I've never taken the bustitution westbound, but the last time I took it eastbound (several years ago), the travel time was about 4 to 4-1/2 hours -- considerably faster than the train.
Empire Builder 8 of 12/4 down 18 hrs
- Thread starter JNaismith
- Start date
Help Support Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum:
- Status
montana mike
Conductor
I take the EB several times each winter and have done so for many years (over 10). I can recall one 10 hour arrival delay (due to hitting a herd of deer that required some repairs), but other than that any delays either east or westbound were never "remarkable" in their duration as they are now. And while there are always going to be infrequent issues with extreme weather, the EB's were struggling mightily long before this cold snap. Let's see what happens when everyone "thaws out" this week and temps return to normal. Anyone want to bet that the Empire Builders will return to being on time?
:-(
:-(
I have to wonder... If Warren Buffett was scheduled to ride the Empire Builder on Monday, would his train suddenly find itself amazingly on-time all along it's run?
I see this as Amtrak's issue only because they operate the train, but it is really BNSF's issue which is compounded by their unwillingness to do what would be the only real solution: double and tripple-track the entire length of the Hi-Line. Make it a Northern Transcon, built and operated to the same standards as the southern one. Yes, it would cost nearly one Billion US Dollar's worth of construction, but BNSF also posted a profit of over $3.3 Billion in 2012. The demand is very clearly there, is only increasing each and every month, and the line is overwhelmed. It's a mess.
To those still dreaming of a second-daily EB at some point in the future, I do believe there is a better chance of the poles reversing and a full-blown colony on Mars these days.
I see this as Amtrak's issue only because they operate the train, but it is really BNSF's issue which is compounded by their unwillingness to do what would be the only real solution: double and tripple-track the entire length of the Hi-Line. Make it a Northern Transcon, built and operated to the same standards as the southern one. Yes, it would cost nearly one Billion US Dollar's worth of construction, but BNSF also posted a profit of over $3.3 Billion in 2012. The demand is very clearly there, is only increasing each and every month, and the line is overwhelmed. It's a mess.
To those still dreaming of a second-daily EB at some point in the future, I do believe there is a better chance of the poles reversing and a full-blown colony on Mars these days.
Last edited by a moderator:
tim49424
Engineer
The more I think of people's proposal of a second daily EB, the more I wonder what exactly it would solve other than an additional EB with the same issues day after day. BNSF is not going to accommodate an extra Amtrak train any more than it would the original. I am thinking that Amtrak believes the same.
A full-length one would have those issues, but an MSP to CHI would remove many of the issues it's experiencing right now.
tim49424
Engineer
Stub trains have worked in the past and are a better solution than bustitutions.
The question still remains, however, how are people served from MSP to the west, if this scenario were to happen?
We do have a national points system for trucking companies and drivers. It's called the CSA " http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/ ". It has been in use since 2010. Take bad drivers and bad trucking/buses off the road.
Last edited by a moderator:
G
Guest
Guest
Current EB westbound news: just had to stop for twenty minutes to exchange crew. Still haven't gotten to Rugby yet, but we did pass Devils Lake anyhow.... Looking likely we will get kicked out of our cozy sleepers onto a bus (yuck) in Spokane, which feels extremely unfair. Oh wait, we are stopping again... Guess another freight train is taking priority.
With a frequently-late EB. No way around that. Basically, keep the current EB as-is, but add the second train MSP - CHI only. MN has been looking at it some already, so it may gain some traction at some point.
montana mike
Conductor
Status map shows #27 chugging along over 7 hours behind heading to PDX after leaving SPK. I guess still no busses? So #27 will arrive perhaps 1-2 hours after the scheduled departure time in PDX, likely leaving 3-4 hours late heading back east-and the cycle perpetuates itself. Certainly not bad weather between SPK and PDX today. Meanwhile I don't see #7 anywhere in WA, maybe just a fluke in Amtrak's reporting? It appears all of the other EB's are anywhere from 5 to 10 hours behind right now-grim.
Devil's Advocate
⠀⠀⠀
Hmm. Maybe it needs more time but it doesn't seem to be working as of yet. Any idea why its not catching or removing these folks before they foul the crossing or ram the train?
G
Guest
Guest
We are on west bound #7, just outside of Minot. We are ~7 hours behind schedule. I am hoping (please railgods be kind, as my hubby is a big man and will not comfortably fit in a bus) really hard that we can make up some time and NOT end up getting woken up to hop on a bus in Spokane....
montana mike
Conductor
Your best hope is that Amtrak can't find any busses and they are forced to send the EB's thru to SEA and PDX as they have done the past two days.
)
)
G
Guest
Guest
From your mouth (or keyboard) to God's ear! And fingers crossed!Your best hope is that Amtrak can't find any busses and they are forced to send the EB's thru to SEA and PDX as they have done the past two days.
Actualy, I note that #7 is quite likely to be in Spokane after breakfast tomorrow, not in the middle of the night... and I'm very interested in whether it's bustituted or not, because that will influence what kind of transit I'll be boarding tomorrow afternoon/evening (and what time, LOL!!).From your mouth (or keyboard) to God's ear! And fingers crossed!Your best hope is that Amtrak can't find any busses and they are forced to send the EB's thru to SEA and PDX as they have done the past two days.
montana mike
Conductor
Well, Amtrak shows a Service Disruption on this train now, which normally indicates they will terminate it in SPK. The only way to confirm is to contact Amtrak directly.
EB_OBS
Conductor
Yes #7/27 (7) is terminating and busing from SPK.
Most passengers on board should already have known this by the time they went to sleep last night.
Most passengers on board should already have known this by the time they went to sleep last night.
Last edited by a moderator:
Yes, Amtrak contacted us by email last night So does anyone know if that train has made it to Spokane yet?
EB_OBS
Conductor
Yes it arrived at 9:28 this morning and was terminated. All passengers were bused to SEA & PDX and destinations in between.
EB_OBS
Conductor
Last night there was a delay with one of the buses arriving so #8 departed SPK :46 minutes late.
It's anticipated that 8(9) will depart SPK on-time at 1:30AM.
It's anticipated that 8(9) will depart SPK on-time at 1:30AM.
- Status
Latest posts
-
-
-
Future Amtrak Equipment and ADA ideas
- Latest: MccfamschoolMom
-
St. Paul, Milwaukee, Chicago (TCMC) second daily service- Latest: TransitTyrant
