Track work: Detour or Thruway Bus?

[Don Newcomb]

Are there any general guidelines (historical precedent?) on when Amtrak will detour a train around track maintenance/damage/etc vs suspending train service and using a Thruway Bus?

 

[zephyr17]

Depends somewhat on when and where it is, but most often they will use a bus. Just had that happen to me in November between Everett and Vancouver in November because of BNSF trackwork. Don't know if there are any official guidelines and as far as historical precedent goes, the railroads tended to detour their passenger trains rather than substitute. But they also didn't usually annul trains because of scheduled trackwork, either.

It is a big deal to detour for Amtrak. They have to negotiate permission, a schedule, arrange (and pay for) a pilot engineer from the host railroad who is qualified on the territory, all that with railroads who are not that crazy about hosting Amtrak in the first place.

They will also just annul the train and refund your money, as they have on the Crescent route and on the Capitol Limited, as I recall. In all these cases, the trackwork is planned well in advance so there is plenty of notice. In the case of damage, they will almost always bustitute.

That is not to say they never detour, they have. In the recent past we've seen the California Zephyr detour over UP's Overland Route because of midwest flooding. Last few times the former SP Coast Line was closed for trackwork, UP allowed a detour over Tehachapi (and another one might be coming up).

 

[MikefromCrete]

It all depends if a detour route is available. With the abandonment of many rail routes since the 1970's, an easy detour is often not possible.

 

[zephyr17]

It all depends if a detour route is available. With the abandonment of many rail routes since the 1970's, an easy detour is often not possible.

And if a route is available, it depends on the willingness of the host railroad to do it and whether Amtrak is willing to pay the additional costs. Chartering buses can be cheaper and you don't need permission to use the Interstate.

Some of Amtrak's decision probably has to do with how their need to position and service the consist can be met, too. Quite a few factors involved, like impact to schedule and crew hours, too. But, as I said, whatever the equation is, it most often results in a bus.

 

[Seaboard92]

I know 90 the palmetto has occasionally rerouted Via Raleigh and Hamlet then the Andrews sub back to Florence. And once it went via Columbia.

The Capitol limited once took the B&O CsX route across Ohio once due to a derailment on NS

 

[Don Newcomb]

I was thinking about the current bus substitution for the Crescent between ATL & NOL. There may be no alternative between New Orleans and Birmingham but there is between Atlanta and Birmingham. I guess that getting to the next major stop, skipping Anniston would be too disruptive.

 

[NativeSon5859]

They could *theoretically* go from NOL to BHM via Mobile and Montgomery on CSX (would take at least 9 hours opposed to the 7 on the NS route). Since there's no alternative NS route (IIRC), it's much easier to just bus to BHM/ATL.

I took the Sunset Limited around 7 years back on a detour between NOL and LCH. No stops made in between. That was rare mileage...UP via Livonia, Opelousas, and Kinder.

 

[bmjhagen9426]

Since I frequently travel on the Coast Starlight, here are some theoretically possible detours on that route.

SEA-KFS: None (too disruptive, no practical alternate routes)

KFS-SAC: via BNSF trackage through Bieber and Keddie (very unlikely, happened once to #11 originating on June 13, 2013)

SAC-OKJ: None (no practical alternate routes)

OKJ-SJC: via the Niles Sub used by the Capitols (occasionally)

OKJ-LAX: via UP trackage through Fresno and Bakersfield, using the Tehachapi Loop (occasionally, happens when the Coast Line is closed for trackwork)

 

[chakk]

About 20 tears ago #6 was rerouted from emeryville to sacramento via Fremont, altamont pass, and Stockton. Left Sacramento about 7 hrs late, but less of a delay than waiting for the derailed freight near Martinez to be cleared.

 

[neroden]

Are there any general guidelines (historical precedent?) on when Amtrak will detour a train around track maintenance/damage/etc vs suspending train service and using a Thruway Bus?

In order to detour, they need an actual detour *route* to be available. This isn't very common.

Some of the detour routes which are used sometimes:

-- Chicago to Twin Cities via BNSF (done during flooding)

-- the more-direct route from Fargo to Minot in North Dakota (done during flooding)

-- Chicago to St Louis via UP's "Villa Grove" route (during construction on the usual route)

-- Salt Lake City to Denver via "Overland" route (during construction on the Moffat Tunnel route)

-- Los Angeles to Sacramento via Tehachapi Pass and the Central Valley (during construction on the coastal route)

-- Chicago to Porter, Indiana via the South Shore Line (when there are derailments on NS)

-- Porter, Indiana to Toledo via the Michigan Line and NS Toledo-Dearborn (when there are derailments on NS)

-- Silver Star via Silver Meteor route (during derailments, construction, weather)

-- LSL via Oak Point Link and Hell Gate Line (during closures of Empire Connection)

-- Empire Service to GCT (during closures of Empire Connection)

The ones mentioned by bmjhagen are also used.

I can't remember any others which have been used in the last decade (though some other posters mentioned some I'd forgotten about).

Boston to NY via Inland Route used to be done in previous years, but hasn't been done in a long time.

 

[Bob Dylan]

During Flooding,trackwork and derailments, the Texas Eagle has been rerouted on the Old SP ( now UP ) line which the Sunset Ltd uses from SAS to HOS, then the Ex-Katy and MoPac Lines to Flatonia,Smithville, Corsicana,Palestine and then into Longview where it rejoins the current Eagle Route to Chicago.

It also has been rerouted on the UP Line (ex MOPAC) from Taylor to Hearne, Palestine, Tyler and then into Longview.

 

[G-man]

I remember seeing the Sunset Limited pass Luling on the UP rails. I'm very jealous.

I haven't found any info posted, but it looks like BNSF has major trackwork underway all through St. Charles Parish. Any news of a similar Sunset rerouting?

They could *theoretically* go from NOL to BHM via Mobile and Montgomery on CSX (would take at least 9 hours opposed to the 7 on the NS route). Since there's no alternative NS route (IIRC), it's much easier to just bus to BHM/ATL.

I took the Sunset Limited around 7 years back on a detour between NOL and LCH. No stops made in between. That was rare mileage...UP via Livonia, Opelousas, and Kinder.

 

[Thirdrail7]

Are there any general guidelines (historical precedent?) on when Amtrak will detour a train around track maintenance/damage/etc vs suspending train service and using a Thruway Bus?

Operationally, it also depends on the disposition of the equipment (is there a place to service/turn the equipment) crew availability, bus availability, how close to the end point is the detour, fueling issues, calendar day inspection issues (particularly for the engines) and most importantly, passenger impact. How does all of the mentioned variables measure against passenger impact? Those are some of the major guidelines.