pdxjim
Service Attendant
I boarded the Portland sleeper on train 27 (Empire Builder) in Essex, Montana on April 5, 2015, 3 hours and 37 minutes late. We continued to lose time and arrived in Spokane 4 hours late. Thirty minutes before we arrived in Pasco, the conductor announced that the train would terminate in Pasco and passengers would be bussed to their final destinations. She told us that we had missed a BNSF maintenance window.
I asked both conductors when they were made aware of the termination. They both told me that they were informed of the termination when they arrived to work in Spokane. I complained that I would have taken train 7 through Seattle and then the Cascades to Portland (even in coach), but I was not notified about the service disruption and given that opportunity.
I boarded the bus labeled "Express" which we were told would go directly to Portland Union Station. I found the only available seat on an aisle about half way back. Many passengers were scheduled to connect to the southbound Coast Starlight and were getting nervous about missing the connection.
A few minutes out of Pasco on the freeway, I noticed the smell of diesel fumes. I immediately reported this to the driver, and he told me to change seats. I said no other seat to move to. He continued driving and stopped at a truck stop in Oregon at Biggs Junction (Highway 97 & Interstate 84). He did not ask the passengers if they wanted to stop and many of them were angry and nervous about making the connection to the Coast Starlight.
I spoke with the driver at this stop and asked for the telephone number for his company. He simply handed me a card after I stated to him that I had a headache, could taste diesel in my mouth, and could still smell the fumes. This stop cost us an hour of delay, because the freeway interchange was clogged by construction and flaggers. At least one hundred trucks and cars were trying to leave the area.
I talked with the dispatcher and she told me that she would inform management about my call. After experiencing the affects of the fumes for four hours we arrived in Portland, and luckily the connecting passengers walked directly to the Coast Starlight with minutes to spare before the departure.
I called the dispatcher back and asked what was being done. She stated that since I was the only person to complain, they were not going to pursue any action. I told her I was concerned that passengers from Portland to Pasco would be riding the same defective bus back to catch the eastbound Empire Builder.
A few days later, I managed to talk to the owner of the bus company. He told me that the driver had inspected the bus in Portland and it was again inspected when it returned to Pasco. I wrote him a letter with the specifics and complained that I still had a headache, sore throat, and cough as a result of the exposure to fumes on the bus. I was really concerned because the following Monday, I was scheduled to have surgery.
I had the surgery and during my subsequent recovery had four urinary catheters placed over a three month period. The cough eventually went away August 1st. Picture coughing with a catheter in place. Not very pleasant!
The bus company sent my letter to their insurance company to file a claim, but so far I am getting no where. Even though I provided 200+ pages of my medical records, the company insists their equipment was in working order and that I had no injury/illness from riding on their bus. The Washington DOT went to inspect the bus, but they only spoke with a maintenance supervisor who told them "no problem" and showed them maintenance records showing "no problem". I asked the Washington DOT if they actually field tested the bus; sat in my aisle seat and rode at 65 mph. The answer was "no, we don't need to do that".
A similar incident was reported April 4, 2015 where the train was terminated and again a bustitution from Pasco to Portland. I obtained that information from a FOIA request to Amtrak. I know this is a remote chance, but I would like to contact the person filing the complaint with Amtrak and also determine if any other passengers had diesel fume exposure between Pasco and Portland on any other days that a bus was substituted for Amtrak service.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Jim
I asked both conductors when they were made aware of the termination. They both told me that they were informed of the termination when they arrived to work in Spokane. I complained that I would have taken train 7 through Seattle and then the Cascades to Portland (even in coach), but I was not notified about the service disruption and given that opportunity.
I boarded the bus labeled "Express" which we were told would go directly to Portland Union Station. I found the only available seat on an aisle about half way back. Many passengers were scheduled to connect to the southbound Coast Starlight and were getting nervous about missing the connection.
A few minutes out of Pasco on the freeway, I noticed the smell of diesel fumes. I immediately reported this to the driver, and he told me to change seats. I said no other seat to move to. He continued driving and stopped at a truck stop in Oregon at Biggs Junction (Highway 97 & Interstate 84). He did not ask the passengers if they wanted to stop and many of them were angry and nervous about making the connection to the Coast Starlight.
I spoke with the driver at this stop and asked for the telephone number for his company. He simply handed me a card after I stated to him that I had a headache, could taste diesel in my mouth, and could still smell the fumes. This stop cost us an hour of delay, because the freeway interchange was clogged by construction and flaggers. At least one hundred trucks and cars were trying to leave the area.
I talked with the dispatcher and she told me that she would inform management about my call. After experiencing the affects of the fumes for four hours we arrived in Portland, and luckily the connecting passengers walked directly to the Coast Starlight with minutes to spare before the departure.
I called the dispatcher back and asked what was being done. She stated that since I was the only person to complain, they were not going to pursue any action. I told her I was concerned that passengers from Portland to Pasco would be riding the same defective bus back to catch the eastbound Empire Builder.
A few days later, I managed to talk to the owner of the bus company. He told me that the driver had inspected the bus in Portland and it was again inspected when it returned to Pasco. I wrote him a letter with the specifics and complained that I still had a headache, sore throat, and cough as a result of the exposure to fumes on the bus. I was really concerned because the following Monday, I was scheduled to have surgery.
I had the surgery and during my subsequent recovery had four urinary catheters placed over a three month period. The cough eventually went away August 1st. Picture coughing with a catheter in place. Not very pleasant!
The bus company sent my letter to their insurance company to file a claim, but so far I am getting no where. Even though I provided 200+ pages of my medical records, the company insists their equipment was in working order and that I had no injury/illness from riding on their bus. The Washington DOT went to inspect the bus, but they only spoke with a maintenance supervisor who told them "no problem" and showed them maintenance records showing "no problem". I asked the Washington DOT if they actually field tested the bus; sat in my aisle seat and rode at 65 mph. The answer was "no, we don't need to do that".
A similar incident was reported April 4, 2015 where the train was terminated and again a bustitution from Pasco to Portland. I obtained that information from a FOIA request to Amtrak. I know this is a remote chance, but I would like to contact the person filing the complaint with Amtrak and also determine if any other passengers had diesel fume exposure between Pasco and Portland on any other days that a bus was substituted for Amtrak service.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Jim
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