Figuring Timetables

[Guest_Fan_Trains]

How does Amtrak figure arrival and Departure times for its trains?

I know that they probably start with track speeds and milage, then figure in wait time at stations (busier stations get more time for the stop). But, do they figure in any cusion time for unforseen circumstances, such as a slow order or two unexpected "approach" signal, etc?

what about things as when the train is only maintaing 76 mph out of a posted track speed of 79 mph ( due to grade,. etc) or other times in which the engineer cannot maintain the posted track speed?

I'm sure that there has to be some cushioning buit in as we've all heard about trains that arrived early which do they hold them until Departure?) or made up lost Time somwhere along the line.

 

[Trogdor]

Didn't somebody just ask this question?

 

[MrFSS]

I would think that "history" has something to do with it. That is, over the last year, how long has itactually taken a certain train to travel from point A to point B.

I think I remember someone in this group saying earlier this year they changed the Sunset times to better comform with actual times it takes from all the delays it encounters.

 

[Trogdor]

I see that this question was asked...but not on this board. It was asked over at trainorders (and answered, too).

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

Let me try to address just the one point about trains arriving early, are they held for departure? Absolutely yes----in most cases.

Some glaring exceptions to the rule you will find in some cases such as the trains from Florida and New Orleans going northbound. None of those trains pick up passengers after Alexandria. They stop only to discharge---see timetable. Thus, THOSE trains may leave early north of ALexandria, and often do, simply because they will not be picking anybody up anyway.

I have heard of those trains arriving NYC as much as an hour early (never happens when I am on board, of course) and you will see that would mean leaving early at several of the last stations.

Going south they stop only to receive at the same points, so of course there is no leaving early going south between NYC and ALexandria.

There are a few other places in the timetable where this happens......a place where ALL of the last few stops before termination are "discharge only".

Except for the above type of case, no, Amtrak would not take a chance of leaving early if it might mean leaving somebody behind who legitimately got to the station within time to board.

 

[Trogdor]

In some cases, even with discharge only, they won't leave early. A while ago (before the rescheduling of a couple years ago), the Empire Builder arrived in Milwaukee early quite often. However, it still had to wait until 2:30 to depart.

 

[jccollins]

Some of the longhauls can leave early toward the end of the route, as denoted by the "D" (discharge only) next to the station and time in the timetable. The westbound California Zephyr is an example of this, but rarely if ever gets to leave early from the last stops since it suffers from horrible U.P. dispatching from the line it runs over. Westbound stations that are discharge only are Sacramento, Davis, and Martinez so it could leave early if it arrived at the stations early, theoretically. Amtrak operates corridor service between these last stations anyway (Capitol Corridor trains) so it would be pointless for people to try to book tickets and board this chronically late longhaul train that passes through instead of waiting for a corridor train.