Remember when people flocked to passenger trains in bad weather because trains were more reliable even with 25 year old steam heated equipment? Download the Mobile App Cue the inevitable comments about weatherproof railroads of the past. So SW and Amtrak both have big equipment problems. Other trains leaving Chicago on Christmas night suffered significant departure delays, including: The eastbound Blue Water to Port Huron, Mich., delayed over 7 hours to 11:09 p.m. The southbound City of New Orleans, delayed more that 3 hours to 11:42 p.m. Southbound Lincoln Service train #307, delayed almost 5 hours to 12:08 a.m. Monday trains that were canceled on Sunday, after previously being scheduled to operate, included two trains to St. Louis, Nos. The cancellations, which extend through late March, were announced on Jan. 14. Join Today! Phone: Refunds may be processed by calling 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245). Without incentives and encouragement by the governments of Canada and the United States to operate passenger trains, the railways found maintaining infrastructure to stay competitive was a herculean task and uneconomical. They sure dont make railroaders and executives like they used to when railroaders and the railroads bravely challenged and ran their trains against the ravages of winter and snow and blizzards to provide service to their customers and people needing to get home for the holidays and visits with family and friends What a shame indeed Passenger trains: the dependable, all-weather alternative. Get great snapshots of railroading history in Art Petersons newest book. Tove Danovich got into Union Station around midnight Wednesday, nearly three hours later than scheduled. Unless Amtrak and the host railroad collectively can come up with a credible contingency plan for being able to rescue a trainfull of passengers from the middle of nowhere in the middle of a prolonged blizzard, in today's, litigious society the tendency would be to opt towards caution leading to cancellation rather than trying a hail Mary and hope for the best. This story has been shared 174,787 times. But if I didnt wait for it last night it would be sent on to Miami as soon as space was available. but that is looking at the models and knowing nothing about weather. In both cases the airline got me to my destination. Quick answer: Yes, AmTrak and any other train will run in the snow, or when it is snowing & their delays can differ immensly. Surely, Amtrak would apologize and refund him when he returned. I just feel it wouldve been so easy for them to communicate things to us.. Updated at 7:15 a.m. CDT on Thursday, Feb. 23, with status of the eastbound Chief that departed L.A. on Feb. 21. Read: Start revving up: Here's when TRON Lightcycle / Run opens at Magic Kingdom. As usual, Mr. Singer, you are right on the money with your biting comments. Two unions ratified agreements and three others are holding out at the bargaining table ahead of Friday when union members are legally allowed to strike per federal guidelines. However the time one saves by flying is lost when getting from the airport to their final destination. There are many ways to get an Amtrak train ticket. Travel with Amtrak to 867 cities with tickets starting at $0.50. Its not about the employees. Please enter a valid station, city, or address. No matter how bad the weather, trains were on the job Yes with some delays- but on the job. Chicago mechanical does not have a glowing reputation amongst the troops. Note that Amtrak Vacations has its own separate cancellation policy, which is to only provide vouchers good for two years, which can be transferred to family or friends if you can't use them. I would bet the mechanical issues were more human than mechanical. While Amtrak workers are not involved in the ongoing labor dispute, over 21,000 of track miles outside of the northeast corridor Boston to Washington D.C. are owned and maintained by freight companies. No Uber or Lyft cars were available, as far as she could tell, so she texted her husband to come get her. Traffic congealed by disabled freight trains or temporarily closed by severe weather play havoc with an operation in which operating personnel are stationed at far-flung bases. Did that, and there's been no response save for a form email that claims they respond to queries seven days a week. I was later told that my cancellation had nothing to do with the weather. Ensure a safe, slow approach from others with this railroad-themed logo mask! Mr. Landey, Congress has the power to block the strike, as it has done in past national rail-labor disputes, but its not clear whether they would act in this instance ahead of midterm elections. The cancellations beginning Tuesday impact three routes that run between Chicago and the West Coast along Amtrak's Southwest Chief, California . But as long as the shareholders receive bigger dividends who cares about the customers theyll come back they have no alternatives & if they dont theres plenty more rubes to be had! Everything was straightend out in about two minutes. Alternatively, you may use. For the four years ended September 30, 2022, the long-distance trains had operating losses of more than $2 billion. She settled into her seat after a day at a booksellers conference in Seattle, expecting her husband would pick her up at the train station around 9:45 p.m. And while she says she understands nobodys at fault for the inclement weather that caused delays and cancellations across transit systems, she does feel like Amtrak could have done a better job preparing for the storm or, at the very least, communicating with its passengers. Click here to learn about the Unlimited Membership. 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Amtrak cancels Empire Builder, thins Midwest departures in advance of winter storm. Here are the Midwest cancellations to and from Chicago for Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, Dec. 22, 24, and 25. When stuff happens the entire show shuts down. The deadly storm that dumped more than 50 inches of snow on Buffalo, N.Y., and disrupted VIA Rail Canada service in eastern Ontario after a Canadian National derailment [see VIA Rail Canada again cancels corridor service, News Wire, Dec. 26, 2022] still has Amtrak service shut down through the area. 14h Palmetto Train 89, which departed New York (NYP) on 3/1, is currently operating approx. As a college student in the very early 1960s I rode the PRR both into and out of Chicago in blizzard conditions. The problem, no planning/coordination on the part of Amtrak Ops and the host railroadsits that simple. Called AGR right away and 1 minute hold. I cant remember when I seen a Greyhound Bus traveling along the highway. Oh, and a lack of spare equipment at end points to make up entirely new trains in the advent of excessive delay time. The trains to be canceled on Thursday are the Auto Train (Washington to. Get updates and special offers via email from Trains.com brands! Ensure a safe, slow approach from others with this railroad-themed logo mask! White House announces 'tentative' deal to avert rail strike How can a train that left Los Angeles be a westbound? The Maple Leaf and a pair of Empire Service round-trips are only operating New York-Syracuse, N.Y., through today (Tuesday, Dec. 27). Why Sign In? Get the newest photos, videos, stories, and more from Trains.com brands. Earlier this year, I was stuck at Denver because a United plane was taken out of service in Houston for mechanical reasons. Sleeping Accommodations 101: Roomette vs. Amtrak has also canceled some service from Grand Rapids to Chicago, nixing service on its Pere Marquette 370 train, for Dec. 22-24, and from Chicago to Grand Rapids on the Pere Marquette 371 from Dec. 23-25. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. I'm in a time zone 9-12 hours ahead of the US and don't want to make an expensive international call to try to get in touch with a live human because I probably will just be on hold for hours on end. Ive met many really nice SWA employees, whether flight deck, cabin, check-in or gate. There was a hearing led by two Republican Senators a while back that grilled Gardner and Coscia about those bonuses. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. The difference is until very very recently Amtrak felt a responsibilty to get people where they are going once they bought a ticket even if they got there late. Senators. A 25 % fee is charged between 120 and 15 days. News & Reviews News Wire Amtrak cancellations, long departure delays continue, Not just weather cited in some cases; Western New York disruptions ongoing. Empire Builder cancellations, which began Dec. 21 from both Chicago and Seattle/Portland, Ore., were extended on Christmas Day to Monday, Dec. 26 as a result of manpower issues, according to the Amtrak Alerts Twitter feed and the Service Alerts section of the company website. Why it matters: It's the latest disruption stemming from the looming labor strike that could start as soon as Friday, which would lead to a shutdown of most of the country's railway system. Why Sign In? As stated above, they appear to be being proactive due to another bad storm and sub-zero temps. The carrier. The train, along with numerous other stops along the way, makes stops in Detroit, Ann Arbor, Jackson and Kalamazoo. If I had the time the way to get between the 2 cities would be Chief or Eaglette and Starlight. Click here to learn about the Unlimited Membership. I would suggest contacting Amtrak and getting clarification. You can get the cheapest train tickets for this route for as low as $27 (24 . The lack of an action plan to care for Auto Trains marooned passengers during the long delay it took to position a qualified and rested crew prompted a Jan. 18 letter to Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner from four U.S. Amtrak announced the cancellation of three long-distance, nationwide routes that rely on freight lines beginning on Tuesday, citing a potential strike from railroad workers by the end of this week. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. I never did get a message telling me that the flight was cancelled.]. As far as Amtrak and Chicago. Chicago-Pontiac, Mich.: Train 352 (2:15 p.m. from Chicago); 353 (8:50 a.m. from Pontiac). But recurring tardiness on several routes, coupled with reduced equipment availability triggering sellouts and high fares, has posed ongoing issues for the reliability and relevance of the national network. After all you wouldnt send troops into battle without the proper weapons and tools and have a well planned out strategy and offensive to win the battle. I was dealing with an agent and getting no where on a refund, this was regarding the time it takes to get a refund. . CN reaches paid sick time agreements with four unions in U.S. 2023 National Garden Railway Convention is in Santa Clara, Second Vancouver, B.C., Cascades round trip set to roll Monday. The email had a link to a web page via which I could request a refund. Ticket Changes and/or Cancellations. So I went to the boards showing all incoming and departing flights and now most flights were cancelled. This *and* running a service in these weather extremes is really creating a potential life safety issue that Amtrak is utterly unprepared to handle. Why do people do this to themselves? Photos: Passengers stuck on delayed Amtrak train nearly 29 hours to arrive in Central Florida. JavaScript is disabled. Unlimited Members, sign in to enjoy sitewide access. If you try to book SEA-CHI for 12/20 or 12/21, it shows cancelled. The unions who represent conductors and engineers who drive trains have held out hoping the railroads address additional issues, such as their strict attendance policy making it difficult to take time off. When I got there the Board showed about a 90 minute delay for the flight which wasnt that bad so I checked my bag. . For all that, two planes with mechanical problems, United got me to SeaTac Washington only five hours late. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Biden touts NYC-NJ train tunnel that wont be built before 2035, Amtrak train delayed for 37 hours prompts riders to call 911 over hostage fears, Amtrak unveils new trains that will replace aging fleet, Amtrak lets railcar owners hitch a ride to its trains for a price, cost the economy an estimated $2 billion a day. They have said that the railroads decision to slash its workforce by one-third over the last six years have made the job even harder. The same trains also wont run this Saturday and Sunday, when temperatures are projected to plunge to near zero. The Amtrak delays come as more than 1,500 U.S.-based flights were canceled on Thursday due to the massive winter storm, according to data from aviation company FlightAware.