Service Disruption on 5 AND 6 (11/22)

[PRR 60]

The Union Pacific's route used for the detour s double track for 363 of the 463 miles. The line from Denver up to Borie is single track (100 miles). Howver, since Amtrak engineers are not qualified on those Union Pacific lines, the UP has to provide their own engineers to serve as pilots for the Amtrak engineers. In addition, the UP's Overland Route (Borie WY to Ogden UT on the detour) uses a cab signaling system that only a small number of Amtrak locomotives have.

When a reroute is planned, both the UP personal support and the appropriate Amtrak locomotives can be scheduled to be in place as needed. However, when the issue is emergent, then both parties have to scramble - the UP getting engineers in place for Amtrak and maybe having to lend Amtrak a locomotive to lead the train across Wyoming if Amtrak does not have one of their qualified one's in place.

In short, detouring a train onto a non-passenger route takes some planning for resource allocations in addition to simply finding a slot for the train. When it happens with little or no advance notice, delays can occur.

 

[jebr]

Agreed. I will say that when I got put on the Overland route due to the wildfires in 2012, we were a bit early into SLC, despite leaving DEN a tad late. UP did well in making sure we were on-time then (and that was an instance where there wasn't a ton of advance warning, either.)

 

[Tennessee Traveler]

Good news according to Amtrak Status maps--both 5 and 6 and running the regular route through Glenwood Springs today.

 

[Gemuser]

These routes are still mostly single track.

The Overland route from Cheyenne to SLC is single track??? Not in this or last century! Denver to Cheyenne, I don't know, I assume its single track, but UP's mainline is double & triple track. Its not nick named "Mainline USA" for nothing. With an emergency reroute there are many other factors that have to organised on short notice, that takes time!

 

[chakk]

5 and 6 are running today through Colorado, which is good news. but 5 is currently 2.5 hours late in eastern Utah.