Bucket list trip! (connection from 30 to 91?)

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Law638

Train Attendant
Joined
Mar 30, 2021
Messages
45
Location
Pittsburgh
Hi everyone, newbie here! I will be traveling very soon on the Capitol Ltd. to DC with a connection on the Silver Star To Orlando. I’m a little concerned that I will miss the connection, seems Capitol has been late the last few weeks. Could you explain the process if this occurs. I‘ll be in a roomette the entire trip. If I miss the connection, will I be scheduled on the later Meteor in a roomette. Thank you all for your advice. I’ve traveled the AC to PIT once in coach & very much enjoyed it. This is a bucket list trip!
 
Law638 said:
Hi everyone, newbie here! I will be traveling very soon on the Capitol Ltd. to DC with a connection on the Silver Star To Orlando. I’m a little concerned that I will miss the connection, seems Capitol has been late the last few weeks. Could you explain the process if this occurs. I‘ll be in a roomette the entire trip. If I miss the connection, will I be scheduled on the later Meteor in a roomette. Thank you all for your advice. I’ve traveled the AC to PIT once in coach & very much enjoyed it. This is a bucket list trip!
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Welcome to AU!

Since you hold a "guaranteed connection", if you booked the entire trip thruough, Amtrak is responsible for you to make that connection. If the Capitol is very late, there are several remedies...first, they may hold the Silver Star, a good possibility, depending on how many other's are making that same connection. Another possibility is they may run a chartered bus from Pittsburgh to Washington for connecting passengers. The bus can make the trip much faster than the train can. The next one is to reaccommodate you on the Silver Meteor, in a Roomette if available, or upgrade you into a Bedroom if there aren't any more Roomettes, but are Bedrooms. Or, they may downgrade you into coach, and compensate you for the downgrade. (BTW, after the trip, you can call Customer Relations's and request compensation if you are bussed to DC). The next possibility is they may put you up in a hotel, with meal voucher's for the next day's train. Again, if this happens, you can apply for compensation afterwards for your trip delay. I am not sure if they would offer to fly you, or not....
Good luck!:)
 
railiner said:
The next one is to reaccommodate you on the Silver Meteor, in a Roomette if available, or upgrade you into a Bedroom if there aren't any more Roomettes, but are Bedrooms.
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Are both Silvers running daily again? EDIT: I see starting June 7 that they are!

AmtrakBlue said:
30 to 91 over the past month (with the tri-weekly schedule) made the connection every time.
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Ahh, but did miss once over the last TWO months. :D
 
Last edited:
Law638 said:
Hi everyone, newbie here! I will be traveling very soon on the Capitol Ltd. to DC with a connection on the Silver Star To Orlando. I’m a little concerned that I will miss the connection, seems Capitol has been late the last few weeks. Could you explain the process if this occurs. I‘ll be in a roomette the entire trip. If I miss the connection, will I be scheduled on the later Meteor in a roomette. Thank you all for your advice. I’ve traveled the AC to PIT once in coach & very much enjoyed it. This is a bucket list trip!
Click to expand...
What is the "AC" to Pittsburgh (PIT)?
 
First, answer to the AC question Atlantic City!
Well I did my train trip & I’m hooked. Of course, the capitol ltd was a hour late but not as late as the Silver Star! Or as the conductor called it the Silver Snail! I adored my room attendant Walter, he really watched out for us. All & all, We arrived in FL 5 hours late & I was hooked after the first hour. Food sucked but the chocolate brownies were delish! Thanks for everyone’s input!
 
After the Dallas gathering in 2019, several of us were on a very late Texas Eagle and we missed our connection to the Capitol Limited in Chicago. One, going to Ohio, was put on that night's Lakeshore Limited. The two of us going to Florida were put up in a hotel in Chicago and on the next day's Capitol Limited (in the same accommodations originally booked - one in H room and one in bedroom). The person in the H room was booked on 30 and 91 (Star) and I was booked on 30 and 97 (Meteor).

The Capitol Limited on which we were traveling was late and missed the Star connection by 5 minutes. There were many passengers on our train who were connecting to 91 and they did not hold the Star, which was surprising. My friend was then accommodated in a roomette on 97 (a downgrade from the H room). Others were in coach and some had to be bussed to locations that were on the Silver Star route and not the Silver Meteor route. It surprised me that Amtrak did not hold the Star 5 minutes, which would have saved Amtrak a lot of money and eliminated a great amount of inconvenience for many passengers.

Despite that experience, I have opted for the 30/91 connection for my next Chicago trip and for the 156/91 connection for my upcoming Roanoke trip.
 
pennyk said:
. It surprised me that Amtrak did not hold the Star 5 minutes, which would have saved Amtrak a lot of money and eliminated a great amount of inconvenience for many passengers.
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That surprised me, as well. I don’t know the “regular” practice in that situation, but I suspect in that particular one, someone made a mistake…
 
Computer system is antiquated. No easy way to tell how many are connecting passenger. I would like to think my information is outdated, but….

That said 5 minutes, that was a easy call, but probably had nobody that care enough to inform the correct person to hold the train.
 
When this happens (5 minutes?) look to see who gets unfairly penalized for minor and meaningless delays. That decision maker will have no incentive to do anything but break connections to preserve OTP.
 
Just-Thinking-51 said:
Computer system is antiquated. No easy way to tell how many are connecting passenger. I would like to think my information is outdated, but….

That said 5 minutes, that was a easy call, but probably had nobody that care enough to inform the correct person to hold the train.
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I thought the iPhones conductors carry had connecting passenger information?

I would've been so pissed if I had been one of the passengers who missed the connection by that little time.
 
Michigan Mom said:
When this happens (5 minutes?) look to see who gets unfairly penalized for minor and meaningless delays. That decision maker will have no incentive to do anything but break connections to preserve OTP.
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Effort and attention to detail needed. With a work place environment that is not try to get you fired.

daybeers said:
I thought the iPhones conductors carry had connecting passenger information?

I would've been so pissed if I had been one of the passengers who missed the connection by that little time.
Click to expand...

As stated I hope my information is outdated, but then Michigan Mom would be right. A work place that penalized for making a customer service decision over a on-time departure.
 
On my Pittsburgh circle trip last week, and for my return trip from the Gathering, which will happen in October, I was given a northbound connection from the Capitol, Washington to Baltimore that uses Northeast Regional 148, which departs Washington at 2:55 PM, which is a good 10 minutes earlier than the scheduled departure of the Silver Star. I had no trouble making 148 last week, and we'll see what happens in October. I think a 2 hour connection should be reasonable, especially in the case where there's a backup train (97) later in the day.
 

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