or perhaps a new connecting train on NS Charleston to Columbia in the unlikely event SC contributed to funding. It would have been great to see Auto train go through Camden and Columbia.

Another big benefit of the SAL route is minimal freight traffic with just a few local freights. In the 60’s the Seaboard and Atlantic Coast Line competed on this market with Richmond to Jacksonville on SAL being about 35 miles shorter than ACL but about 45” longer because of more curves and moderate grades. But today’s LD passengers are little concerned with such nuances. They just hope to get there on the right day.

 

[jruff001]

Are you really surprised? We’re talking about Amtrak and CSX. Both will do what’s easy, not what‘s best for the passengers.

CSX will do what it thinks is best for its customers. It does not see Amtrak, let alone Amtrak passengers, as a customer.

 

[AFS1970]

Just because there is Haz Mat doesn't mean Chernobyl. There are many commonly shipped materials that while dangerous to the environment in their shipped form, cause little impact to humans but will require some sort of special clean up.

 

[blueman271]

That's railroading. An Amtrak train is passing a two mile rolling Chernobyl multiple times a day. And you are right, its fortunate it has not happened yet.

There are critical graphite moderated light water cooled reactors rolling around America’s rail systems? Maybe they can stop somewhere in CT and lower the delivery portion of my electric bill.

 

[jpakala]

Loss of rail line mileage as well as reduction to single-track causes big problems. In 1956 when the Chicago-Waterloo, IA Illinois Central "Land O-Corn" was delayed by a Jesup, IA freight wreck we rerouted on the CGW via Oelwein and arrived only an hour late. Today the CGW Oelwein rail center is gone and the city is merely at the end of a line from there down to Waterloo. Much of the busy & now much-upgraded UP/Amtrak route (formerly GM&O) from Chicago-St Louis is single track. Somehow making a terribly wide 6-lane into and even wider 8-lane highway happens despite fierce opposition to much-narrower rail upgrades.