Empire Builder not showing as option for BOS to PDX

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Andy

Andy

Train Attendant
Joined
Feb 20, 2009
Messages
93
Location
Atlanta, GA
I've been searching BOS to PDX for several different dates and none of the options that come back show the Empire Builder as an option. Instead it has me taking the Zephyr to the Coast Starlight. But oddly when you enter BOS to SEA it returns a trip on the EB to PDX but then switching to the Cascades to go to Seattle. And searching CHI to PDX comes back with the EB.

There are no service advisories on Amtrak.com for the EB. Any ideas??
 
Best suggestion would be to call and ask them to look in to having it added as a fare option. It's because the system is incredibly outdated, and believe it or not, every single route pair has to be added to the system and priced manually. So someone would actually have to go in to the system and add BOS-CHI-PDX as an option via the Lake Shore Limited, and Empire Builder. There are no guarantees though.
 
That's funny. I just tried several different city pairs, for a date next fall, and I can only conclude that most CHI connections from the LSL to the EB have been dropped out of the system. I could not find the connection using intermediate destinations of WIH (Wishram), SPK (Spokane, either #7 or #27), or a starting point of ALB (Albany NY) either. Since I am planning a trip that way for winter 2018, I have been checking on occasion. I was able to look at plans for the trip WIH to BOS, and back, as of only a few weeks ago.

Yes, please do call and report back to us what they say!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I tried many stations east of Chicago with a route to PDX and could not get the Empire Builder as an option including NYP, ROC, BUF, ALB etc. . This is not only a BOS to PDX situation. The multi-city ticketing works fine.
 
Even stranger, I just tried using 3/21 as the date and BOS PDX shows up with 449 and 27 for $1386 in a roomette. The disk demons must be running amok in Amtrak's computers.
 
Triley said:
It's because the system is incredibly outdated, and believe it or not, every single route pair has to be added to the system and priced manually. So someone would actually have to go in to the system and add BOS-CHI-PDX as an option via the Lake Shore Limited, and Empire Builder.
Click to expand...
Why don't they use a middleware product to accept simple front end commands (such as linking the LSL and EB routes) and turn those basic rules into a long series of route pairs inside ARROW?
 
Devil's Advocate said:
Triley said:
It's because the system is incredibly outdated, and believe it or not, every single route pair has to be added to the system and priced manually. So someone would actually have to go in to the system and add BOS-CHI-PDX as an option via the Lake Shore Limited, and Empire Builder.
Click to expand...
Why don't they use a middleware product to accept simple front end commands (such as linking the LSL and EB routes) and turn those basic rules into a long series of route pairs inside ARROW?
Click to expand...
You're being much too logical. :)
 
It's oddly working now and returning the EB as a result. I can't believe they have to enter every route pair. That's 79,800 combinations.
 
Andy said:
It's oddly working now and returning the EB as a result. I can't believe they have to enter every route pair. That's 79,800 combinations.
Click to expand...
Apparently someone enjoys doing it. Every once in a while obvious connections like this thread is talking about disappear for a short time. But there are also many truly weird ones that someone took the time to enter. Everyone has his favorite, but mine is

NOL to LAX via

CoNO

CZ

Bus

San Joaquin

Bus
 

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