Crescent to Truncate AGAIN !!!

[had8ley]

According to an excellent source, the Crescent will truncate in Atlanta for six weeks beginning in January. There will be NO service between NOL and Atlanta on Monday through Thursday and through service to NOL on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.7 day service will start two weeks before Mardi Gras. Some ole story with the NS

 

[Gratt]

If true, that is a long period of time. :blink:

Can't Amtrak make arrangements to use an alternate track? I know its complicated, but six weeks is a long period of time. And I know it will still affect stops between ATL and NOL, but it would give a chance to ride some rare track

 

[Crescent ATN & TCL]

If true, that is a long period of time. :blink:

Can't Amtrak make arrangements to use an alternate track? I know its complicated, but six weeks is a long period of time. And I know it will still affect stops between ATL and NOL, but it would give a chance to ride some rare track

This has been happening for years, every year in January or February the train truncates for 4-6 weeks for track work. NS has a tendency to demolish their track and essentially rebuild it from scratch. they tend to replace a 3rd or more of the ties and completely resurface their track. They usually work between two passing sidings each day and have the line out of service for 6-8 hrs. NS runs most of their trains on this section at night so the work doesn't affect them.

I remember one time they ran the Crescent during the maintenance blitz and 19 missed its window. It came up on a red signal at the end of the double track after Birmingham and sat for 5hrs because the foreman decided to go ahead and start work without waiting on them.

 

[MattW]

There really isn't any alternate routing available unless you want to go the long way south out of Atlanta through Montgomery, and that only puts you in Birmingham, you'd still need an alternate to NOL. I'm guessing since the train leaves WAS SB at 18:00 and arrives NB at 10:00, the trackwork for ATL-WAS doesn't affect the Crescent very much?

 

[rrdude]

Happened to me last January, I booked months in advance, then they emailed me in Dec, I ended up canx my WAS to NOL, and rerouted WAS-CHI-NOL.

Doesn't bode well for planning a trip..........

 

[MattW]

NS Isn't doubletracking this entire stretch is it? If they do, will these truncations stop or at least be somewhat more limited in nature?

 

[battalion51]

I believe they are adding some double track in time, but the line is pretty much single track the whole way. The only quasi feasible route to get to New Orleans from Atlanta would be to go south on NS through Macon and Valdosta to Lake City then on to CSX and then west through Tallahassee and Pensacola to NOL. It'd probably take 16-18 hours on that routing. It takes about 12 on the current routing. Do the math. Don't get me wrong I'd LOVE to see service from ATL to TLH and points west, but it's not smart overall. Don't forget, it's not as though there is NO service over this time span, just on the weekdays, which are the most lightly traveled anyway. Plus don't forget, NS does this during off season, it's not like they do it during the middle of the summer or anything like that. I'm probably one of the few morons in the world that takes vacation in January.

 

[had8ley]

I believe they are adding some double track in time, but the line is pretty much single track the whole way. The only quasi feasible route to get to New Orleans from Atlanta would be to go south on NS through Macon and Valdosta to Lake City then on to CSX and then west through Tallahassee and Pensacola to NOL. It'd probably take 16-18 hours on that routing. It takes about 12 on the current routing. Do the math. Don't get me wrong I'd LOVE to see service from ATL to TLH and points west, but it's not smart overall. Don't forget, it's not as though there is NO service over this time span, just on the weekdays, which are the most lightly traveled anyway. Plus don't forget, NS does this during off season, it's not like they do it during the middle of the summer or anything like that. I'm probably one of the few morons in the world that takes vacation in January.

Along those lines 51 it would be nice if they started back NOL to JAX and ran you up and down the East Coast instead of NOL- City to Chicago and whatever to NYP if you had the time during the week.

 

[Edgefan]

You guys spooked me. :blink: I'm on #19 WAS > NOL on 02/22/11. Just went to Amtrak site and did some test bookings. Looks like full runs to NOL are back the week I'm booked. Thankfully. And yes, my wife and I do what we can to avoid a few weeks of an Iowa winter! And no, I don't find a trip in January crazy. I find temps 20-30 below zero CRAZY!

 

[Palmland]

The only feasible reroute is to take the former L&N out of Atlanta through Montgomery, Mobile and in to New Orleans. Of course that was the route of the 'real' Crescent. Running time then was about the same as today's Crescent - maybe a bit faster (8:35am to 6:45 pm). Good luck getting CSX agreement to do that today, and of course no intermediate stations.

 

[The Davy Crockett]

I know I'm showing my age, but reading the stream made a song from the '70s suddenly pop into my head. It has the line in it: "I wonder if anyone would think I'm nuts, if I went to LA via Omaha." I agree that this kind of service disruption makes it tough to plan a trip too far in advance, and yet if you don't, and try to book a roomette... :angry: