Empire Builder stopped

[JayPea]

Not that it makes a huge difference, but I'm scheduled to leave Spokane in the wee small hours of the morning next Tuesday for Seattle, returning from Portland to Spokane next Friday. (And, yes, I've got a reservation from Seattle to Portland on Friday as well!) I was going to get to Seattle one way or another, but wasn't sure if it would be by bus or by train. Looks like it's the train! I didn't want to ride a crappy bus to Seattle/from Portland but that's certainly preferable to staying home.

 

[SBee]

I'm scheduled on the EB on the 15th and would rather be canceled than arrive in Chicago too late to make my connection to NY.

Spoke with Amtrak Customer Service about 30 minutes ago.

Empire Builder is now scheduled to resume on Friday, June 17. I'm supposed to be on the train on Saturday, June 18.

Looks like you got your wish. What's that they say about being careful what you wish for?

I'll take the trip another time, it'll be less stressful than having to worry about being stuck somewhere in the Midwest. Hope it's up an running SOON for everyone else!

Nevermind, looks like I'm heading out tomorrow after all!

 

[aurora_1101]

Looks like the resumption of service may be limited. This is from the weather bureau in Grand Forks:

HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA/GRAND FORKS ND

500 PM CDT TUE JUN 14 2011

...MULTIPLE PRECIPITATION EVENTS LIKELY INTO NEXT WEEK...

A PROLONGED UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN IS EXPECTED ACROSS EASTERN

NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWESTERN MINNESOTA FOR MUCH OF THE UPCOMING

SEVEN DAYS. THERE WILL BE A SERIES OF UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES

WHICH ARE EXPECTED TO CROSS THE AREA DURING THIS PERIOD. ALTHOUGH IT

WILL NOT RAIN EVERY DAY...THE CUMULATIVE IMPACT OF MULTIPLE

SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL EVENTS OVER THE PERIOD MAY LEAD TO LOCALIZED

AREAL AND RIVERINE FLOODING ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE RED RIVER VALLEY

AND DEVILS LAKE BASIN. AT THE PRESENT TIME...THE MOST SIGNIFICANT

PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED THIS WEEKEND AND PERSISTING INTO THE

FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK.

SOILS ACROSS THE AREA HAVE DRIED OUT SIGNIFICANTLY FROM THE SPRING

FLOODS OF APRIL AND MAY. RAINFALL AMOUNTS FOR THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF

JUNE ACROSS THE RED RIVER VALLEY AND DEVILS LAKE BASIN HAVE

GENERALLY BEEN BELOW NORMAL. HOWEVER...A PROLONGED PERIOD WITH

ROUNDS OF SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION COULD REVERSE THIS TREND AND

ONCE AGAIN INTRODUCE A POTENTIAL OF FLOODING FOR PORTIONS OF THE

AREA.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS

DEVELOPING HYDROLOGIC SITUATION AND WILL ISSUE ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

AND FORECASTS AS THE WEATHER TRENDS BECOME BETTER ESTABLISHED.

COOPERATIVE WEATHER OBSERVERS ARE URGED TO SEND IN DAILY

PRECIPITATION REPORTS DURING THIS PERIOD AS THESE RAINFALL AMOUNTS

WILL BE VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE HYDROLOGIC FORECASTS.

 

[tnrkitect]

This does not bode well for my segment on the EB starting on the 27th hboy: *keeping fingers crossed*

 

[tnrkitect]

Well the first Westbound EB has passed through Devils Lake and was only running 2.5 hours late as of Rugby.

Better late than not running at all!