Empire Builder revised schedule

[Cole737]

What would be the harm in keeping the schedule they had last summer during all of the delays on the EB? The revision that had 28/8 leave PDX/SEA roughly 3 Horus earlier. It's seems all year that EB arrives around 2-5 hours late depending on the time of year and other factors - why wouldn't they just continue to operate with the revised schedule they had for the 2014 summer? I rode 28 PDX-CHI last summer and arrived in CHI just 2 hours late, but it was with the revised schedule so that would've been close to 6 hours late with the old one. Just a though. Any reason why they don't permanently change the schedule so that it keeps time more successfully?

-Cole

 

[Ziv]

I don't know how the replacement schedule worked but if it would reduce the late factor, I would be all for it. Both of my last EB trips were late at different points but they both ended up arriving close to the scheduled time. Getting to Seattle late wouldn't be that big an issue because that was my destination, but getting to Chicago late would cost me a day if I missed my Capitol Limited connection.

It sounds like leaving Seattle early was the way they handled it and that sounds like it would work well other than the fact that you would cross Glacier Park even earlier. That would be a pity as that is my favorite part of the trip.

 

[Ryan]

I think the revised schedule depended on the 6th train set which may not be available.

 

[Cole737]

I don't know how the replacement schedule worked but if it would reduce the late factor, I would be all for it. Both of my last EB trips were late at different points but they both ended up arriving close to the scheduled time. Getting to Seattle late wouldn't be that big an issue because that was my destination, but getting to Chicago late would cost me a day if I missed my Capitol Limited connection.

It sounds like leaving Seattle early was the way they handled it and that sounds like it would work well other than the fact that you would cross Glacier Park even earlier. That would be a pity as that is my favorite part of the trip.

Last year we went through glacier park in the morning. We were running only about 30 minutes late and the sun rose just about 45 minutes east of whitefish.

 

[Cole737]

I think the revised schedule depended on the 6th train set which may not be available.

Oh yeah. They needed an extra set. It was always kind of nice seeing the occasional 2 EBs at once in Portland last summer.

 

[montana mike]

At least with the protect train sets in SEA and PDX the eastbound EB's could leave on schedule almost every time. Given the challenges being faced with arrivals at both SEA and PDX over the past 4-6 weeks, many eastbound EB's are starting out late, which just compounds the tardiness issues in CHI-town. The latest mess, the BNSF derailment in eastern MT, was of course something that just happens on occasion. Hopefully once this is corrected the trains will return to only 2-3 hour arrival delays into CHI.

 

[afigg]

I think the revised schedule depended on the 6th train set which may not be available.

That is probably part of the reason. I suspect Amtrak is very reluctant to go back to the really padded schedule, even just for the summer, because then they might get stuck with it for an extended period after the time-keeping on the BNSF line actually improves. Or returns to the sometimes mostly on-time trips seen in the Spring. Checking the Status Map database history, the last time #8 arrived at CHI effectively on-time was on June 10 when #8(6/08) arrived 8 minutes late.

 

[west point]

Last year's revised probably would not work. Any reschedule needs to examine when the best times are for the EB to pass thru various work zones. As well consideration of how hard it is to bypass held up freights waiting for track access.

 

[neroden]

I think the revised schedule depended on the 6th train set which may not be available.

That is probably part of the reason. I suspect Amtrak is very reluctant to go back to the really padded schedule, even just for the summer, because then they might get stuck with it for an extended period after the time-keeping on the BNSF line actually improves.

Both of these. Freight railroads have a history of abusing schedule padding. There's a lot of distrust here due to extremely bad behavior by previous freight railroad management, not that the current BNSF management would do anything like that.

And anyway there is no 6th trainset available; I'm still not sure how they scraped it up before, but utilization levels have reverted to normal and there isn't a way to generate it. There probably won't be one available until 2017, well after the current problems clear up

 

[dlagrua]

Not to change the topic but is everyone aware that at one time two routes across the Northwest brought trains from Chicago to Seattle?

The Olympian Hiawatha of the Milwaukee road ran all the way from Chicago to Seattle. Parts of the route are still being used by the Amtrak Empire builder to St. Paul but beyond that the route diverts to BNSF tracks.

The route West of MSP took the train through Aberdeen, Mossbridge in ND., Miles City, Harlowton, Butte, Misoula in MT, and Spokane, Hanfort and then to Seattle. A totally different route than the EB.

According to Wiki : Parts of the Milwaukee Olympian Hiawatha route through the Bitteroot Mountains in Idaho, in Montana along the St Regis River, and though Iron Horse state park in Washington's Snoqualmie Pass before arriving in Seattle are now bike and rail trails. According to what I have read in the history books the views on the old Milwaukee Road route were scenic.

Point is that passenger rail once enjoyed two separate routes from Chicago to Seattle and since critical parts have been abandoned we now have a logjam on the BNSF/Amtrak EB route with little solution in sight.

 

[CCC1007]

There was a third route also, the northern pacific railroad ran the north coast limited from Chicago to Seattle via billings, Bozeman, butte, and Missoula.

 

[CHamilton]

Most of the GN and NP routes are still extant (although the Missoula section was sold to Montana Rail Link). The Milwaukee Road line (some of it electrified!) is gone, and a lot of its ROW is where I-90 is now.

 

[dlagrua]

When I see what has happened to the EB its a sad affair. Last summer we arrived in CUS at 3 AM- 12 hours late and well after all connections east had departed. When the additional routes to Seattle were abandoned in the 1960's who would imagine the amount of freight coming east on that route would flood the rails making it all but impossible for on time passenger service. We tear up the once extensive passenger rail network, freight demand soars, and then a part of what remains of it becomes dysfunctional. If freight traffic keeps growing like it is, rebuilding old routes may need to be looked at. A good example is what is now being done on the old Broadway Limited route. No plans for passenger rail there yet, but at least the tracks are back to help alleviate freight through traffic to CHI. Could the CL and LSL start running on time soon?

 

[neroden]

Most of the GN and NP routes are still extant (although the Missoula section was sold to Montana Rail Link). The Milwaukee Road line (some of it electrified!) is gone, and a lot of its ROW is where I-90 is now.

The audits after the Milwaukee Road's bankruptcy/looting showed that the Milwaukee Road route to Seattle was actually profitable, too. (So they ripped it up and kept the unprofitable bits.) One of the stupidest examples of American corporate incompetence ever.