Late Empire Builder missing Capital Limited Connection

[mikewildfan]

The last couple of weeks there have been multiple times when the Empire Builder was late enough to miss the Capital Limited.

In mid January I will be taking Amtrak St. Paul to Orlando. I am becoming very concerned about missing the connection to the Capital Limited.

Has anyone missed this connection in the last week or so? And if so, how were you re-accommodated?

I am hoping it isn't the old "put you up in a hotel and put you on the next day's Capital Limited? That means I will miss the Silver Meteor I want to be on and not get into Orlando for at least an entire 24 hours later. I have hotel already booked.

Also, My family and I are booked in 3 roomettes and I am worried that the next day's Capital Limited won't have 3 roomettes still available and that the next day's Silver Meteor won't have 3 roomettes still available.

Can anyone ease my concerns?

Thank-you for your time.

 

[valkyrie]

Others can provide greater detail but the short answer is it is possible to miss your connection with the Capitol Limited.

I was on the Texas Eagle last year and missed my connection with the Capitol Limited. In my case I was given a choice between an overnight stay in Chicago or getting off the Texas Eagle short of Chicago and a bus ride to Indianapolis to catch the Cardinal. I took the Cardinal option but that won't be an option for you on the Builder.

Today's Builder is currently 7.5 hours late and I'm guessing that would normally be a problem to connect with the Capitol Limited. But the Capitol Limited into Chicago is also late, currently about 4.5 hours and yesterday's departed Chicago 3.5 hours late so you never know.

The bottom line is you are rightly concerned about missing your connection and should consider your alternatives. Sorry I can't provide greater insight into the details of a missed connection so hopefully someone else can speak up. If you do miss the connection however, I don't see how you will avoid the 24 hour delay getting to Orlando.

 

[TinCan782]

I was on the Texas Eagle last year and missed my connection with the Capitol Limited. In my case I was given a choice between an overnight stay in Chicago or getting off the Texas Eagle short of Chicago and a bus ride to Indianapolis to catch the Cardinal. I took the Cardinal option but that won't be an option for you on the Builder.

And the "Cardinal option" would only be possible three days a week!

 

[PRR 60]

When the eastbound Empire Builder is running hours late, Amtrak has in the past run buses from MSP to Chicago leaving at the scheduled #8/28 departure time. It was a way to accommodate the reasonably significant short haul demand and reduce the number of Chicago misconnects to eastbound trains. I don't know if they still do that.

 

[pennyk]

I have not missed a connection from the Empire Builder to the Capitol Limited (in fact, I made it twice this past year). However, this past summer, I was concerned about missing a connection from the Southwest Chief to the CL (and losing my rooms on 30 and 98). I ended up changing my reservation and spending the night in Chicago to insure that I would have a room all the way to Orlando, but arriving a day late. Because you are going to Florida, booking on the later Lakeshore Limited is not an option.

 

[Lonestar648]

The bus between MSP and CHI is about 6 1/2 hours depending on road conditions which only cuts off 1 1/2 hours.

 

[beenthere]

For What Its Worth:

Many years ago I had sleeper from New Orleans to Seattle and relied on guaranteed connection at Chicago. Missed it. Put up in hotel with taxi and meals. HOWEVER, nothing but coach was offered next day for remainder of trip (2 nights to Seattle). Stranded for additional day on my dime to get a sleeper (my dime also since I declined coach) and no refund for the missed sleeper since I declined the next day coach.

Point: I NEVER go through Chicago without staying overnight and continue the next day. My dime for the hotel, but no heart attack or broken legs trying to make a connection. And no Amtrak whim of the moment.

 

[valkyrie]

You may find the information on this web site to be of value (It provides historical AMTRAK on-time performance data):

https://juckins.net/amtrak_status/archive/html/historychart.php?train_num=8&station=CHI&date_start=12%2F31%2F2016&date_end=01%2F31%2F2017&sort=d_ar&chartsize=2&smooth=0

The good news: if I'm reading their chart correctly, over the last two months it appears the Builder has been late enough to miss the connection with the Capitol Limited only three times.

The bad news: those three times have all been in the last 9 days. Looking back at the Builder's on-time performance for last January (2017), it looks to have missed the connection with the Capitol Limited 17 of the 31 days. January 2016 performance was much better but still missed the connection 5 out of 30 days (data for one day was missing). I'm guessing the winter weather conditions for this most northerly route may have something to do with the on-time performance in January.

I think if I were in your position at this point, I would get to Chicago either a day earlier on the Builder or have a backup plan to get to Chicago by car/bus/airplane in the event the Builder is running late the day of my travel. Any alternatives involving a missed connection all seem very unattractive.

 

[Philly Amtrak Fan]

If you are going anywhere north of WAS then going to the LSL would be an option and then connecting to a NER (it would also work as well to get to WAS as opposed to spending a whole day in WAS but you'd get to WAS really late).

 

[KmH]

It's winter.

Temps along parts of the EB route are well below normal and the extreme cold can wreak havoc with switches and other rail infrastructure, thus delaying the EB more than usual.

 

[user 6862]

That was my question KmH, why is the eastbound EB so late even having only travelled to the Spokane area, it doesn't appear to proportionately lose a lot more time over the rest of the journey to CHI.

 

[Skyline]

On those occasions when I missed a Chicago connection, bustitutions were not offered. A hotel and meal voucher were, but if there were not sleeping accommodations on the most viable train(s) the next day, I had to go coach. I wasn't given an option to wait until I could get a sleeper on a train in another day or two--unless of course I was willing to pay for my own hotel and meals to that point. That's not the most passenger-friendly scenario, but it beats a bustitution.

 

[Tennessee Traveler]

That was my question KmH, why is the eastbound EB so late even having only travelled to the Spokane area, it doesn't appear to proportionately lose a lot more time over the rest of the journey to CHI.

The eastbound EB arriving late into Spokane is usually because the previous day's EB#7 was "hours" late arriving Seattle. Since this is a "turn around" the equipment for that same day's EB#8, that train leaves Seattle several hours late so It does not lose the time traveling Seattle to Spokane but loses the time before ever departing Seattle.

 

[Asher]

Its a crapshoot. I've missed the Cap. from the Zepher going to DC and was lucky enough to make the LSL with a roomette to NYP, and on to DC on the Vermonter in time to make a hotel reservation. But having to worry about the roomette and the hotel will wear on you.good luck!

 

[west point]

If any of you have the time try this. Book a day's layover in CHI. If you are going to arrive CHI in time to make same day's connections change your reservation if possible to that day's train. Can do the same at WASH . Be sure to get a fully refundable hotel reservation.

If you arrive at destination early usually no problem to get in hotel earlier.