How to Cancel . . .

[x-press]

Hi All,

Thanks to Amtrak's latest fiasco at the Thames River Bridge, my June 28th trip is in danger of being cancelled or changed (a 6-hour Acela First Class trip turning into a 9 hour coach trip via Springfield isn't going to cut it). I also don't wish to wait for an official Amtrak announcement, when all affordable flights for my trip are sold out (we're almost there, now). If I wish to cancel:

A) Can I do it without penalty?

B Should I call the normal, USA-RAIL number or the "Guest Rewards" number?

Thanks in Advance,

JPS

 

[the_traveler]

All you need to do is call the AGR number, and the points will be put back into your AGR account. And there is NO PENALTY!

 

[PRR 60]

If do not have paper tickets, cancelling is as easy as calling AGR. If you have paper tickets, you have to call AGR to cancel and then mail in the tickets to have your points redeposited. If that is the case, I would mail the tickets with a return receipt to get proof that AGR got them back.

My thought that the weekend of June 28 might be the next window for the closure is based on the river tides. The old span will be removed and the new span set using the tides to lift and lower the structures mounted on barges. They would prefer this be done with daylight to prep prior to the float. But that is only my speculation. Amtrak at this point has said nothing about when the bridge will be closed most likely because they honestly don't know when they will be ready. Right now they are chipping the counterweight with conventional equipment. The original plan to saw it failed. Until they can get the size down to a point where the remainder can be picked by the barge-mounted crane, they cannot move forward. They are under a lot of pressure to get this done, but it is what it is. Chip, chip, chip.

 

[x-press]

My thought that the weekend of June 28 might be the next window for the closure is based on the river tides. The old span will be removed and the new span set using the tides to lift and lower the structures mounted on barges. They would prefer this be done with daylight to prep prior to the float. But that is only my speculation. Amtrak at this point has said nothing about when the bridge will be closed most likely because they honestly don't know when they will be ready. Right now they are chipping the counterweight with conventional equipment. The original plan to saw it failed. Until they can get the size down to a point where the remainder can be picked by the barge-mounted crane, they cannot move forward. They are under a lot of pressure to get this done, but it is what it is. Chip, chip, chip.

I agree that Amtrak really doesn't know when it will occur, but the chance that the outage will begin on the 28th, or run through it is just a bit too big to gamble. I realize Amtrak will likely do their best to get passengers through "somehow," but a 6 hour trip in Acela First Class turning into a 9 hour trip in regional coach via Springfield simply won't do.

In any case, sincere thanks for the AGR info to all; first good news I've gotten in a while!

JPS