getting bussed???

[access bob]

just wondering how late a train has to be for someone to be taken off and bussed to catch up.

I am coming East on the EB but am connecting in Chicago with the Cardinal, this is only a 1hr 50minute connection and the EB is more than that late sometimes,. so if the train is say an hour late in MSP will they yank you off. what happens it gets late after say MKE, I have been on a Cap Limited that was held in Chicago for a late connection. this is a garaunteeded connection but am really not in the mood to spend all day on a bus. either.

is there any sort of policy for this

????

Bob

 

[Tony]

just wondering how late a train has to be for someone to be taken off and bussed to catch up.

I was 24 hours late once, and thru that entire ordeal, Amtrak never once thought of busing any of us. :huh:

 

[access bob]

just wondering how late a train has to be for someone to be taken off and bussed to catch up.

I was 24 hours late once, and thru that entire ordeal, Amtrak never once thought of busing any of us. :huh:

did you or others have connections to other Amtrak trains?????

what did they do??

my concern is my connection is with the Cardinal only 3 times a week and sold out...

Bob

 

[the_traveler]

just wondering how late a train has to be for someone to be taken off and bussed to catch up.
...

my concern is my connection is with the Cardinal only 3 times a week and sold out...

I think it may also depend on your destination if you would be bussed. If your destination is a Cardinal only stop (such as IND, CIN or CHW), they may bus you. If your stop can be served by other trains or connections (such as CVS, WAS or NYP), they may put you on other trains and not bus you.

 

[Tony]

did you or others have connections to other Amtrak trains?????
what did they do??

At WAS, a lot of people had connections (though not me). They were all handled after they got off so I don't know exactly what was offered.

Amtrak called me at work Monday morning, apologized, and offered me a full refund (well, a full voucher). I think it would have been cheaper for Amtrak to have bussed us all.

 

[Rafi]

just wondering how late a train has to be for someone to be taken off and bussed to catch up.
I am coming East on the EB but am connecting in Chicago with the Cardinal, this is only a 1hr 50minute connection and the EB is more than that late sometimes,. so if the train is say an hour late in MSP will they yank you off. what happens it gets late after say MKE, I have been on a Cap Limited that was held in Chicago for a late connection. this is a garaunteeded connection but am really not in the mood to spend all day on a bus. either.

is there any sort of policy for this

????

Bob

Bob,

Amtrak will most likely make a decision on the fly between Minneapolis/St. Paul and Milwaukee depending on how many people may miss a connection in Chicago. If there are only a handful of people going to Cardinal-only destinations, they may put you on the next day's Hoosier State to Indianapolis and bus you the rest of the way, for example. If there are a substantial number of Cardinal connections, however, they will most likely hold the train for you.

On routes other than the Empire Builder, they'll usually bus you before you even get to Chicago (for example, they would bus from Galesburg if the Zephyr or Chief were going to miss the connection), but given that the Empire Builder comes in from the north, I'm not so sure if bussing around Chicago over to Indianapolis would get you to the Cardinal any faster.

Regardless, Amtrak will take care of you, and if they don't get you on that train, it's up to them to put you in a hotel for the two or three nights until the next Cardinal comes around, but odds are they'll find an alternative way of getting you to your destination, especially if any of their other routes get close to it, in which case they'll bus or pay for a cab.

Rafi

 

[access bob]

just wondering how late a train has to be for someone to be taken off and bussed to catch up.
I am coming East on the EB but am connecting in Chicago with the Cardinal, this is only a 1hr 50minute connection and the EB is more than that late sometimes,. so if the train is say an hour late in MSP will they yank you off. what happens it gets late after say MKE, I have been on a Cap Limited that was held in Chicago for a late connection. this is a garaunteeded connection but am really not in the mood to spend all day on a bus. either.

is there any sort of policy for this

????

Bob

Bob,

Amtrak will most likely make a decision on the fly between Minneapolis/St. Paul and Milwaukee depending on how many people may miss a connection in Chicago. If there are only a handful of people going to Cardinal-only destinations, they may put you on the next day's Hoosier State to Indianapolis and bus you the rest of the way, for example. If there are a substantial number of Cardinal connections, however, they will most likely hold the train for you.

On routes other than the Empire Builder, they'll usually bus you before you even get to Chicago (for example, they would bus from Galesburg if the Zephyr or Chief were going to miss the connection), but given that the Empire Builder comes in from the north, I'm not so sure if bussing around Chicago over to Indianapolis would get you to the Cardinal any faster.

Regardless, Amtrak will take care of you, and if they don't get you on that train, it's up to them to put you in a hotel for the two or three nights until the next Cardinal comes around, but odds are they'll find an alternative way of getting you to your destination, especially if any of their other routes get close to it, in which case they'll bus or pay for a cab.

Rafi

I was told that they take you off in MSP and drive you direct to Chicago., having driven it you can knock several hours off the trains loop to Milwaukee.

I'm going on thru to the NEC the Cardinal is not to get there but rather a chance to go thru the New River canyon in Daylight, something I've been trying to get into my schedule for well over 10 years. I've ridden the CL probably more than any other LD train in the Amtrak system.

oh well since the Cardinal is the most sold out train I have ever tried to ride, well the EB was in 10 minutes early today so maybe I'll be lucky and not have to worry about it.

Bob

 

[Rail Freak]

just wondering how late a train has to be for someone to be taken off and bussed to catch up.
I am coming East on the EB but am connecting in Chicago with the Cardinal, this is only a 1hr 50minute connection and the EB is more than that late sometimes,. so if the train is say an hour late in MSP will they yank you off. what happens it gets late after say MKE, I have been on a Cap Limited that was held in Chicago for a late connection. this is a garaunteeded connection but am really not in the mood to spend all day on a bus. either.

is there any sort of policy for this

????

Bob

On Sept 9th, We were late on the CZ #6 to Chicago. They put us CL Pax on a bus in Galesburg, Ill. & bused us to Toledo, Oh. where the CL picked us up! Fun Bus Ride though!!!! It's what you make of it!