Cardinal and Making Connections

[ns4eva]

I will be taking the Cardinal this summer during July 2009 from Prince, WV to Chicago Union Station to make a connection with the Empire Builder to head out to Essex, MT. I am showing a 3 hour and 40 minute (?) layover at Chicago between the "hopeful" arrival of the Cardinal and the departure of the Empire Builder. I have read everywhere about the Cardinal being horrible about being on time to everywhere. I was just wondering what the likelihood of not making this connection would be.

Also, what is the routine when a train is delayed causing someone to not make a connecting train?

Essentially, if the connection isn't made, the whole vacation would be shot.

 

[the_traveler]

If it was booked as a guaranteed connection, Amtrak is responsible for getting you to the destination. That may include holding the EB for the Cardinal's arrival, bussing you between the Cardinal and EB (to catch up to the EB) or putting you up in a hotel in CHI (on Amtrak's dime ) and sending you out on the next EB!

 

[ns4eva]

If it was booked as a guaranteed connection, Amtrak is responsible for getting you to the destination. That may include holding the EB for the Cardinal's arrival, bussing you between the Cardinal and EB (to catch up to the EB) or putting you up in a hotel in CHI (on Amtrak's dime ) and sending you out on the next EB!

I don't believe it was a guaranteed connection. I just called Amtrak, asked to make a reservation from A to B on Day and Day first class, they quoted the price and I gave my card number. How do you go about getting a guaranteed connection and what's the extra cost (I assume there is one?). Also, knowing the Cardinal's record, would it be recommended?

 

[MrFSS]

If it was booked as a guaranteed connection, Amtrak is responsible for getting you to the destination. That may include holding the EB for the Cardinal's arrival, busing you between the Cardinal and EB (to catch up to the EB) or putting you up in a hotel in CHI (on Amtrak's dime ) and sending you out on the next EB!

I don't believe it was a guaranteed connection. I just called Amtrak, asked to make a reservation from A to B on Day and Day first class, they quoted the price and I gave my card number. How do you go about getting a guaranteed connection and what's the extra cost (I assume there is one?). Also, knowing the Cardinal's record, would it be recommended?

There is no extra cost to make a guaranteed connection. These connections are simply the ones Amtrak allows you to make on one reservation number even though there may be multiple legs to the trip. If you try to "force" a connection that Amtrak.com won't automatically give you then it probably isn't guaranteed and if you miss a train - you're problem - not Amtrak's.

 

[access bob]

I will be taking the Cardinal this summer during July 2009 from Prince, WV to Chicago Union Station to make a connection with the Empire Builder to head out to .......

so you are one of the 78 people in Prince WV, spent about 10 of the worst hours in my recent memory there when the Cardinal got stranded by a CSX derailment.

well maybe it wasn't the worst hours of my life but among the most boring.

Bob

 

[ns4eva]

There is no extra cost to make a guaranteed connection. These connections are simply the ones Amtrak allows you to make on one reservation number even though there may be multiple legs to the trip. If you try to "force" a connection that Amtrak.com won't automatically give you then it probably isn't guaranteed and if you miss a train - you're problem - not Amtrak's.

Good to hear they're isn't an extra cost. Seeing as I made the reservations with an Amtrak agent, and didn't try to make any fancy route, it most likely would be guaranteed, correct? (I plan to call Amtrak back this evening and ask about it for sure.)

Seeing that the Cardinal is only a tri-weekly train, it would be horrible to miss the connection and not have the connection guaranteed in either of the directions.

Thanks for the help and info so far guys!

 

[ns4eva]

I will be taking the Cardinal this summer during July 2009 from Prince, WV to Chicago Union Station to make a connection with the Empire Builder to head out to .......

so you are one of the 78 people in Prince WV, spent about 10 of the worst hours in my recent memory there when the Cardinal got stranded by a CSX derailment.

well maybe it wasn't the worst hours of my life but among the most boring.

Bob

Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside about that connection. haha

 

[MrFSS]

There is no extra cost to make a guaranteed connection. These connections are simply the ones Amtrak allows you to make on one reservation number even though there may be multiple legs to the trip. If you try to "force" a connection that Amtrak.com won't automatically give you then it probably isn't guaranteed and if you miss a train - you're problem - not Amtrak's.

Good to hear they're isn't an extra cost. Seeing as I made the reservations with an Amtrak agent, and didn't try to make any fancy route, it most likely would be guaranteed, correct? (I plan to call Amtrak back this evening and ask about it for sure.)

Seeing that the Cardinal is only a tri-weekly train, it would be horrible to miss the connection and not have the connection guaranteed in either of the directions.

Thanks for the help and info so far guys!

One way to see if it is guaranteed is use Amtrak.com, put the start point and end point in and see what routing it gives you as a choice. If it is the one you have, then it is probably guaranteed. Calling works, too, but watch out. Sometimes the agent won't know the answer either. I've heard of some folks calling twice and getting two different answers to that question.

 

[ns4eva]

Calling works, too, but watch out. Sometimes the agent won't know the answer either. I've heard of some folks calling twice and getting two different answers to that question.

Glad you mentioned that. Probably should call several times to get a majority answer.

 

[the_traveler]

I will be taking the Cardinal this summer during July 2009 from Prince, WV to Chicago Union Station to make a connection with the Empire Builder to head out to .......

so you are one of the 78 people in Prince WV, spent about 10 of the worst hours in my recent memory there when the Cardinal got stranded by a CSX derailment.

well maybe it wasn't the worst hours of my life but among the most boring.

Bob

Hey, you're wrong! I counted 79! :lol:

Maybe you were stranded there for 10 hours, but I had the "pleasure" :huh: of driving thru the Prince/Beckley area 3 times that night!

 

[access bob]

I will be taking the Cardinal this summer during July 2009 from Prince, WV to Chicago Union Station to make a connection with the Empire Builder to head out to .......

so you are one of the 78 people in Prince WV, spent about 10 of the worst hours in my recent memory there when the Cardinal got stranded by a CSX derailment.

well maybe it wasn't the worst hours of my life but among the most boring.

Bob

Hey, you're wrong! I counted 79! :lol:

Maybe you were stranded there for 10 hours, but I had the "pleasure" :huh: of driving thru the Prince/Beckley area 3 times that night!

well that's what you get for forgetting to pick me up.........that train is spooky when your in the middle of nowhere all by yourself and no power.....

Bob

 

[the_traveler]

so you are one of the 78 people in Prince WV, spent about 10 of the worst hours in my recent memory there when the Cardinal got stranded by a CSX derailment.

well maybe it wasn't the worst hours of my life but among the most boring.

Bob

Hey, you're wrong! I counted 79! :lol:

Maybe you were stranded there for 10 hours, but I had the "pleasure" :huh: of driving thru the Prince/Beckley area 3 times that night!

well that's what you get for forgetting to pick me up.........that train is spooky when your in the middle of nowhere all by yourself and no power.....

Bob

Oh, that's right - you were the 79th person I counted!

 

[The Cardinal]

I will be taking the Cardinal this summer during July 2009 from Prince, WV to Chicago Union Station to make a connection with the Empire Builder to head out to Essex, MT. I am showing a 3 hour and 40 minute (?) layover at Chicago between the "hopeful" arrival of the Cardinal and the departure of the Empire Builder. I have read everywhere about the Cardinal being horrible about being on time to everywhere. I was just wondering what the likelihood of not making this connection would be.
Also, what is the routine when a train is delayed causing someone to not make a connecting train?

Essentially, if the connection isn't made, the whole vacation would be shot.

I've made the connection from the Cardinal to the Empire Builder many times and have never had a problem. In fact, I've always wished that I would get to Chicago late so I wouldn't have such a long layover. But so far no such luck. I do believe that it is a guaranteed connection, so no, if for some reason the connection is missed, Amtrak will still get you to your destination, at no extra charge to you.

 

[RailFanLNK]

If missing your connection will "ruin the trip" have you thought of backing your EB part of your trip back one day? So get into Chicago and mess around the Windy City for 24 hours and then go Eastbound of the EB! There's no stress then! If that would work I would go that route or otherwise you might be sweating every single time the Cardinal stops.

 

[ns4eva]

If missing your connection will "ruin the trip" have you thought of backing your EB part of your trip back one day? So get into Chicago and mess around the Windy City for 24 hours and then go Eastbound of the EB! There's no stress then! If that would work I would go that route or otherwise you might be sweating every single time the Cardinal stops.

I had considered that, but I never could get the scheduling to work out correctly. If the Cardinal was a daily run then it would have been possible for me to do so. Plus I have given myself a tight budget to work with on this trip as well, just because of the current US financial markets and job situations throughout the US (kind of skittish with my money at the moment). Already spent $2500 on just the train aspect and that's a fairly big deal for my salary. Thanks for the suggestion none the less.

I called Amtrak last night and talked to a couple different agents and were told the same by all of them, the connection is guaranteed. Thanks for the info guys!