It's Not Just Private Railroad Dispatchers...

[LA Resident]

The Surfliner route between San Diego and Fullerton is owned in Orange County by Metrolink (the LA-Orange County public agency) and in San Diego County by the North County Transit District. Its dispatchers control Amtrak, Metrolink and Coaster trains.

Today, the Surfliner "express" north out of San Diego was put in the hole not once, not twice but three times to accommodate Coaster trains running late southbound, and then, after passing a local Metrolink train at Laguna Niguel, made to wait while the Metrolink overtook it, forcing the "express Amtrak" to run at 25 mph even though the express would stop at only 2 stations and the Metrolink at 5 on their duplicate routing! By the time the Surfliner reached Anaheim, it was 80 minutes late!

Southbound, Amtrak 582 was forced to wait three times for Coaster trains to pass, making it 50 minutes late into San Diego! Not much joy for passengers on the standing-room-only train!

I'd rather have BNSF dispatchers running the entire line!! They never screw Amtrak to that extent between Fullerton and LAUS!!

 

[the_traveler]

The same thing happens on the NEC between New Haven and New Rochelle. That portion of the track is controlled by Metro North. That's why you may see an Acela passed by a commuter train! Those riding the commuters do not appreciate an Amtrak train going faster then them on THEIR railroad!

 

[Amtrak839]

Amtrak does the same thing on their railroad. Try riding the MARC Penn Line. I've had trips where it takes 90 minutes to get from WAS to BAL.

 

[Dutchrailnut]

The same thing happens on the NEC between New Haven and New Rochelle. That portion of the track is controlled by Metro North. That's why you may see an Acela passed by a commuter train! Those riding the commuters do not appreciate an Amtrak train going faster then them on THEIR railroad!

Not really, Amtrak has a schedule, if they do not adhere to schedule , they get stuck behind a Metro North train.

The Amtrak train carries 150 to 200 people, the MNCR train around 700, as Dispatcher who would you inconvene, when Amtrak shows up late at MNCR territory ???

 

[Ryan]

The Amtrak train carries 150 to 200 people, the MNCR train around 700, as Dispatcher who would you inconvene, when Amtrak shows up late at MNCR territory ???

I don't know where you learned your math, but a regional train with 7 coaches and 80 seats in each is carrying a hell of a lot more than 150 -200 people.

 

[amamba]

Sometimes regionals can get held up behind an MBTA commuter rail train between PVD and BOS - it normally happens only going north and when the train is already late. Then it takes more like 75 minutes instead of 40 minutes because the MBTA trains stop at every station.

 

[Trogdor]

I'd rather have BNSF dispatchers running the entire line!! They never screw Amtrak to that extent between Fullerton and LAUS!!

Fullerton to Soto (Metrolink dispatches into LAUS) is a triple-track railroad. It's a lot harder to delay a train like that compared to a railroad that is 50% single-track (the line south of Laguna Niguel).

 

[LA Resident]

I'd rather have BNSF dispatchers running the entire line!! They never screw Amtrak to that extent between Fullerton and LAUS!!

Fullerton to Soto (Metrolink dispatches into LAUS) is a triple-track railroad. It's a lot harder to delay a train like that compared to a railroad that is 50% single-track (the line south of Laguna Niguel).

That's true, but for a while about eight years ago, BNSF was doing a pretty good job of it! Things have improved significantly on that section of the route tho a Surfliner can still get held up by heavy freight traffic in and around the mega Hobart freight yard.