Guaranteed Connection

[KiwiKate]

I reread some replies to questions about guaranteed connections and would like to hear from anyone who, with sleeper accommodation booked, has actually experienced being on a train (more specifically the CStarlight) that has not made a connection.

When did you realise the train was too late to connect with the Empire Builder (or other train)? OK, I know - after having to wait three hours at Emeryville!! Serious please!!

Were you told or did you have to figure it out for yourself?

What was the procedure for either catching up with the EB, etc or being accommodated for the night?

Were you offered any chance of getting a sleeper on the train the following day?

Were you offered an upgrade if the equivalent booked accommodation was not available? Or did you have to settle for coach?

From what I reread, I assume that some people are bussed from stations which are on the route before the connecting station e.g. Portland. I'd never considered that that would be the way they "caught up!" I assumed they would have to chase the train after it had left Portland. Would like to hear how you managed. We don't like the idea of missing that connection - which seems inevitable - and having to spend two nights trying to rest our creaking bones in coach seating! Thanks.

 

[AMTK@AUS]

About a year and a half ago, I was on the northbound Texas Eagle (Train 22), bound for Chicago, and as it progressed north, it became nine hours late. I had planned on making a connection to the Capitol Limited (about a 6 hr. layover), but missed that connection. Amtrak was very well prepared and had Amtrak customer service reps board the train in southern Illinois, where they assigned each party who was missing connections a number, and when you're number was called you went to the diner and discussed options and were ticketed for other trains. They put us up for the night in Chicago and gave us cash and a voucher for meals and the taxi fare. After a good night's sleep, we were on board, in a sleeper, headed for our destination.

Besides being one day late(which really did not affect us), everything worked out well. We were given the option to take the Pennsylvanian towards Washington, but that train did not have a sleeper, which we insisted upon.

The customer service reps were very helpful and commented that they boarded almost daily to help people like us because the train ran so late so often. At the hotel Amtrak sent us to, there was a big banner thanking Amtrak for all the business! The Texas Eagle's on-time performance was greatly improved since then, though.

There is one example of a guaranteed connection - I'm sure there are many others here at the forums. Maybe this will be of some help!

 

[AlanB]

I reread some replies to questions about guaranteed connections and would like to hear from anyone who, with sleeper accommodation booked,  has actually experienced being on a train (more specifically the CStarlight) that has not made a connection.  When did you realise the train was too late to connect with the Empire Builder (or other train)?  OK, I know - after having to wait three hours at Emeryville!!  Serious please!!

Were you told or did you have to figure it out for yourself?

Well I've never missed a connection in that sense, since I don't normally book something that would be that close.

However, you will find out while still on the train if you are going to miss the connection to the next train. You won't get to the station only to realize that your connecting train has already left.

What was the procedure for either catching up with the EB, etc or being accommodated for the night?Were you offered any chance of getting a sleeper on the train the following day?

Were you offered an upgrade if the equivalent booked accommodation was not available?  Or did you have to settle for coach?

As I think has been mentioned before, the options really depend on a few factors. One, just how late is your train. Two, how many passengers in total are going to miss the connection. Three, how sold out is the next days train.

So there is no easy way to know for sure just what will happen. However, if your train is late by less than two or three hours, you can almost expect to be bussed.

From what I reread, I assume that some people are bussed from stations which are on the route before the connecting station e.g. Portland.  I'd never considered that that would be the way they "caught up!" I assumed they would have to chase the train after it had left Portland.

Well when one considers the following factors, a bus actually makes sense. One, in most cases the maximum speed of the train is 79 MPH and there are many places, especially in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, where the train moves far more slowly. The top speed of the bus is probably 65 or 70 MPH in most places.

Two, the trains, both your current one and your connecting one, are still making their normal regular stops. The bus will run express. Three, you are helped by that old rule, which states "the shortest distance between two points is a straight line". The Coast Starlight is going due north, while the Empire Builder is running east. The bus will run northeast creating a diagonal line and chopping many miles off the journey that the trains will cover.

 

[denmarks]

This happened to me on a trip from Washington, DC to Sacramento via Chicago.

The train kept stopping for some reason during the night and by the time it arrived in Chicago I had missed the train from Chicago to Sacramento. Amtrak decided to fly me to Omaha where I would catch the train. So after cashing a voucher I got a taxi to the airport, flew to Omaha, and took a taxi to the deserted station in Omaha. Seems like it is closed until just before train arrival. This was just as the sun was setting.

When the station personal finally arrived they anounced that the train was late and would check on the matter. It turned out that the train could not cross the Mississippi River due to flooding and had returned to Chicago.

After a few hours they took us to a motel and said they would let us know in the morning what would happen. What they finally did was to stop the next day's eastbound train and reverse it in Omaha. About 24 hours later than scheduled we were finally headed west.

I don't know what happened to the people heading west from Chicago on the train that turned around or the passengers for the next day. The train was empty when it turned around somewhere around Omaha and I was able to get my original sleeper.

Amtrak paid all expenses; cabs, air travel, food, hotel and bus to and from hotel. It must have cost them hundreds.

 

[Chatter163]

18 months ago my Sunset Limited from Orlando to Los Angeles was annuled due to a Union Pacific freight train derailment in Texas. Amtrak tried to call me, but I had already left my home in Miami. In Orlando, I called Amtrak, shortly before we were to go to the station there, just to check on the train, even though it was starting its route there. Was I ever shocked when I heard the news that my train was canceled! The main reason we were taking the trip to LA was to ride Amtrak's longest route in a deluxe sleeper.

After the agent told me what had occurred (she had read me an Amtrak wire, which was essentially a press release), I responded, "OK, I guess now is when you pass me to one of those well-trained managers who deals with stranded, frustrated passengers like us." We are Amtrak Guest Reward Select members; we always travel in deluxe sleepers and I would not go any other way. We booked the hotel, rental car in LA and attraction tickets through Amtrak Vacations, so I was confident that any changes to our trip could be easily handled. I began to think that instead of LA, we might go to San Francisco on the California Zephyr or Seattle on the Empire Builder.

To make a long story short (and the full story is posted online, if anyone were actually interested), since I know the Amtrak system well, and I had my handy-dandy national timetable with me, I was able to book an alternate route to Los Angeles, via the Silver Meteor, Capitol Limited and Southwest Chief. On the Silver Meteor and Southwest Chief we had handicapped compartments, and on the Capitol Limited we had a deluxe. We would arrive in LA two days later than planned, but I looked upon the extra time as more train adventures, spread out on three different routes. The manager who handled the changes was extremely professional, very skilled at handling the situation gingerly. She also stayed on the line while we called Amtrak Vacations and were credited for the shortened hotel and rental car time.

So the entire ordeal was handled expeditiously, though my knowledge of the Amtrak schedule helped speed it along, according to the manager. And by handling this over the phone, we were also spared the mob scene at the Orlando station, when most people dound out. Coming home the Sunset Limited ran, but there were numerous surprises on that one, which can be read online

by clicking here.

 

[spot1181]

Last November we were on the CS connecting to the EB. We weren't bussed from Klamath Falls since the trajn was basically on time. By the time we reached Eugene we were down an hour and a half. We were bussed to Portland and made the EB 20 minutes late, but dinner was waiting in our room with complimentary wine. It all worked out.

 

[Guest]

Was on a sleeper New Orleans-LA (2 nites) when a washout near San Antonio cancelled the Sun-done-Set Ltd. Amtrak sent me via City of New Orleans (1 nite sleeper), Zephyr (2 nites - no sleeper space on Chief), hotel room in Oakland, and CS to LA at no additional cost.

On CS from Socal we were 3 hours down at KFalls, so got bus to Portland (if later, it would have gone to Pasco). Refund for sleeper space Kfalls-Portland was about 85% of the sleeper fare, and we got the wine-cheese, dinner, breakfast, and a full night's sleep.

And yes, on board crews know well in advance if there will be a problem with connections and buses are ordered in advance if needed.

 

[bsmith]

A few years ago (about 6 or 7) I found myself snowbound near Donner Pass, in the exact spot (or close to) where the City of San Francisco got stuck years before. I was on the CZ and from the forecast for the route that day, I was astonished that we ever left Jack London Station. Anyway we were stuck for about 10 hours. As we approached Chicago two days later, we were 22 hours late. Upon arrival in Chicago, we were met (at least first class passangers) by a customer service person asking "What can we do to make the rest of the trip better for you." I still had a good days journey back home, so I asked to Fly home. No questions asked, I was given airline tickets and meal money, along with taxi fare to ORD. This was not the normal two or three hours late, so don't expect this kind of treatment all the time.