MattW
Conductor
Folks, it's that time again, operating off a tip elsewhere, and confirming via Amsnag, the Crescent will be truncated to Atlanta from New York Monday through Thursday looks like January 6 through February 6.
Mondays through Thursdays
- January 6, 7, 8 and 9, 2014
- January 20, 21, 22 and 23, 2014
- January 27, 28, 29 and 30, 2014
- February 3, 4, 5 and 6, 2014
It pretty much is. I looked into this...This is the key phrase: "Alternate transportation will not be provided". In other words the Crescent south of Atlanta is irrelevant.
This is a good idea.Since this is annual they should put a note in their system timetable. "In January and early February, service south of Atlanta may be disrupted Monday thru Thursday for construction work. Visit amtrak.com for details"
Oh, that's a pity. I was kind of hoping that that route was good for higher speed, at least geometrically.The combination of almost-constant curvature and heavy freight traffic on a single-track line limits the train to 4+ hours between Atlanta and Birmingham. It can be driven in 2+. Running the train through Birmingham instead of direct Atlanta-Montgomery-Mobile-NOL adds another hour of unfavorability compared to drive time, although running a train Atl-Mtgy-Mobile-NOL would be even slower than via Birmingham.
Trouble is, from what you tell me, there's no good route west of Atlanta, period. Montgomery and Birmingham are the two choices. Sure, it's possible to run nice fast trains from Dallas to Shreveport to Jackson to Meridian, but it sounds like Meridian to Atlanta would require an entirely new-build route in order to make decent time. And fat chance of that happening in Mississippi and Georgia.Atlanta-Dallas instead of Atlanta-NOL would make much more sense these days.
depends what the consist and staff are doing. If they're just sitting in Atlanta waiting for time, they're essentially accumulating costs without generating any revenue. If Amtrak is able to re-deploy the crews on other routes, or putting them on vacation, there may be genuine savings.The fact is that these trackwork cancellations probably improve Amtrak's bottom line.
The Crew could do the Turn in ATL from #19 which Gets there in the AM and Leave on #20 for NYP in the Evening! Since they Don't get Paid Unless they are on a Train ,and Benefit Costs are Fixed, the Only Extra Expense would be to have Contracted Day Rates @ a Hotel and a Shuttle Service for the Crew like they Do here in Austin for the Engineers (and Used to be the Diner Crew Also) that make a Same Day Turn!! This would be Cheaper than Paying them to Run to NOL, Layover and Return to NYP the Next Day!! Whether or Not the Union would Agree is Problematica??!!!!depends what the consist and staff are doing. If they're just sitting in Atlanta waiting for time, they're essentially accumulating costs without generating any revenue. If Amtrak is able to re-deploy the crews on other routes, or putting them on vacation, there may be genuine savings.The fact is that these trackwork cancellations probably improve Amtrak's bottom line.
The NS tracks from Atlanta to New Orleans are part of their Crescent Corridor route. The Crescent Corridor is the subject of a $2.5 billion improvement program with some of that money coming from the feds and states. The question is whether the Atlanta to New Orleans segment is slated to get upgrades that will allow the Crescent train trip times to improve south of Atlanta. Not by a lot I would expect, however.First, it's a *lot* slower than driving.
On the NEC, of course, the Crescent is faster than driving; and from Washington DC to Greensboro NC the Crescent is only a little slower than driving (5:45 vs. 4:45). From Greensboro to Atlanta it's substantially worse (7:34 vs. 4:55) but it has the benefit of overnight running, and of course it's mostly through trips headed north of Greensboro.
But south of Atlanta, it's *much* worse. Atlanta to New Orleans is 11:30 vs. 6:38 driving.
It actually is largely the same route. (Plus the second more northerly route as shown on the map.) However, there aren't any significant track upgrades planned south of Atlanta so far.Random question here. But hasn't NS been given a whole load of TIGER funds to upgrade the Crescent corridor? I know that this isn't the same as the route of Amtrak's Crescent, but maybe that might be a faster route to New Orleans. Seeing its taxpayer money that is improving the tracks, NS can't really say Amtrak can't touch them.
Actually they can't operate while the work is being done. NS crews work extra hours to get the work finished and it is NS that determines when this track upgrade work will be scheduled, so while Amtrak could put an alert in the timetable or online, they generally have to wait for NS to set the final dates.I understand the need for trackwork but the host railroad should still be able to accomodate the passenger train during that time.
Unfortunately Yes!, According to the Posted Dates for Trackwork between Atlanta and New orleans, the Crescent will NOT Run from NOL-ATL or ATL-NOL. It will only Operate Between Atlanta and New York with No Alternate Transportation between New Orleans and Atlanta Mondays to Fridays! (IOW you're on your Own to get to Atlanta! :angry: )I am a newbie here. What does truncated mean? I have purchased tickets to go on Crescent from NOL to Newark January 27,2014. What will this mean for me. A possible cancellation???
Glad you got Good Service, Most of My Experience with Amtrak Phone Agents over the Years has been Positive! You may still have some Slow Orders between NOL and ATL but once the Crescent Reaches Washington on the NEC it can Make Up time and Run Alot Faster since it is Discharge Only @ the Station Stops between WAS and NYP! Baring a Major Happening you Shouldn't be too Late to your Destination! Enjoy the Ride Up the Old Southern Line!!!(Well, whats' Left of It!!)Thanks. Just called Amtrak and the operator waited on the phone with me while my husband and I discussed which date to change to . We are leaving on Friday instead. Will that mean we will possibly not be arriving on time to Newark. I hope this will be a positive experience for us. That's why I like dealing with Amtrak operators they are all so nice. Also if not for this forum I wouldn't know what to do. Thanks to you all.
There is always the possibility that you will not arrive "on time" when you board an Amtrak long-distance train. But now that you're traveling on one of the dates not affected by the cancellations, you should be fine. The trackwork could cause delays, but there is ample time to "make it up" before you get all the way to Newark. Don't plan anything based on a precise arrival time in Newark, but there's a decent enough chance that you'll get there reasonably close to it (let's say within an hour or so). But again, you never know (the same is true for flying, of course).Thanks. Just called Amtrak and the operator waited on the phone with me while my husband and I discussed which date to change to . We are leaving on Friday instead. Will that mean we will possibly not be arriving on time to Newark. I hope this will be a positive experience for us. That's why I like dealing with Amtrak operators they are all so nice. Also if not for this forum I wouldn't know what to do. Thanks to you all.
These types of curfew blitzes are typically the best way to safely and quickly accomplish things, and its not just NS that does this. UP does this pretty regularly with the Coast Starlight, Texas Eagle, and Lincoln Service. CSX did this just last month with Silver Service and the Carolinian. SunRail seems to be doing the same with Silver Service, and occasionally Auto Train. Sometimes these shut downs turn into something coveted such as a detour. I think there is even a thread going right now about when UP will be detouring the Starlight through the inland route so reservations can be made! In most cases it isn't ideal to have the train shut down, but at least in the case of this work with NS they're doing it during off-peak travel months on off-peak days.I understand the need for trackwork but the host railroad should still be able to accomodate the passenger train during that time.
Glad we got this taken care of. The next best thing would be if the Saints went to Superbowl and we would be right down the road at my daughters house.lolGlad you got Good Service, Most of My Experience with Amtrak Phone Agents over the Years has been Positive! You may still have some Slow Orders between NOL and ATL but once the Crescent Reaches Washington on the NEC it can Make Up time and Run Alot Faster since it is Discharge Only @ the Station Stops between WAS and NYP! Baring a Major Happening you Shouldn't be too Late to your Destination! Enjoy the Ride Up the Old Southern Line!!!(Well, whats' Left of It!!)Thanks. Just called Amtrak and the operator waited on the phone with me while my husband and I discussed which date to change to . We are leaving on Friday instead. Will that mean we will possibly not be arriving on time to Newark. I hope this will be a positive experience for us. That's why I like dealing with Amtrak operators they are all so nice. Also if not for this forum I wouldn't know what to do. Thanks to you all.
If that Happens (I like the Saints too but I wonder about the Defense???) be sure and take your Winter Gear, it gets Darn Cold in the Meadowlands in Feb.!Glad we got this taken care of. The next best thing would be if the Saints went to Superbowl and we would be right down the road at my daughters house.lolGlad you got Good Service, Most of My Experience with Amtrak Phone Agents over the Years has been Positive! You may still have some Slow Orders between NOL and ATL but once the Crescent Reaches Washington on the NEC it can Make Up time and Run Alot Faster since it is Discharge Only @ the Station Stops between WAS and NYP! Baring a Major Happening you Shouldn't be too Late to your Destination! Enjoy the Ride Up the Old Southern Line!!!(Well, whats' Left of It!!)Thanks. Just called Amtrak and the operator waited on the phone with me while my husband and I discussed which date to change to . We are leaving on Friday instead. Will that mean we will possibly not be arriving on time to Newark. I hope this will be a positive experience for us. That's why I like dealing with Amtrak operators they are all so nice. Also if not for this forum I wouldn't know what to do. Thanks to you all.
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