My only time is making the LSL at 9:30PM so I guess it either the bus or catch a flight. With the status putting the eb four hrs late into Minot, I can write a very late train off. Thanks.
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Yes, in your case you must take the bus. If you wait for the train, and it's so late that you miss the Lake Shore, you are on your own. Amtrak will not put you up in Chicago for the night on their dime.
And yes, you'll get a refund for the sleeper fare that you paid for the EB.
The start of the detour was pushed back a few days. 8(14) made all regular stops.
fairviewroad
Engineer
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OK, I was basing that on the original Amtrak service alert notice and the fact that those stops were shown as skipped on Amtrak Status Maps (though
they have since been added back). Looks like Amtrak has removed the service alert notice entirely...makes me wonder if they themselves even know
what's going on.
The LSA on #8 a couple of days ago said that she had heard that the detours will start approximately 10/25.
It is unfortunate that we have such a verbal silence from the direction of EB_OBS. I sincerely hope he hasn't been silenced by the "Powers" above him.
EB_OBS
Conductor
I'm still here. Besides a few weeks vacation in August and September I've done some traveling for training in Seattle and Portland so I've been away a bit. Mostly though it's just been a really busy season with my family. I have a 10 years old and a 9 years old who are each in several activities so time at the computer has been minimal.
It seems the detour for track work has indeed been moved back a week. Besides a few anomalies I think the EB has been running better since mid-September. I hope anyone who might have been on board any late trains still had a good time and enjoyed the ride.
EB_OBS
Swadian Hardcore
Engineer
OK, sounds good.
Great analysis. I think that the 50 mph section and poor distribution of padding are bigger problems than freight traffic.
Glad all is well, thanks for responding.
montana mike
Conductor
Just finished another RT on the EB yesterday. Eastbound last week the EB was 2 1/2 hours late arriving in CHI and westbound we arrived in WFH 1 hour 50 minutes behind schedule. I took good notes on the causes, which mirror much of the above analysis: BNSF track work, slow orders in areas where there is no work, but the tracks are in bad shape (especially in eastern MT, there is a section that appears to be actually getting worse, since we crawled at 10 mph for perhaps 5 miles), heavy freight traffic, heavy passenger loading at Williston (both times we were at the station almost 15 minutes) and the usual hour lost between Grand Forks and Devils Lake due to the poor track conditions and resulting slow orders. I note with dismay the eastbound EB is almost 4 hours late today as it makes its way into MN this AM-bummer. I spoke with the car attendant and one of the conductors they both stated the 2+ hour delays are now the norm into CHI (the attendant said he had not been on any on time arrivals the entire summer) and an increasing number of westbound EBs are now arriving late into SEA and PDX, which used to be a rarity. Both said that Amtrak will need to make a schedule adjustment at some point, especially eastbound, as the BNSF freight loadings continue to increase. My BNSF contact here in WFH has stated on several occasions that with energy related trains going up sharply over the next 12-18 months it will become increasingly difficult to maintain the old schedule from ND and points East. We got stuck behind one of the big tanker car freights for quite some time going east and chugged along at about 40 to 50 mph for miles and miles before the dispatcher was able to clear us thru. As was pointed out the detour has not yet happened, so I didn't get a chance to gauge if that would make any difference.
Different Note: I was on the CONO the day before, coming up from NOL and my train was caught right in the middle of the tornado outbreak in northern MS. Incredibly severe weather (very strong winds, torrential rain, continuous lightning and a tornado)! I actually watched the TVS signature on my iPhone just north of where we were stopped on the tracks-scary! When we resumed our trek northward hundreds of trees were down with many across the tracks. At first they just stopped, got out and attempted to move the trees away, but many were too big and they were too numerous, so the engine just literally "plowed" its way (at about 5 mph) thru perhaps a mile of almost complete devastation until we were past were the tornado had gone thru. Amazingly the couple grade crossings we passed were still intact and working, even though trees were down and nearby structures badly damaged or destroyed. We arrived in CHI about 2 hours late--but everyone on the train was safe.
Different Note: I was on the CONO the day before, coming up from NOL and my train was caught right in the middle of the tornado outbreak in northern MS. Incredibly severe weather (very strong winds, torrential rain, continuous lightning and a tornado)! I actually watched the TVS signature on my iPhone just north of where we were stopped on the tracks-scary! When we resumed our trek northward hundreds of trees were down with many across the tracks. At first they just stopped, got out and attempted to move the trees away, but many were too big and they were too numerous, so the engine just literally "plowed" its way (at about 5 mph) thru perhaps a mile of almost complete devastation until we were past were the tornado had gone thru. Amazingly the couple grade crossings we passed were still intact and working, even though trees were down and nearby structures badly damaged or destroyed. We arrived in CHI about 2 hours late--but everyone on the train was safe.
anir dendroica
OBS Chief
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Looks like we got spammed...
On topic, there is a major blizzard forecast for northern Montana this Thursday-Saturday. The EB will probably experience major delays.
Mark
On topic, there is a major blizzard forecast for northern Montana this Thursday-Saturday. The EB will probably experience major delays.
Mark
My most recent EB experience: Got on the eastbound EB in SPK 1:30 AM on May 16 arrived in CHI about 1 hour late due to track work near Tomah Wisconsin. Still had the time for a good meal in Chicago before getting on the LSL. I could have taken the Capitol Limited to Cleveland but didn't want to arrive in CLE at 3AM.
On the return trip, we arrived at the Cleveland station when they opened at 11PM after turning in the rental car about 9:30PM. $40 shuttle ride from Cleveland airport to CLE Amtrak.
The westbound CL arrived in Cleveland at dawn on May 29. The westbound LSL arrived about 20 minutes later. The sun was rising as we boarded the LSL after sitting all night in the Cleveland station. They held the eastbound LSL west of Cleveland to allow the 2 westbound trains to clear the station. We ate some lunch that I got in the Chicago station before we boarded the EB. We (only 2 of us) got off the EB at Cut Bank MT only 30 minutes late mostly due to the track wirk at Tomah. The June 1 Empire Builder was about 20 minutes late in CUT on June 1. 2 other people got on with us there. We arrived in SPK 35 minutes early on June 2. We were back in Bend Oregon in time for lunch.
I wish that Amtrak would "Try Harder" to get rental car agencies to serve their stations directly instead of having a cab ride to the airport for more than the cost of a days rental.
Little Cut Bank MT had a car waiting for me in the station gravel lot and the 1 day rental fee was less than 1 of my cab rides.
On the return trip, we arrived at the Cleveland station when they opened at 11PM after turning in the rental car about 9:30PM. $40 shuttle ride from Cleveland airport to CLE Amtrak.
The westbound CL arrived in Cleveland at dawn on May 29. The westbound LSL arrived about 20 minutes later. The sun was rising as we boarded the LSL after sitting all night in the Cleveland station. They held the eastbound LSL west of Cleveland to allow the 2 westbound trains to clear the station. We ate some lunch that I got in the Chicago station before we boarded the EB. We (only 2 of us) got off the EB at Cut Bank MT only 30 minutes late mostly due to the track wirk at Tomah. The June 1 Empire Builder was about 20 minutes late in CUT on June 1. 2 other people got on with us there. We arrived in SPK 35 minutes early on June 2. We were back in Bend Oregon in time for lunch.
I wish that Amtrak would "Try Harder" to get rental car agencies to serve their stations directly instead of having a cab ride to the airport for more than the cost of a days rental.
Little Cut Bank MT had a car waiting for me in the station gravel lot and the 1 day rental fee was less than 1 of my cab rides.
Just a little off-topic from the whole thread, but I completely agree. The handful of times I've rented cars while on Amtrak trips, when an office is within about 15 miles of the station and is within their business hours, Enterprise has been fantastic. Their motto of "We'll Pick You Up!" works every time. They will drop you off too.
But having a rental office affiliated with more stations is really the way things should go.
TraneMan
Conductor
Is Amtrak the ones who contact rental places to offer car rental waiting at the station?? I would of think it's the rental themselves who would offer the service.. Look at Whitefish, there are a couple of rental company that will have a car waiting at the station for you.
No, Amtrak does not have such a concierge service (though that would be a nice touch! Never happening, unfortunately.) I simply make the reservation through Enterprise (and through the AGR portal in order to get the nice extra points) and have them ready to meet the train. All Enterprise offices are independently operated, and every one I've dealt with is very accommodating. I don't mean to sound like an advertisement, but I've been burned by other rental agencies like Hertz (they can *hurtz* a lot!) and Avis, and Enterprise has been fantastic for years.
Swadian Hardcore
Engineer
Most EB trains seem to be doing better now. See: http://www.dixielandsoftware.com/
montana mike
Conductor
Yup--most are only running 60-90 minutes late into CHI now, with only an occasional slip to 2-3 hours late. One train was actually on time last week leaving Milwaukee, only to get stuck behind a Metra train and ended up 33 minutes late into Union station. Could be a lot worse now--The main reason, according to my BNSF guy, is they have pretty much stopped construction until April now.
Swadian Hardcore
Engineer
So after they resume construction, how long will it be before it is done? I hope it is done with all possible haste because not only will it reduce immediate delays, but long-term delays caused by track problems.
Ispolkom
Engineer
Trains reported (behind a pay wall, unfortunately) that BNSF is diverting most container trains off the Northern Corridor because of increased traffic to and from the Bakken field. Instead, the container trains will travel to Chicago via Lincoln and Alliance, Nebraska, taking what the article called the "central corridor." This might help the Empire Builder, I guess, at least until the expected traffic builds up on the Hi Line.
montana mike
Conductor
Simple law of physics here--One can only put so much "stuff" in a given space at any time. The construction on the hi-line is scheduled to be completed in late 2014. The increase in tanker trains is actually slightly ahead of schedule and is not that weather dependent, so 2013 could be very interesting.
johnny.menhennet
Conductor
What specific constructiona re we talking about here? I'm just curious, apart from fixing aging tracks to remove slow orders and speed up the route, what else is in store? Complete double-tracking all the way to the Twin Cities from North Dakota, or anything else along those lines? I know of the trackbed raising int he vicinity of Devil's Lake, but thought that the timeframe on that was sooner.
One can hope for this. I'm specifically looking forward to double-tracking near the Twin Cities (Big Lake - Becker.) Sets the stage for expanding the Northstar to St. Cloud.
montana mike
Conductor
BNSF is in the process of replacing literally millions of worn out wooden ties with concrete ties in certain areas, there are several hundred miles of track beds that will be undergoing significant upgrades (in order to get trains back up to decent speeds--anyone who has taken the EB the past 12 months knows what I am referring to). There are a number of grade crossing improvements planned for the next two years (modernize equipment). I do not think double tracks for any significant length are in this package at all. I do know there will be additional sidings and spurs created in both eastern MT and ND due to the increased needs for the energy and agriculture traffic though. BNSF is hiring a lot of construction and maintenance people to support this effort
anir dendroica
OBS Chief
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2009
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- 507
I don't think there are many permanent slow orders in eastern Montana, so "getting back up to speed" is more a matter of finishing construction so the work-related slow orders go away. (For this reason I would anticipate decent OTP from now until May with the exception of weather events.) There appears to be a rule that track is rated for 25 mph for a certain amount of time after tie replacement, allowing the track to settle and inspecting for any alignment defects. With multiple sections of 10 miles or so seeing new ties at any time, that can really slow the EB down - both due to direct loss of time and waiting for freights that are also moving at 25 mph.
Where the EB could really use some more speed is the section from Minot to Fargo, large portions of which are 50 mph or 60 mph and rough enough that even that feels a bit too fast. I wonder if BNSF has plans to improve this section back to mainline standards now that the Devils Lake problem is solved? In particular the stretch from Grand Forks to Fargo needs work in order to get back to the posted timetable.
Mark
Where the EB could really use some more speed is the section from Minot to Fargo, large portions of which are 50 mph or 60 mph and rough enough that even that feels a bit too fast. I wonder if BNSF has plans to improve this section back to mainline standards now that the Devils Lake problem is solved? In particular the stretch from Grand Forks to Fargo needs work in order to get back to the posted timetable.
Mark
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