SWC!! What's going on?

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ciship

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What the heck is going on with the SWC and such huge delays? Coming in to Kansas City (from LAX) the past few days, it has been 7 or 8 hours late! Good Lord!!

Taking the SWC to Chicago next week. Sure hope whatever is wrong gets straightened out!
 
Steve4031 said:
There was a freight derailment in Arizona between flagstaff and kingman a few days ago.
Click to expand...
Yes, that was two days ago. Why are there still hours long delays?

"March 02, 2015 8:59 am • DAILY SUN STAFF

The first track is estimated to be open at about 2 p.m. today. (March 2, 2015)

The second track is estimated to open at about 7 p.m., according to BNSF."
 
I also noticed that the news said it should have been cleared Monday?
 
The phrases "should have" and "estimated" do not mean the same as "will be".
 
Also, trains can not run at 79-90 mph on those tracks at first. This is especially true if there are workers in the area. (Such as cleaning up debris, repairing fences, working on an embankment next to the tracks, etc... - it does have to be on the tracks themselves.)
 
Can't be 8 hours late to Chicago next week. Hard to calm down..........
 
ciship said:
Can't be 8 hours late to Chicago next week. Hard to calm down..........
Click to expand...
Next week is a week away. You can't predict what will happen seven days from now when the delays are caused by the cleanup of a large accident. Things will probably be back to normal by then.
 
FrensicPic said:
Calm down everyone!
Click to expand...
We are calm. We just want to know what's going on.

Why a problem which was to be cleaned up by nightfall is going into extended days?

Inquiring minds want to know.

keep_calm_and_ask_questions_5.png
 
ciship said:
Can't be 8 hours late to Chicago next week. Hard to calm down..........
Click to expand...
I ride Amtrak a lot.

If you *can't* be 8 hours - more or less - late anywhere, Amtrak is not the way to travel.

Realistically, for peace of mind, your choices are:

Take the train but leave a day early and stay in a hotel

Take the train as planned - you may or may not be late

Fly - you still risk cancellations and delays

Drive - traffic, weather, parking, and other drivers

In a few weeks, I have to be at O'Hare no later than 2 pm

My regional home train(a 3 hour ride) is supposed to arrive at CHI before 11 am leaving me ample time to jump on the blue line and get to the airport on time.

The problem is, I've arrived at CHI at 2 pm and later on that train 3 times - one time they held the Empire Builder for us.

I'm not even counting the 1 & 2 hour delays.

It really sucks when that happens when you were just going to spend the day. :(

I can't chance missing my international, once a day flight so I'm leaving a day early and staying overnight in Chicago.

I know what to expect when I take the train and being on time isn't on that list. :)
 
MiRider said:
ciship said:
Can't be 8 hours late to Chicago next week. Hard to calm down..........
Click to expand...
I ride Amtrak a lot.

If you *can't* be 8 hours - more or less - late anywhere, Amtrak is not the way to travel.

Realistically, for peace of mind, your choices are:

Take the train but leave a day early and stay in a hotel

Take the train as planned - you may or may not be late

Fly - you still risk cancellations and delays

Drive - traffic, weather, parking, and other drivers

In a few weeks, I have to be at O'Hare no later than 2 pm

My regional home train(a 3 hour ride) is supposed to arrive at CHI before 11 am leaving me ample time to jump on the blue line and get to the airport on time.

The problem is, I've arrived at CHI at 2 pm and later on that train 3 times - one time they held the Empire Builder for us.

I'm not even counting the 1 & 2 hour delays.

It really sucks when that happens when you were just going to spend the day. :(

I can't chance missing my international, once a day flight so I'm leaving a day early and staying overnight in Chicago.

I know what to expect when I take the train and being on time isn't on that list. :)
Click to expand...
Well said, MiRider.

This is generally my travel strategy no matter the transportation mode; car, plane or train. The only exceptions I’ve encountered; DeutscheBahn ICE’s, TGV’s or Thalys.

It’s sometimes funny to see people react as if delays and missed connections were a brand new phenomenon. In its hey-day even the 20th Century Limited was not perfect. It never claimed to be. It advertised a refund if it was late.

A lot of online Amtrak griping and travel horror would be reduced if people would understand this reality of any mode of travel
 
crabby_appleton1950 said:
FrensicPic said:
Calm down everyone!
Click to expand...
We are calm. We just want to know what's going on.

Why a problem which was to be cleaned up by nightfall is going into extended days?

Inquiring minds want to know.
Click to expand...
As stated in post #7, they used phrases like "should be" and "estimated". That does not mean "will be cleaned up by X". That means "may be cleaned up by X".
 
Every mode of travel has problems from time to time. A commercial airliner slid off the runway at Laguardia in NCY today and shut down that airport and backlog from that caused problems in at least several others on the east coast, if not farther
 
Another thing causing delays is the sudden freight traffic increase due to the backlog of intermodals to / from the west coast.
 
crabby_appleton1950 said:
FrensicPic said:
Calm down everyone!
Click to expand...
We are calm. We just want to know what's going on. Why a problem which was to be cleaned up by nightfall is going into extended days?

Inquiring minds want to know.

keep_calm_and_ask_questions_5.png
Click to expand...
The problem that was going to be cleared up by nightfall - broken train, broken tracks -- yeah, probably was cleared.

The other problem, caused by the first problem, is -- that now there's umptteen freights and a few Amtraks backed up to KC and LA, and the "fixed tracks" aint nohow ready-- for full traffic - anyhow
 
crabby_appleton1950 said:
FrensicPic said:
Calm down everyone!
Click to expand...
We are calm. We just want to know what's going on. Why a problem which was to be cleaned up by nightfall is going into extended days?

Inquiring minds want to know.

keep_calm_and_ask_questions_5.png
Click to expand...
The problem that was going to be cleared up by nightfall - broken train, broken tracks -- yeah, probably was cleared.

The other problem, caused by the first problem, is -- that now there's umptteen freights and a few Amtraks backed up to KC and LA, and the "fixed tracks" aint nohow ready-- for full traffic - anyhow
 
I was on the SWC when that freight train derailed in front of us. We were delayed about 8 hours or so.
 
According to Amtrak "train number 3 does not operate on 07 Mar 15"

What's going on?
 
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