rtabern
Conductor
I am not sure what all is done service-wise on the northbound Texas Eagle (Train #22) in St. Louis, but it seems like maybe a re-fuel and a change of engineer/conductors and that is all. Shouldn't really be more than a 20-30 minute stop, I'd imagine. It is built in the schedule for a 36 minute stop... 7:19 to 7:55AM. There is also a lot of pad coming into STL. A potential good stop to make up some time after a long stretch of single track through the Ozarks between Poplar Bluff and St. Louis.
Anyway, regardless, it seems like crews there take their time... almost on purpose.
Yesterday (4-24-16), when we rode, the train pulls in 32 minutes early at 6:47AM... and sits... and sits... and sits. The new conductors don't even begin boarding until 5-10 minutes before the scheduled departure (despite them standing around and guarding the doors and escalators down)... and we leave at 8:06AM... 11 minutes late. How does a train arrive 32 minutes early --- need to sit for 1 hour and 19 minutes --- and leave 11 minutes late?? This should be questioned. STL service work should not take over an hour.
This is a regular thing too (over 1+ hour sitting in STL) I have noticed. Look at today (4-25-16)... train arrives at 7:59AM (40 minutes late) and dawdles around to 9:06AM (1 hour and 11 minutes late).
No state trains were extremely late over the weekend -- so I don't think it was a crew rest issue.
Anyway, regardless, it seems like crews there take their time... almost on purpose.
Yesterday (4-24-16), when we rode, the train pulls in 32 minutes early at 6:47AM... and sits... and sits... and sits. The new conductors don't even begin boarding until 5-10 minutes before the scheduled departure (despite them standing around and guarding the doors and escalators down)... and we leave at 8:06AM... 11 minutes late. How does a train arrive 32 minutes early --- need to sit for 1 hour and 19 minutes --- and leave 11 minutes late?? This should be questioned. STL service work should not take over an hour.
This is a regular thing too (over 1+ hour sitting in STL) I have noticed. Look at today (4-25-16)... train arrives at 7:59AM (40 minutes late) and dawdles around to 9:06AM (1 hour and 11 minutes late).
No state trains were extremely late over the weekend -- so I don't think it was a crew rest issue.