RRUserious
OBS Chief
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2011
- Messages
- 505
Vacations are supposed to be about stress-reduction. Certainly last fall when I took the Empire Builder to Oregon and back, that was the case. This year I thought I'd try going east instead. Little did I know what was to come.
Train due to arrive at 7:05 at MSP, arrived at 11:30. Passengers loaded. Then train sat there till 12:30pm with no explanation of the holdup. Train was overbooked, final two passengers got "seats" in the lounge. At 12:30pm, the EB started up. Somewhere between MSP and Hastings, a conductor came around and explained that Amtrak can't operate the train on the Wisconsin side between Hastings and LaCrosse. They had to get experienced engineers. And despite the LONG holdup in North Dakota, the qualified engineers weren't there at 11:30am.
Next thing was the train was, we were told, out of food. It had been served during the delays in North Dakota. They had got Subway sandwiches in Wisconsin Dells. We were told to take these or eat at Chicago. Everyone took whatever was handed them. When they were all gone, now we learned we could get food in the cafe. Deceive the customers to get rid of all the sandwiches.
Arrived in CHI six hours late. All connections for all passengers were missed. The nearer destinations were served by a special bus. Lakeshore Limited passengers were told to get cash and vouchers. HOWEVER, despite six hours warning, no one had the operation up and ready to go. Lakeshore Limited passengers queued up at Lounge G in Union Station, and it took to about 1am to do the paperwork. After which we queued up at the ticket counters with our cash vouchers to get the dinner and cab money. Got to my Crowne Plaza room about 2am. Then had to let my frustration diminish till I could sort of get to sleep.
9:30pm next night, loaded on Lakeshore Limited. Not sure why they tout this as scenic. From Chicago to Eries PA, everything was darkness. At the summer solstice! Arrived at Buffalo-Depew 9am. Train to Toronto scheduled for 3:10pm. Caught a bus to a nearby mall and had some lunch. Got back about an hour early. 3:10 came and went. The staff started putting in new estimates. Eventually Maple Leaf arrived from New York at 3:55pm. Loaded up and rode for the border. At border, everybody takes everything they have into Canadian Border Services for security clearance. Luckily, no big conflict arose,though the guy ahead of me was Pakistani and has lived for 23 years in the USA with Pakistani papers. I was a "teensy bit" concerned, but they passed him. So we all traipsed around the building to sit in ANOTHER waiting area. Then the conductor of the Maple Leaf says people in "business class" go to this door. So people line up. Waiting for him to say something about the rest. He never does. So I get in line, eventually asking him where coach class go. One of these two cars he says. Nice that he volunteered it.
For some reason the guy says we are 30 minutes behind even though we left the border an hour past what my ticket said. But hey, I'm finally rolling to Toronto, so who am I to quibble? And so I arrive in Toronto a day late plus.
Recommend this? Don't think so. Of course, the very next group of passengers could have a totally uneventful trip. I suspect in offseason when there is no flooding, Amtrak handles whatever continencies better. But I don't know if I'm going to be the guinea pig to find out.
Train due to arrive at 7:05 at MSP, arrived at 11:30. Passengers loaded. Then train sat there till 12:30pm with no explanation of the holdup. Train was overbooked, final two passengers got "seats" in the lounge. At 12:30pm, the EB started up. Somewhere between MSP and Hastings, a conductor came around and explained that Amtrak can't operate the train on the Wisconsin side between Hastings and LaCrosse. They had to get experienced engineers. And despite the LONG holdup in North Dakota, the qualified engineers weren't there at 11:30am.
Next thing was the train was, we were told, out of food. It had been served during the delays in North Dakota. They had got Subway sandwiches in Wisconsin Dells. We were told to take these or eat at Chicago. Everyone took whatever was handed them. When they were all gone, now we learned we could get food in the cafe. Deceive the customers to get rid of all the sandwiches.
Arrived in CHI six hours late. All connections for all passengers were missed. The nearer destinations were served by a special bus. Lakeshore Limited passengers were told to get cash and vouchers. HOWEVER, despite six hours warning, no one had the operation up and ready to go. Lakeshore Limited passengers queued up at Lounge G in Union Station, and it took to about 1am to do the paperwork. After which we queued up at the ticket counters with our cash vouchers to get the dinner and cab money. Got to my Crowne Plaza room about 2am. Then had to let my frustration diminish till I could sort of get to sleep.
9:30pm next night, loaded on Lakeshore Limited. Not sure why they tout this as scenic. From Chicago to Eries PA, everything was darkness. At the summer solstice! Arrived at Buffalo-Depew 9am. Train to Toronto scheduled for 3:10pm. Caught a bus to a nearby mall and had some lunch. Got back about an hour early. 3:10 came and went. The staff started putting in new estimates. Eventually Maple Leaf arrived from New York at 3:55pm. Loaded up and rode for the border. At border, everybody takes everything they have into Canadian Border Services for security clearance. Luckily, no big conflict arose,though the guy ahead of me was Pakistani and has lived for 23 years in the USA with Pakistani papers. I was a "teensy bit" concerned, but they passed him. So we all traipsed around the building to sit in ANOTHER waiting area. Then the conductor of the Maple Leaf says people in "business class" go to this door. So people line up. Waiting for him to say something about the rest. He never does. So I get in line, eventually asking him where coach class go. One of these two cars he says. Nice that he volunteered it.
For some reason the guy says we are 30 minutes behind even though we left the border an hour past what my ticket said. But hey, I'm finally rolling to Toronto, so who am I to quibble? And so I arrive in Toronto a day late plus.
Recommend this? Don't think so. Of course, the very next group of passengers could have a totally uneventful trip. I suspect in offseason when there is no flooding, Amtrak handles whatever continencies better. But I don't know if I'm going to be the guinea pig to find out.