I'll be taking Empire Builder 8/28 to St. Paul soon. Can someone tell me why they have been so late coming into St. Paul. Today it's running over 4 hours late, the other day about 6 hours late and last Friday 11 hours late. I love taking the train but this trip might put an end to it. Thanks, JoAnn
I live in Montana. My wife and I are taking Empire Builder (EB) from Malta, Montana to Chicago in May and then Capitol Limited to Wash D.C. We have a 2 hr and 40 minute window in Chicago from the time EB is supposed to arrive and the Capitol Limited is supposed to depart. I too, am very worried about EB getting to Chicago on time. EB is a hard-luck line because many things have to work for it to be on time in Minneapolis and into Chicago. EB eastbound (train 28) mates in Spokane with one train coming from Portland, the other from Seattle. If either one is late, then EB is late leaving Spokane. EB does not get any speed east of Spokane until it gets through Glacier Nat'l Park, MT. Once it gets to about Shelby, MT, then it can get up to speed. When I was on it last year it got up to 83 mph as measured by my GPS. Eastern Montana received an almost record amount of snow this season: 11 feet in some places. Drifting is STILL a problem in eastern Montana. Trains slow down; they can't barge through the drifts. Flooding near Devil's Lake, ND is a major concern. Don't know how high the water is, but AMTRAK is concerned about the bridge at Devil's Lake. EB is a tough line to be on-time. For the last month, it averaged a 3-hour delay getting to Minneapolis. With a bit of luck and snow melt (no flooding in Devil's Lake?), the delay will improve. Finger's crossed!