Chicago creativity with missed connections

Hello,

Since we're entering the holiday travel season it got me thinking about how Amtrak handles passengers with Missed connections, specifically from a western train to the east coast at CHI. For example, a sleeping car passenger is traveling to Washington DC on train 30, but it turns out that they miss it and have to take train 48... However let's assume train 48 Is totally sold out. Does Amtrak ever "bump" a NYP passenger from 48 to the earlier train 30 to connect in either PGH or WAS to make room for the anticipated missed connection, essentially swapping the rooms between passengers?

This would require that the NY bound passenger can be contacted (either via phone or in person if they're at the station) with enough advance notice that the passenger could make the earlier train.

Yes, it is an inconvenience for the passenger who now has to make a connection they didn't anticipate, but I think it would be less of a "net loss" in customer service and expenses than having to make a passenger stay overnight in Chicago or travel coach (if seats, but no rooms were available).

Does anyone have experience with such things? Hope this post made sense. Typing on an iPad can sometimes be difficult.

I had one experience traveling from RVR to WAS where I was to take train 80, but 92 had had a mechanical failure and the passengers had to be placed on Train 80's equipment further south and this led to us Richmond passengers needing to take a bus.

Generally if they can't put you on a later train (in coach if no rooms are available for sleeper pax), they'll put you up in a hotel and you'll be put on the next train (again, coach if no rooms are available for sleeper pax)

As I understand it, no passenger actually ticketed on a given train will be bumped for a passenger rerouted due to a missed connection.

The definition of full, however...

Amtrak will give sleeper passengers sleeper compartments on the later train until they are all sold out.

Amtrak will give sleeper and coach passengers coach seats until every single one is full, including the seats typically reserved for the attendant.

Amtrak will then proceed to seat people in the cafe car until there are four ticketed passengers at every table, which I've seen done on the LSL.

I'm not sure what they do on the Superliner trains with the Sightseer Lounges; I suspect they seat people at every downstairs and every upstairs seat.

Only at that point, as far as I can tell, is the train is actually considered full. After that Amtrak will start using buses and hotels and so on.

I arrived late on the SWC missing the connection to the CL. The LSL had coach seats available, but they offered hotel rooms right away to sleeper pasengers that could not be accomodated in sleepers. I think it got to the stage of "just get them out of here" at customer service. There were quite a few of us that night.

And roomette passengers get a bedroom if available and no roomette available? I've been told "yes" several times but would just like to confirm.

While I haven't experienced that myself, that is my understanding.

Ditto on the understanding without personal experience.

My personal experience, unfortunately, went the other way. The Empire Builder was late into Chicago and Amtrak put us up for the night. The next day, we went out on the Capitol Limited to Washington in a roomette, to connect with the Silver Meteor to Florida. Amtrak sold the last roomette on the Silver Meteor as an on-board upgrade between Baltimore and Washington. I never did get a satisfactory explanation regarding what happened, and only a voucher for about the amount of the roomette. I was annoyed.

Question

After arriving late on the CZ and missing a connection onto the CL, when would one find out they were NOT getting a sleeper on their next train to WAS. and, that only Coach was aviable.

At the customer service counter you get sent to. They do almost everything there, but if you are getting a voucher for meal or cab money, you have to bring it to a ticket counter to get cash.

When Chicago's Passenger Services gives you your revised travel plans. In the case of severely late trains, Passenger Services reps would often board at a station up the line (on the Builder it was often MSP) and process folks by which connecting train they were on right onboard. However, the last time it happened to me, the reps didn't board the train and all connecting passengers were instructed to go to the Passenger Services desk when we arrived and they gave our packets there. Which was a royal pain at 4 am.

If you know you are misconnecting, you can call the 800 number. After the decision is made that they will not hold the train and reaccomodate you, they change your reservation and the agents will have your revised itinerary.

Generally, you don't get a choice. They will reaccomodate you the way the way they want to.

Thanks everyone for your responses. I will be sure never to misconnect over a holiday and risk having to sit in a cafe car seat for 18 hours.

If I miss the CL I'll take the overnight hotel, but, if I can find a reasonable flight I'm flying I'm not riding coach. What's the chance of a voucher if I bail on the CL coach?

Hopefully after my/Seaboard92's/Anderson's proposals (see Amtrak future section) there will be more eastbound trains to the NEC so you won't have to wait close to 24 hours for the next train.

anumberone said:

If I miss the CL I'll take the overnight hotel, but, if I can find a reasonable flight I'm flying I'm not riding coach. What's the chance of a voucher if I bail on the CL coach?

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What kind of voucher, for cab and meals? Just take the money and don't tell them you aren't continuing on your revised itinerary.

A chance for a voucher to cover all or part of the airfare in lieu of continuing on with Amtrak? Zero. Zip. Nada. Not going to happen.

zephyr17 said:

anumberone said:

If I miss the CL I'll take the overnight hotel, but, if I can find a reasonable flight I'm flying I'm not riding coach. What's the chance of a voucher if I bail on the CL coach?

Click to expand...

What kind of voucher, for cab and meals? Just take the money and don't tell them you aren't continuing on your revised itinerary.
A chance for a voucher to cover all or part of the airfare in lieu of continuing on with Amtrak? Zero. Zip. Nada. Not going to happen.

Click to expand...

I'm doing too much thinking ahead, the zepher has been running on time or close so even though I've got tight plans in DC I'll deal with it if and when and in the meantime enjoy the trip.

I think when there are a lot of displaced passengers, and only a few seats on the later train, Amtrak attempts to put the passengers in hotels, and accomodates the ones who raise hell and say "but I have to be there by tomorrow!!!" on the later train. Which makes sense.