Roger
Train Attendant
Returned last night from a week's trip to Maine, taking the Downeaster from Portland, ME to Boston, and then taking another train from Boston to Richmond. It was a LONG day of transit. The NEC train was already behind schedule, maybe 45 minutes or so, when we stopped completely on the tracks south of Fredericksburg, VA due to an engine malfunction. Passengers, me included, were not pleased, exhausted, and already late enough that our Friday night plans were being changed. We eventually got home, the delay wasn't too long, though we feared the worst. Anyway, there were a lot of unhappy passengers.
One thing that annoyed me on this trip was the times we would have to stop and wait for an Acela train to pass. The NEC is treated like second-rate citizens, for sure, in this instance, and when you're already falling behind schedule (a regular thing, I gather), it is a slap in the face to stop for the Acela.
Not the most pleasant of trips to or from, this go around, and as we stood still on the tracks I was just wishing I was on a bus.
I still like Amtrak, and am a Rewards credit card user, but it was a rough go.
Anybody else had bad luck on the Northeast Corridor recently? Is it slipping in regards to making times? I heard SO many complaints on the train from regular users mentioning all sorts of recent problems.
One thing that annoyed me on this trip was the times we would have to stop and wait for an Acela train to pass. The NEC is treated like second-rate citizens, for sure, in this instance, and when you're already falling behind schedule (a regular thing, I gather), it is a slap in the face to stop for the Acela.
Not the most pleasant of trips to or from, this go around, and as we stood still on the tracks I was just wishing I was on a bus.
I still like Amtrak, and am a Rewards credit card user, but it was a rough go.
Anybody else had bad luck on the Northeast Corridor recently? Is it slipping in regards to making times? I heard SO many complaints on the train from regular users mentioning all sorts of recent problems.