Never in recorded history has Philadelphia received so much snow in a winter, as of this Wednesday. (We only need a few more inches to break the seasonal record, and we're supposed to get over a foot on top of what we've still got on the ground.)
Are you kidding? It's record breaking snow. It is a very dangerous situation and if canceling trains makes it safer, then so be it. There is no way the airlines are doing any better. I may be wrong, but all the DC area airports were still shut down today.
Wrong on every level. I travelled from BWI to KIN yesterday on the NEC - while not a single bus or airplane left the area. It took me ober 45 minutes to make the usual 10 minute drive to the station because of the the poor conditions on the roads (and that was with a Chevy Suburban with 4 wheel drive and the knowledge to use it). I'm now on my way back to BWI on train 137, we just left NYP on time. DCA is still closed, and from what I understand BWI is operating one runway only.
Eh? A quick and easy check of the status info on the Amtrak website shows that most trains were running on the NEC today between WAS and NYP. Many of them were getting in a little late, but they were running. It is the trains that run south of DC to Richmond and points beyond that were still canceled as of today. The RF&P line between DC and Richmond must be in bad shape.
Actually the NEC has had cancellations but trains have still been running. Here is a positive article about some travelers who were to fly into Reagan National, but were shut out so they went to Newark instead. From there they took Amtrak into DC Sunday night.
I don't know how old you are, but I have ridden trains for many many years and never has there been a complete shutdown like this. And I challenge you to find historically where there ever was one even when trains were steam powered. Railroads have always shouldered through no matter what the weather. Only Amtrak routinely shuts down routes and cancels trains for even the slightest reason. You can find individual examples of a single train stranded over the years but nothing like this. And I am not making continuous 'rants' against Amtrak. But this year is particularly pitiful.
You keep saying this, despite it being demonstrably false. I rode on the NEC yesterday. I'm on it right now.
Ryan, that is great to hear! Lucky you for being able to travel on the NEC in the snow - I bet the scenery is surreal outside during the daylight hours.
Then Ryan, I stand corrected as regards the NEC and I appologize. Actually I am glad to hear the NEC is working. That alone is encouraging.
From all that I heard, the storm that hit the Mid Atlantic states was one of the worst that was recorded in modern times. I think we need to give the railroads including CSX and Amtrak a break here. Trees and power lines were downed by the heavy snowfall and wind. In addition, this area is not prepared for snowfall in the area of 2-3 feet. The fact that Amtrak was able to resume service in such a short time was commendable. Trying to run trains through these conditions in this part of the country would have been unsafe, unethical and bordering on the insane. Stranding passengers in the middle of nowhere for days on end is not a way to run a railroad just to try to prove a point. The Seaboard, ACL and PRR I don't think ever faced these conditions in these areas based on weather stats. I love rails as much as anyone and trains can continue in many instances when autos and planes cannot. That said, we all have to appreciate the power that the earth's weather can dish out.
In the steam era you didn't have stuck passengers calling CNN demanding "immediate compensation." I think Amtrak is not a tough as the railroads in the steam era because of the litigious nature of the citizenry today.
Man! You seem to have such deep knowledge about what was happening on the NEC sitting wherever you are! Whatever gives you the impression that NEC was shut down? Yes things were a bit difficult at its south end, but still Amtrak did run reasonable service given the circumstances. Part of the problem was that once people got to their destination they had nowhere to go since local roads took forever to clear.
Oh, I don't think I'd be so quick to say airlines are so much better. I was supposed to travel to a meeting over the weekend in Washington DC, and flights started getting cancelled on Friday morning before the storm. Ground transportation for those who did make it into the city before the storm basically shut down Saturday, all Government offices were closed today, and supposedly most of the streets were impassible. I decided to stay home and finish some home projects, which in retrospect looks pretty smart right now. I think sometimes it's better to cancel trains and read a few articles about cancellations than have a media extravaganza discussing trains frozen in the ice, derailed, etc.
I became a snowbird early in the year and happy to be spending the winter in South Georgia. My neighbors in Harpers Ferry reported 30 inches of snow as well and they are pretty much stranded in this hilly community. MARC service on the Brunswick Line was canceled today and will be operating on a "S" schedule on Tuesday. The Federal Government in DC will be closed again on Tuesday. Yes, this was a BAD snowstorm.
Thank you for this update from CSX. I am hoping to go on 30 on 2/11 to Washington, D.C. From this it looks like the line will be open sometime on Wednesday. So if I see the Capitols running on Wednesday, then I have a good chance for Thursday.
