What's the ontime performance of Empire Builder?

[AC4400]

I'm going to take a westbound Empire Builder during Christmas.

I'm wondering what the ontime performance is for this train in winter.

 

[zepherdude]

I am still working on the original question, but currently Train #7 from CHI to SEA for the last 4 weeks has an average delay of 11 minutes

Train # 8 to CHI from SEA has for the last 4 weeks has a delay average of 106 minutes

I am still trying to find last years DEC numbers for you

On Dec 23, 2008, Amtrak and weather stranded hundreds of passengers for 24 hours/600 passengers on the Late Shore Limited and the Empire Builder due to Weather delays and cold. Wanna make your toes curl, read those passenger comments. "Amtrak ruined our Christmas"! "I am Furious with Amtrak!" Being an almost EX air traveler, at the Holidays, especially Christmas, one takes ones chances on the weather and mass transportation either by air or train or bus or car. I send a picture of me to put on the chair at dinner time, I do not go anymore.

I could not find last year, someone on here will know, good luck.

 

[zepherdude]

I am still working on the original question, but currently Train #7 from CHI to SEA for the last 4 weeks has an average delay of 11 minutes

Train # 8 to CHI from SEA has for the last 4 weeks has a delay average of 106 minutes

I am still trying to find last years DEC numbers for you

On Dec 23, 2008, Amtrak and weather stranded hundreds of passengers for 24 hours/600 passengers on the Late Shore Limited and the Empire Builder due to Weather delays and cold. Wanna make your toes curl, read those passenger comments. "Amtrak ruined our Christmas"! "I am Furious with Amtrak!" Being an almost EX air traveler, at the Holidays, especially Christmas, one takes ones chances on the weather and mass transportation either by air or train or bus or car. I send a picture of me to put on the chair at dinner time, I do not go anymore.

I could not find last year, someone on here will know, good luck.

As I read more articles, phrases like Multiple Delays and Heavy Snow in CHI and NYP, I saw one Empire Builder on 12/22/2009 3 hour delay. Just Google "Dec 2009 Amtrak delays" and enjoy the reading.

 

[AC4400]

I am still working on the original question, but currently Train #7 from CHI to SEA for the last 4 weeks has an average delay of 11 minutes

Train # 8 to CHI from SEA has for the last 4 weeks has a delay average of 106 minutes

I am still trying to find last years DEC numbers for you

On Dec 23, 2008, Amtrak and weather stranded hundreds of passengers for 24 hours/600 passengers on the Late Shore Limited and the Empire Builder due to Weather delays and cold. Wanna make your toes curl, read those passenger comments. "Amtrak ruined our Christmas"! "I am Furious with Amtrak!" Being an almost EX air traveler, at the Holidays, especially Christmas, one takes ones chances on the weather and mass transportation either by air or train or bus or car. I send a picture of me to put on the chair at dinner time, I do not go anymore.

I could not find last year, someone on here will know, good luck.

Well thanks!

I checked the Amtrak's ontime performance report for Empire Builder. It says the westbound train is 83% for the last 12 months or 73% last month, but eastbound train is much worse, with only 53% for the last 12 months or merely 29% last month. Fortunately I'm traveling westbound...

 

[Ispolkom]

Since the westbound #7 is turned around and becomes the eastbound #8, any significant delay of #7 will force #8 to start late.

I'd plan on significant delays, given the time of year. Nevertheless, the Empire Builder is still the safest and most reliable mode of winter transportation on the Hi Line. Even last month I encountered passengers who had to take it from St. Paul to Minot because the Minot Airport was closed by a blizzard.

EDIT: If it gets cold, you might be really out of luck. Last winter the P42 locomotive brake systems froze up several times when the temperature got below -25 F., which really isn't that cold for Montana or North Dakota. Train delays were as much as 16-18 hours. But, again, that was usually eastbound.

 

[AC4400]

Since the westbound #7 is turned around and becomes the eastbound #8, any significant delay of #7 will force #8 to start late.

I'd plan on significant delays, given the time of year. Nevertheless, the Empire Builder is still the safest and most reliable mode of winter transportation on the Hi Line. Even last month I encountered passengers who had to take it from St. Paul to Minot because the Minot Airport was closed by a blizzard.

EDIT: If it gets cold, you might be really out of luck. Last winter the P42 locomotive brake systems froze up several times when the temperature got below -25 F., which really isn't that cold for Montana or North Dakota. Train delays were as much as 16-18 hours. But, again, that was usually eastbound.

Someone told me that 6-12 hours' delay is pretty common for eastbound builders.

I also googled out that the average delay for westbound is 72min in stormy January and it is possible to get Seattle several minutes earlier, but eastbound is 113min. Arriving on time for eastbound trains is almost impossible.

On Amtrak's performance report PDF, I found the following numbers for Empire Builder on December 2009:

Ontime percentage: 58.9% (16.5% increase compared with December 2008)

Total minutes delayed: 23,548 (2.5hours/route)

Does the weather or the BNSF scheduling have more influence for the delay?

 

[Ispolkom]

Does the weather or the BNSF scheduling have more influence for the delay?

I'd vote weather, and the occasional grade-crossing incident. BNSF is the least anti-Amtrak of the major railroads, and generally works hard to keep the Empire Builder moving. In any case, average delays of 1-2 hours for a 2-day trip seem pretty good to me.

 

[Myron]

Common sense is needed for a winter Amtrak trip on the Hi Line. Also, why get mad at Amtrak for weather related delays? Amtrak can't control the weather. I personally prefer late fall when the weather is still fairly good and Amtrak fares are lower. Myron. Ohio.

 

[AferVentus]

On the westbound one right now - out of msp was slow and sat at scd for an hour. At essex had a passenger medical emergency and passenger was taken off at east glacier. We will be getting off at wfh- only about a half hour delay. Not bad if you ask me. We were even 20 min early to some stations.

 

[Rail Freak]

On the westbound one right now - out of msp was slow and sat at scd for an hour. At essex had a passenger medical emergency and passenger was taken off at east glacier. We will be getting off at wfh- only about a half hour delay. Not bad if you ask me. We were even 20 min early to some stations.

Is your current train very crowded?

Thanx

 

[PennCentralFan]

Eastbound has had a lot of problems lately. I'd say Nov. and Dec have been horrible for Eastbound EB. On the Wed before Thanksgiving we were bused from msp to Chicago and on the 21st we were 3.25 hours late into chicago. Left MSP about two hours late. I have to take the wolverine at 6:00pm so lateness on eastbound concerns me more, but something is happening on the Eastbound. I refuse to believe that it's weather, bad luck, mechanical, etc. Something is systematically wrong.

 

[AferVentus]

On the westbound one right now - out of msp was slow and sat at scd for an hour. At essex had a passenger medical emergency and passenger was taken off at east glacier. We will be getting off at wfh- only about a half hour delay. Not bad if you ask me. We were even 20 min early to some stations.

Is your current train very crowded?

Thanx

We spent quite a deal of time in our sleeper (2730), so being at the back of the train was not a good judgement - however, there were a couple empty roommettes. The coach cars looked a bit more busy than I've seen in the past. The lounge wasn't too bad - some people began puzzles/games and came back 2 hrs later to continue - a bit aggravating considering the lounge was nearly full the entire time.

The diner was fuller than I've seen as well - breakfast went well past 9 am with waitlisting going on.

Overall, not packed, but definitely "busy."