Southwest Chief discussion Q4 2023 - 2024

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New derailment of freight near Dodge. Amtrak again continues its down grade of the SW Chief by returning passengers back to origin. Another way to implement Anderson's bus??? Certainly will cause some potential riders to not book SW Chief.

From Dixieland

05/15/24 1:28am EDT
_ Train Obstruction Update/Service Cancelation: Due to a lengthy
_ delay resulting from a freight train derailment at Dodge
_ City (DDG) Southwest Chief Train 4 which departed Los Angeles
_ (LAX) on 5/13 will terminate in La Junta (LAJ) with passengers
_ being taken back to their origin points. We apologize for
_ the inconvenience. detailedMessage: Train Obstruction Update/Service
_ Cancelation: Due to a lengthy delay resulting from a freight
_ train derailment at Dodge City (DDG) Southwest Chief Train
_ 4 which departed Los Angeles (LAX) on 5/13 will terminate
_ in La Junta (LAJ) with passengers being taken back to their
_ origin points. We apologize for the inconvenience.
 
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The trains are being turned at La Junta and Kansas City, which is why the tracker is showing #3 on time again - it's actually the #4 that turned at La Junta.

No alternative transportation is being provided so passengers can either ride back to their origin or find their own way.
 
New derailment of freight near Dodge. Amtrak again continues its down grade of the SW Chief by returning passengers back to origin. Another way to implement Anderson's bus??? Certainly will cause some potential riders to not book SW Chief.

From Dixieland

05/15/24 1:28am EDT
_ Train Obstruction Update/Service Cancelation: Due to a lengthy
_ delay resulting from a freight train derailment at Dodge
_ City (DDG) Southwest Chief Train 4 which departed Los Angeles
_ (LAX) on 5/13 will terminate in La Junta (LAJ) with passengers
_ being taken back to their origin points. We apologize for
_ the inconvenience. detailedMessage: Train Obstruction Update/Service
_ Cancelation: Due to a lengthy delay resulting from a freight
_ train derailment at Dodge City (DDG) Southwest Chief Train
_ 4 which departed Los Angeles (LAX) on 5/13 will terminate
_ in La Junta (LAJ) with passengers being taken back to their
_ origin points. We apologize for the inconvenience.
While one would hesitate to suggest that Amtrak would engage in deliberate mendacity, the train status page shows SWC No. 3 departing from Chicago today (May 15) as scheduled and continuing through to Los Angeles with no service disruptions. (I must assume that the derailment in Dodge City has been cleared and the tracks are now open again.)
 
New derailment of freight near Dodge. Amtrak again continues its down grade of the SW Chief by returning passengers back to origin. Another way to implement Anderson's bus??? Certainly will cause some potential riders to not book SW Chief.

From Dixieland

05/15/24 1:28am EDT
_ Train Obstruction Update/Service Cancelation: Due to a lengthy
_ delay resulting from a freight train derailment at Dodge
_ City (DDG) Southwest Chief Train 4 which departed Los Angeles
_ (LAX) on 5/13 will terminate in La Junta (LAJ) with passengers
_ being taken back to their origin points. We apologize for
_ the inconvenience. detailedMessage: Train Obstruction Update/Service
_ Cancelation: Due to a lengthy delay resulting from a freight
_ train derailment at Dodge City (DDG) Southwest Chief Train
_ 4 which departed Los Angeles (LAX) on 5/13 will terminate
_ in La Junta (LAJ) with passengers being taken back to their
_ origin points. We apologize for the inconvenience.
It is frustrating to all, but if the tracks are blocked I don't think Amtrak has a lot of options. Do you think they should do something else in this case?
 
Leave the trains where they are, then couple to the rear of the following day's train and proceed.
probably if trains were left in KC and ABQ then potable water and lavs could be serviced

EDIT: After further consideration have concluded that this was not a good idea. See post 86 below for one solution,
 
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Leave the trains where they are, then couple to the rear of the following day's train and proceed.
Another advantage to this idea is that those people with bedroom or roomette reservations could continue to have them once their train was coupled onto the rear of the following day's train. (Amtrak would probably have to put them up in a hotel and feed them until the next day's train arrived.) Also, there would be two train sets arriving in LA and Chicago rather than just one.
 
That would result in cancellation of the following day's train due to lack of equipment.

Impact is exactly the same. A pair of trains were cancelled, and it took overnight to send each train back to where it came from, passengers in those trains had their trips ruined with no accomodations on subsequent trains to the extent they were booked.
 
The real problem was the unknown of how long I-40 was going to be closed as well as the BNSF RR.
"IF" the Sunset was daily passengers could have been bused from ABQ to the Sunset to continue their journey west as the spare coach at SAS if available added to Sunset. Also, if enough additional equipment was available to take the extra passengers. This is just another reason IMO for Amtrak to get some surge fleet cars to handle condition that will occur. Passengers at KC could have been bused to the CZ again if extra cars had been available.
 
It is frustrating to all, but if the tracks are blocked I don't think Amtrak has a lot of options. Do you think they should do something else in this case?
Amtrak left my son and I stranded in Jefferson City MO last week waiting on a thru bus to Kansas City that never came. No notice from Amtrak it wasn't coming. As we watched the first bus pull away to Kansas City and we're sternly instructed by the Amtrak employee posted there to wait on the second bus when I tried to speak to the bus driver. He might hace known the second bus wasn't coming for us. We were the only ppl waiting on the second bus. We've learned to wait on Amtrak, so we did. It grew dark, we're outside by the river where the tracks are in a strange city. waiting room locked up.10 pm Mothers Day.. My son calls Amtrak. "So sorry but no bus coming. So so sorry you're in a strange city, shelterless and hungry. here's a voucher for a free trip in the future." As if. No Immeduate compensation offered except a ticket for the next day, same place same time, 5:30 pm. Our kids that dropped us off are 3 hrs away at home. We're seeking reimbursement for our hotel and expenses. Shudder the thought I was traveling alone on our 17 hour trip as I had planned for the future.
 
Amtrak left my son and I stranded in Jefferson City MO last week waiting on a thru bus to Kansas City that never came. No notice from Amtrak it wasn't coming. As we watched the first bus pull away to Kansas City and we're sternly instructed by the Amtrak employee posted there to wait on the second bus when I tried to speak to the bus driver. He might hace known the second bus wasn't coming for us. We were the only ppl waiting on the second bus. We've learned to wait on Amtrak, so we did. It grew dark, we're outside by the river where the tracks are in a strange city. waiting room locked up.10 pm Mothers Day.. My son calls Amtrak. "So sorry but no bus coming. So so sorry you're in a strange city, shelterless and hungry. here's a voucher for a free trip in the future." As if. No Immeduate compensation offered except a ticket for the next day, same place same time, 5:30 pm. Our kids that dropped us off are 3 hrs away at home. We're seeking reimbursement for our hotel and expenses. Shudder the thought I was traveling alone on our 17 hour trip as I had planned for the future.
Be sure to call Amtrak Customer Relations and give them the full details of this deplorable event. Be sure to mention that it was an Amtrak employee who told you to wait for the second bus which never arrived (and maybe never was supposed to.) Calling is always a better option than sending an e-mail or even writing. You might just help to insure that something like this doesn't happen to someone else.
 
Be sure to call Amtrak Customer Relations and give them the full details of this deplorable event. Be sure to mention that it was an Amtrak employee who told you to wait for the second bus which never arrived (and maybe never was supposed to.) Calling is always a better option than sending an e-mail or even writing. You might just help to insure that something like this doesn't happen to someone else.
To build on Eric's good advice, to contact Customer Relations by phone:
1. Call an Amtrak Customer Service line (800-USA-RAIL, or the AGR line) when Customer Relations is staffed, between 8 am and 8 pm ET weekdays (but start well before 8 pm, you are going to wait in some phone queues)
2. Request a live agent. You will probably have to wait for an agent.
3. When the agent answers, ask to be transferred to "Customer Relations" (not "Customer Service"). Regular Customer Service Agents sometimes will try to head you off, if so, insist on talking to Customer Relations. They'll ultimately do it.
4. Be prepared to wait in another phone queue.
5. When you get Customer Relations, be prepared to describe the issue succinctly and without getting emotional. Prepared notes may help in staying on point.

To set expectations, they generally will not, perhaps by corporate policy can not, offer cash reimbursements. It cannot hurt to politely ask, though. A travel voucher will be the usual compensation, but they can be quite generous with those.

Finally, if traveling on weekdays during Customer Relations hours and a bad incident happens, you can call them in real time. I did that once and they helped ameliorate the situation as it was happening. In fairness, that did not involve getting left by a bus, though.
 
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To build on Eric's good advice, to contact Customer Relations by phone:
1. Call an Amtrak Customer Service line (800-USA-RAIL, or the AGR line) when Customer Relations is staffed, between 8 am and 8 pm ET weekdays (but start well before 8 pm, you are going to wait in some phone queues)
2. Request a live agent. You will probably have to wait for an agent.
3. When the agent answers, ask to be transferred to "Customer Relations" (not "Customer Service"). Regular Customer Service Agents sometimes will try to head you off, if so, insist on talking to Customer Relations. They'll ultimately do it.
4. Be prepared to wait in another phone queue.
5. When you get Customer Relations, be prepared to describe the issue succinctly and without getting emotional. Prepared notes may help in staying on point.

To set expectations, they generally will not, perhaps by corporate policy can not, offer cash reimbursements. It cannot hurt to politely ask, though. A travel voucher will be the usual compensation, but they can be quite generous with those.

Finally, if traveling on weekdays during Customer Relations hours and a bad incident happens, you can call them in real time. I did that once and they helped ameliorate the situation as it was happening. In fairness, that did not involve getting left by a bus, though.

We've done exactly what you have advised. And to reimburse me with more travel is ironic as now I'm reevaluating any further long distance travel plans with Amtrak I'm 70 years old, quit driving, and was looking forward to still being able to travel especially as I live just blocks from a train station. My son lives 2 hours, next stop south from me by Amtrak train. That much I will still do as my son can help me if I stay closer to home. And isn't that just sad.
 
We've done exactly what you have advised. And to reimburse me with more travel is ironic as now I'm reevaluating any further long distance travel plans with Amtrak I'm 70 years old, quit driving, and was looking forward to still being able to travel especially as I live just blocks from a train station. My son lives 2 hours, next stop south from me by Amtrak train. That much I will still do as my son can help me if I stay closer to home. And isn't that just sad.
That really is sad. I don't know if you can sell the travel voucher they will most likely give you as compensation, or turn it in for cash, but you should be able to use it for multiple short trips to and from your son's city. Shorted trips are less likely to experience problems, and if they do, you will most likely be close to home or to your son's house.
 
Amtrak left my son and I stranded in Jefferson City MO last week waiting on a thru bus to Kansas City that never came. No notice from Amtrak it wasn't coming. As we watched the first bus pull away to Kansas City and we're sternly instructed by the Amtrak employee posted there to wait on the second bus when I tried to speak to the bus driver. He might hace known the second bus wasn't coming for us. We were the only ppl waiting on the second bus. We've learned to wait on Amtrak, so we did. It grew dark, we're outside by the river where the tracks are in a strange city. waiting room locked up.10 pm Mothers Day.. My son calls Amtrak. "So sorry but no bus coming. So so sorry you're in a strange city, shelterless and hungry. here's a voucher for a free trip in the future." As if. No Immeduate compensation offered except a ticket for the next day, same place same time, 5:30 pm. Our kids that dropped us off are 3 hrs away at home. We're seeking reimbursement for our hotel and expenses. Shudder the thought I was traveling alone on our 17 hour trip as I had planned for the future.
It is distressing to read about the problems that occurred on your trip and the fact that Amtrak let you down. If Amtrak was a legitimate business entity, you would be receiving a call from someone in senior management and an investigation would be undertaken to find out just what went wrong and who was responsible and you would eventually be receiving a report of that investigation.
 
It is distressing to read about the problems that occurred on your trip and the fact that Amtrak let you down. If Amtrak was a legitimate business entity, you would be receiving a call from someone in senior management and an investigation would be undertaken to find out just what went wrong and who was responsible and you would eventually be receiving a report of that investigation.
We spoke personally to Customer Service that same night as we waited for Uber, she kindly replaced our ticket and issued me a voucher for future travel. In our hotel lobby the next day as we waited on the next train my son sent a respectful, detailed email to Amtrak. We supplied them with all lodging receipts and expenses we had until the next train came that evening. We're waiting on a response that will determine future travel with Amtrak. No response from them as of today.
 
We spoke personally to Customer Service that same night as we waited for Uber, she kindly replaced our ticket and issued me a voucher for future travel. In our hotel lobby the next day as we waited on the next train my son sent a respectful, detailed email to Amtrak. We supplied them with all lodging receipts and expenses we had until the next train came that evening. We're waiting on a response that will determine future travel with Amtrak. No response from them as of today.
Emailing Amtrak is like emailing a black hole. If you want something more, call them again and contact Customer Relations, per the procedure I described above. Customer Service and Customer Relations at Amtrak are two different departments, Customer Service being what they call their ordinary, front line agents handling routine matters such as reservations. They are empowered to do relatively little. Customer Relations handles incidents such as yours, when you insist on it, and they're empowered to do more. You need to be in contact with Customer Relations.

You will wait literally months for a response to an email and there is fairly good likelihood you'll never get one at all. I repeat, call Customer Relations if you want anything further done.
 
Emailing Amtrak is like emailing a black hole. If you want something more, call them again and contact Customer Relations, per the procedure I described above. Customer Service and Customer Relations at Amtrak are two different departments, Customer Service being what they call their ordinary, front line agents handling routine matters such as reservations. They are empowered to do relatively little. Customer Relations handles incidents such as yours, when you insist on it, and they're empowered to do more. You need to be in contact with Customer Relations.

You will wait literally months for a response to an email and there is fairly good likelihood you'll never get one at all. I repeat, call Customer Relations if you want anything further done.
I once experienced an Amtrak meltdown, and I wrote a snail-mail letter (on paper! with my signature handwritten in ink!) to Joseph Boardman (the Amtrak CEO at the time) with copies of my ticket stubs and asked for some restitution. I also included copies of a large number of ticket stubs for trips in which I hadn't given them my AGR number when I bought the ticket. It took a while, but not only did I get a nice voucher for my delayed trip, they credited all the other trips to my AGR account, and said I was Select Plus! That's when I realized I could get Select Plus on the basis of a large number of short, inexpensive rides.
 
I once experienced an Amtrak meltdown, and I wrote a snail-mail letter (on paper! with my signature handwritten in ink!) to Joseph Boardman (the Amtrak CEO at the time) with copies of my ticket stubs and asked for some restitution. I also included copies of a large number of ticket stubs for trips in which I hadn't given them my AGR number when I bought the ticket. It took a while, but not only did I get a nice voucher for my delayed trip, they credited all the other trips to my AGR account, and said I was Select Plus! That's when I realized I could get Select Plus on the basis of a large number of short, inexpensive rides.
Very good advice. However vouchers don't pay my rent for this month. I'm out the money I spent for a hotel room and other expenses that were not factored into my fixed-income budget. I'm at home playing catch-up financially due to Amtrak's negligence, and speaking loudly of this fiasco to my senior friends who were curious to know what a cross-country trip on Amtrak would be like. They're not impressed with Amtrak's lack of immediate response to me after leaving me in a strange city at night. Perhaps Amtrak is not worried about one lone traveler when they're the only passenger train going cross-country and where I came from there's plenty more seniors wiling to take their chances with Amtrak bc that's their only mode of travel as they age. Just ike me. I'm an example of the senior traveler who quits driving and still wants to travel. I'm beyond disappointed and rethinking future solo travel with Amtrak, as I wisely should.
 
Amtrak left my son and I stranded in Jefferson City MO last week waiting on a thru bus to Kansas City that never came. As we watched the first bus pull away to Kansas City and we're sternly instructed by the Amtrak employee posted there to wait on the second bus when I tried to speak to the bus driver. He might have known the second bus wasn't coming for us.
Well, that's a raw deal. You have my sympathies. FWIW, I believe there are no Amtrak employees at the Jeff City station. Sounds like maybe you got bad info from a volunteer who was staffing the station?
 
Very good advice. However vouchers don't pay my rent for this month. I'm out the money I spent for a hotel room and other expenses that were not factored into my fixed-income budget. I'm at home playing catch-up financially due to Amtrak's negligence, and speaking loudly of this fiasco to my senior friends who were curious to know what a cross-country trip on Amtrak would be like. They're not impressed with Amtrak's lack of immediate response to me after leaving me in a strange city at night. Perhaps Amtrak is not worried about one lone traveler when they're the only passenger train going cross-country and where I came from there's plenty more seniors wiling to take their chances with Amtrak bc that's their only mode of travel as they age. Just ike me. I'm an example of the senior traveler who quits driving and still wants to travel. I'm beyond disappointed and rethinking future solo travel with Amtrak, as I wisely should.
Well, I cannot fault that reaction to your experience. I am sure I would feel similarly.

However, I would like to find out some more details on your situation, to help flesh it out and perhaps find things that you or others could do in the future to avoid getting as completely stuck as you did.

Did you originally have a ticket for a train rather than a bus? Were you notified in advance that they were substituting a bus? Were you notified in advance of a service disruption causing them to substitute a bus? Amtrak doesn't appear to offer scheduled Amtrak Thruway bus service between Jefferson City and Kansas City, there are two Amtrak trains a day and no scheduled buses. That makes me think that it was a one time "bustitution" charter. Communications between multiple companies in those situations can get crossed up. In the airline world, that would have been an IRROPS, irregular operations, situation. As anyone who has ever been caught up in IRROPS knows, that is never a good thing.

Do you recall if the "Amtrak employee" you spoke to at Jefferson City that told you to wait for a second bus was in Amtrak uniform and wore an Amtrak ID on a lanyard? Amtrak employees are required to be in uniform when on duty. Did they get off the bus and were directing people, or did they come out of the station? I ask because Jefferson City is an unstaffed station so normally no Amtrak staff is posted there. If that person was at the station, I strongly suspect that person was a station "caretaker". Those are never Amtrak employees and are often volunteers or employed by the local cities to unlock and lock up the station. Caretakers usually do not have much information beyond train times and delays, and cannot speak for Amtrak. If a caretaker was directing you not to board a bus or preventing you from speaking with the driver, they were exceeding their authority (which is precisely zero) and perhaps suffering some kind of "little tin god" complex.

I think you were correct in thinking you should have at least spoken with the driver, who at least would have been employed by the chartered bus company and stood the best chance of actually knowing. The fact that a person that was likely just a station caretaker actively stopped you from talking to the bus driver to get accurate information I find reprehensible.

It sounds like the perfect storm, a service interruption, a one-off bustitution, and a possible caretaker overstepping both his knowledge and authority.

I know for myself, and a lot of us here, when we get into a service interruption situation, it is time to get very proactive in self-defense. Amtrak is inconsistent and internal communications are not the best even on good days.

You obeyed the instructions you were given by people whom you thought knew what was going on and represented Amtrak. You had no way of knowing at the time they didn't know and probably didn't represent Amtrak. But your experience can be a lesson to others in how much they need to act proactively in the moment and ensure that they are being given the best possible information. In your case, that you were being instructed by someone who likely was a non-Amtrak caretaker and might have known little, if anything, more than you did. Also, if you were traveling on a weekday, the departures from Jefferson City take place during the hours Customer Relations is staffed and you could have gotten them on the case in real time. That might have resulted in a better outcome than vouchers (might have authorized a very expensive taxi/Uber to KC. Stranger things have happened).

Even though your troubles likely were not at the hands of Amtrak staff, they sold you the ticket and ultimately were responsible. Unfortunately, even if you continue to follow up with Customer Relations, I still don't think it will result in more than an offer of more value in vouchers now.

Amtrak travel can be relaxing and enjoyable, but sometimes it can become an unholy mess. Many of us here are frequent riders and have gotten caught in some messes. I know I have, though never as bad as yours was.
 
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This morning (6-13-24) we received an automated phone message and an e-mail from Amtrak regarding changes to the departure and arrival times of our Southwest Chief trains Nos. 3 and 4. (We’ll be traveling in September after Labor Day.)

No. 4 will now be departing from LAX at 5:22 p.m. (33 minutes earlier) and arriving in CHI at 2:42 p.m. (8 minutes earlier.)

No. 3 will now be departing from CHI at 2:25 p.m. (25 minutes earlier) and arriving in LAX at 7:57 a.m. (3 minutes earlier).

So far, we’ve not been sent a new e-ticket with these revised departure and arrival times. (If we don’t receive one within the next few days, we’ll call and request one.)

Eric & Pat
 
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