Trains 91, 92, 97, 98 (on time performance issues)

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siena1965

Train Attendant
Joined
Aug 9, 2016
Messages
30
I go from new York to ft Lauderdale a few times a year these train seem to be late most of the time.is Amtrak work with csx to fix this. a few years ago they talking to csx but now I don't hear any thing about it. I see a lot of times that we are behind a csx train doing 30 and Amtrak can going 79 mhp. hope Amtrak has not given up. would travel more if we got there in time.
 
I would travel more if we got there in time.
I'm sure others feel the same way. However, this is more than an issue with a particular railroad. It is a railroad capacity issue and that is an industry issue. While some railroad handle it better than CSX, it does not change the underlying problem of years of capacity cuts have left a battered infrastructure at a time where railroads are operating at high levels.
 
NS seem to have solved most problems on the LSL and Capitol.  Now the delays are even worse on the Crescent.  The delays have spread from just south of ATL to the whole NS route. 9 hours delays the other day with just 3 from freight train disabled.
 
From Nov. 15 until Dec. 15 OTP on the SILVER METEOR had improved to about 70%.  Since that time, with the increase in train size from 9 to 12 cars, the train is 1-2 hrs late almost every day.  Whereas some of the delays are due to long station dwell times due to increased passenger/baggage loadings, CSX freight interference appears to be reoccurring if one examines elapsed time between stations.  Another culprit which is not often discussed, TriRail, which operates the trains between West Palm Beach and Miami, has been sticking the northbound trains.  Rarely does a train #98, after leaving Miami on time, does it leave WPB OT; in fact between Dec. 15 and 29 the average delay was 24 min.

Andy
 
I can see being late sometimes but this is happen to much. I think that train 97 has gotten to ft Lauderdale one time on time in the last 30 days.
 
that's not good that is one reason people don't use the train. the price for a room is over $400 and being late. Amtrak need to get better at getting to places on time.
 
that's not good that is one reason people don't use the train. the price for a room is over $400 and being late. Amtrak need to get better at getting to places on time.
To be fair, planes get delayed due to maintenance or weather reasons, and buses get delayed to due maintenance or traffic reasons.    Its rare to find any form of LD travel that isn't subjected to being delayed.

When I travel on the Silvers, I always have plans for being 1 hour late, 2 hours late, 3 hours late, and so on.    Though, one time I was thrown a curve, and we arrived a couple of hours early; a contingency for which I didn't have a plan.  :D     So, we just ended up killing that extra time up in the ClubAcela (aka Metro Lounge).
 
To be fair, planes get delayed due to maintenance or weather reasons, and buses get delayed to due maintenance or traffic reasons.    Its rare to find any form of LD travel that isn't subjected to being delayed.

When I travel on the Silvers, I always have plans for being 1 hour late, 2 hours late, 3 hours late, and so on.    Though, one time I was thrown a curve, and we arrived a couple of hours early; a contingency for which I didn't have a plan.  :D     So, we just ended up killing that extra time up in the ClubAcela (aka Metro Lounge).
I think siena was referring to the high price, which usually isn't a factor in those other forms of LD travel.
 
I think siena was referring to the high price, which usually isn't a factor in those other forms of LD travel.
I guess I didn't see it that way since on a train, the coach cars (low price) tend arrive at the same time as the sleeper cars (high price).      Same with air travel. flying first class doesn't detach you from the same delays experienced by coach.
 
I think siena was referring to the high price, which usually isn't a factor in those other forms of LD travel.
To be fair, people I spoke to on my recent Silver service trip stated that they took the train from the Northeast to Florida because airfares were hovering between $1500-$1800 in economy on the dates they needed. I was pretty shocked to say the least.
 
Was over 2 hours late getting into Washington DC on train number 98 today.

A couple in the dining car told me they experienced a 9 hour delay once on the Silver Service.
LOL. My “record” on the Silvers is 20 hours late into NYP, having derailed in Savannah. The crew handled it extremely well, they treated us extremely well, and afterward, Amtrak compensated us extremely well. Because of how they handled it and how nice the trip was, the extra time on the train was welcome (at least for me), and I’m sort of glad the whole thing happened The fact is, as Thirdrail said, there are just so many trains running these tracks that delays are somewhat unavoidable, and Amtrak should just try their hardest to handle delays and other incidents in the best way possible (like they did when we derailed), so that when passengers look back on the experience, they see it as as an example of Amtrak handling issues professionally and competently, rather than them being the cause of it.
 
As a business traveler, the pervasive long distance train delays make it pretty much impossible for me to take Amtrak on the outbound leg of a trip.  That’s a lot of money that is going to the airlines that could have gone to Amtrak.   
 
I know all ld travel has delays but you don't see airlines delay almost every day
Apples to oranges.  While planes have their issues (congestion, weather, detours), I don't recall them being routinely held for people playing "Turkey on the Tarmac." I'm also struggling to remember how often a runaway is closed because someone drove around gates, with flashing lights and challenged the plane to a face off.  Come to think of it, I'm also struggling to think about the last time a runway was closed because of a police investigation due to a pedestrian strike.

Trains are on the ground...where the trouble is. A few rocks can delay a train.
 
Apples to oranges. 
As a business traveler, it’s not at all apples to oranges.  Outside of the corridor, I simply won’t choose Amtrak on my outbound leg because of the likelihood of delay.  I don’t care what the excuses are.  My clients don’t care either.  
 
As a business traveler, it’s not at all apples to oranges.  Outside of the corridor, I simply won’t choose Amtrak on my outbound leg because of the likelihood of delay.  I don’t care what the excuses are.  My clients don’t care either.  
As a business travel, the comparison is still apples to oranges as I was not discussing the rational or reasons to ride the train vs plane.

What I was responding to was the statement  you don't see airlines delay almost everyday. That may or may not be true but when you can fly over the vast majority of your problems, you are not likely to have the same  level of delays.
 
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As a business travel, the comparison is still apples to oranges as I was not discussing the rational or reasons to ride the train vs plane.

What I was responding to was the statement  you don't see airlines delay almost everyday. That may or may not be true but when you can fly over the vast majority of your problems, you are not likely to have the same  level of delays.
My point is that, as a business traveler, I don’t care about excuses.  I care about performance.  
 
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