14/28 Connection in late July?

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penfrydd

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Sep 4, 2013
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Current reservations are for sleepers on a 20 Jul trip from EMY to GPK. Is it at all likely that the 28 EB will be back to it's normal schedule by that time?
 
Well, I saw that thread, which is what drove me to write my question. The previous thread writer is departing in June, while I'm heading out more than a month later.

The pertinent question is: will the schedule be returned to normal by 20 July?
 
Yeah I wouldn't bet on making that connection. Personally, I would proactively book the overnight in Pdx.
 
I have talked with several BNSF people recently about the EB schedule changes. BNSF has requested that the modified schedule remain in place at least thru the rest of 2014 and perhaps into part of 2015 as well as they struggle to try to catch up on needed infrastructure improvements. Amtrak might try to go back to the previous schedule, but given the host railroad's position and the reality of the mess along the Hi-Line, realistically I don't see things changing for quite some time.

But one never knows, miracles can and do happen..........
 
We're planning to be on #14(7/20) out of LAX continuing to WFH on #28, and have already made hotel res in PDX thinking there is little chance that same day connection will happen.
 
I'm hoping to travel on the Empire Builder later this year as well. However I wouldn't try to make any same day connections for the next year or two. Check back in 2015 but don't expect good news. By then we might be talking about much bigger problems on the federal subsidy level. Enjoy what you can while you can. The next chapter isn't looking that great.
 
Current reservations are for sleepers on a 20 Jul trip from EMY to GPK. Is it at all likely that the 28 EB will be back to it's normal schedule by that time?
The probability of making the CS-EB connection at Portland is approximately zero, the new schedule for the EB departing PDX has zero connection from the CS. Zero, zero, zero.
 
If #28 does go back to a 4:40PM departure time in July, there is a way to make a same day connection in Portland. You would have to get off #14 in Chemult (CMO) and take the Ambus to Redmond airport (RDM). At the airport you transfer to the Central Oregon Breeze bus #2 ($52) which gets you to PDX Amtrak by 4PM. If #14 is more than 35 minutes late into CMO, you'll end up spending the night in Redmond and taking Central Oregon Breeze bus #1 about 7:30AM the next morning. A hotel room in Redmond may be a little cheaper than in Portland.
 
We're planning to be on #14(7/20) out of LAX continuing to WFH on #28, and have already made hotel res in PDX thinking there is little chance that same day connection will happen.
I hope you have also adjusted your train reservations. Particularly if you have sleeper space.
 
Frustrated again...

Just got off the phone with an Amtrak agent, who knew nothing of any departure schedule changes for the EB from PDX. Then she said that if I wanted to change my reservation to include an overnight in Portland, that it would add $100+ to my ticket.

I told her I'd think on it. A couple of weeks ago, I modified a reservation and was told it would cost an additional $400. After thinking about it overnight, I called again, and got a different agent who said there would be no charge whatsoever for the change.

What gives with these reservation folks? I'll likely make the change to include an overnight in Portland, just to play it safe, but it would be nice to have some consistency in pricing answers.
 
Frustrated again...

Just got off the phone with an Amtrak agent, who knew nothing of any departure schedule changes for the EB from PDX. Then she said that if I wanted to change my reservation to include an overnight in Portland, that it would add $100+ to my ticket.

I told her I'd think on it. A couple of weeks ago, I modified a reservation and was told it would cost an additional $400. After thinking about it overnight, I called again, and got a different agent who said there would be no charge whatsoever for the change.

What gives with these reservation folks? I'll likely make the change to include an overnight in Portland, just to play it safe, but it would be nice to have some consistency in pricing answers.
The pricing inconsistencies may be the result of change in "bucket" prices as reservations are made (or cancelled). Just check on amsag.net, and there are very few low bucket sleeper prices left for that week. Did you ask to speak to a supervisor?

That said, the agent that knew nothing of the change in #28's departure schedule is scary, to say the least.
 
Frustrated again...

Just got off the phone with an Amtrak agent, who knew nothing of any departure schedule changes for the EB from PDX. Then she said that if I wanted to change my reservation to include an overnight in Portland, that it would add $100+ to my ticket.

I told her I'd think on it. A couple of weeks ago, I modified a reservation and was told it would cost an additional $400. After thinking about it overnight, I called again, and got a different agent who said there would be no charge whatsoever for the change.

What gives with these reservation folks? I'll likely make the change to include an overnight in Portland, just to play it safe, but it would be nice to have some consistency in pricing answers.
The pricing inconsistencies may be the result of change in "bucket" prices as reservations are made (or cancelled). Just check on amsag.net, and there are very few low bucket sleeper prices left for that week. Did you ask to speak to a supervisor?

That said, the agent that knew nothing of the change in #28's departure schedule is scary, to say the least.

I just got off the phone with an AGR agent who also did not know about the schedule change to the EB - either the current change or its expiration date in May. She asked why I was changing my schedule, & asked if Amtrak had contacted me (my EB trip is in June), which of course they have not.

I honestly think that reading the AU forums is a better source of information about Amtrak than whatever Amtrak provides to its employees. I'm actually not too surprised by this - if I want to find out what's going on at the company I work for, I don't ask my bosses or check out the company intranet, they just give me the "company line." If I want the unbiased truth, I just google it.

It sort of makes sense - agents don't need to know what might happen, or how long it might be in effect, or why it's happening at all. The only thing they need to know is how to deal with it when it happens.
 
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Frustrated again...

Just got off the phone with an Amtrak agent, who knew nothing of any departure schedule changes for the EB from PDX. Then she said that if I wanted to change my reservation to include an overnight in Portland, that it would add $100+ to my ticket.

I told her I'd think on it. A couple of weeks ago, I modified a reservation and was told it would cost an additional $400. After thinking about it overnight, I called again, and got a different agent who said there would be no charge whatsoever for the change. What gives with these reservation folks? I'll likely make the change to include an overnight in Portland, just to play it safe, but it would be nice to have some consistency in pricing answers.
The pricing inconsistencies may be the result of change in "bucket" prices as reservations are made (or cancelled). Just check on amsag.net, and there are very few low bucket sleeper prices left for that week. Did you ask to speak to a supervisor?

That said, the agent that knew nothing of the change in #28's departure schedule is scary, to say the least.
I don't think most of the reservations staff has ever set foot on a long distance train let alone the Empire Builder. Someone once posted that Amtrak generally avoids hiring people who have a strongly positive disposition toward passenger rail and nothing I've ever seen has contradicted that. They do a great job of showing perpetual indifference though.
 
I don't think most of the reservations staff has ever set foot on a long distance train let alone the Empire Builder. Someone once posted that Amtrak generally avoids hiring people who have a strongly positive disposition toward passenger rail and nothing I've ever seen has contradicted that. They do a great job of showing perpetual indifference though.
My understanding is that they take new hire classes at the contact centres on an introductory ride on Amtrak. For Riverside, I believe it's on the Starlight (coach one way, sleeper the other). Not sure about Philadelphia hires.

Nonetheless, your latter statement about Amtrak avoiding hiring people that support passenger rail, definitely false.
 
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