Timetable changes in the pipe for California Zephyr

[Edgefan]

I plugged in January 3rd, 2011 for a trip from Mt Pleasant to Chicago on #6. I wanted to see if they shed the high buckets yet. Buckets still high, but the departure from MTP and arrival to CHI were around 45 minutes earlier for both. One way that's good, but the reality is CZ's ontime performance into MTP has averaged two hours later than the 10:34am departure time. Anyone in the know have any insight on this? I cannot believe that just making a timetable change without a plan is going to improve performance. :unsure:

 

[choochoorider]

Yep, it's going to happen. The trains can't get in to chicago on time so they are moving the schedule back to make it look like they are on time. It won't actually mean that you get there sooner.

 

[sactobob]

Yep, it's going to happen. The trains can't get in to chicago on time so they are moving the schedule back to make it look like they are on time. It won't actually mean that you get there sooner.

Not quite right. Effective with the fall timetable change, train 6 will leave Emeryville 40 minutes earlier, will operate 40 minutes earlier for the entire route, and will arrive in Chicago 40 minutes earlier. There will be no change to train 5 in the opposite direction.

 

[Edgefan]

Yep, it's going to happen. The trains can't get in to chicago on time so they are moving the schedule back to make it look like they are on time. It won't actually mean that you get there sooner.

Not quite right. Effective with the fall timetable change, train 6 will leave Emeryville 40 minutes earlier, will operate 40 minutes earlier for the entire route, and will arrive in Chicago 40 minutes earlier. There will be no change to train 5 in the opposite direction.

With a just after nine am departure out of Emeryville, will breakfast be back on the table?

 

[Superliner]

While I can't confirm a schedule change, I will say.. This summer hasn't been kind to #5 or #6 in regards to on-time performance. Mother Nature played a big part delaying/rerouting the Zephyr in the midwest. Iowa in particular with all the rain. Slow orders were in effect with SE Iowa under flood warnings for most of the summer. BNSF dispatching could have played a role, too. I am guessing Amtrak had to pay a pretty good chunk of change to accomodate passengers with missed connections in Chicago, because of a very tardy #6. I was one of those "inconvenienced" passengers who missed my connection in Chicago because #6 was held for a couple of hours West of Ottumwa, IA due to a fallen tree on the tracks and because of several slow orders (crawling at 15-20 mph) throughout Iowa due to soft track beds caused by extensive amounts of rain. With that said, I am going to look at the positive side of an earlier scheduled arrival into Chicago to hopefully prevent some of the many missed connections that happened over the summer of 2010 for passengers of the Zephyr.