PaulM
Engineer
OK, so where is the bad weather? Sitting here in west central Illinois, it is clear and partly sunny.
"East Side of the Mississippi" is a bit vague. Let me know when #21 or #22 detours west of the Mississippi. I'll want to see that.
#22 - Disrupted or Not?
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"East Side of the Mississippi" is a bit vague. Let me know when #21 or #22 detours west of the Mississippi. I'll want to see that.
Paul: I know nothing about the tracks around STL but was just Quoting trainorders! According to the First Post about he Eagles Yesterdays (10/5) #22 was Running on the East Side of the Mississippi and Todays (10/6)was going via the chester Sub, Whatever that is??? As to the Weather, train orders is now saying that Little Rock and North is Iced in so Todays #21 out of CHI will be Turned in STL and todays #22 Out of SAS will be Turned in FTW. Thiis Bad News for Sarah and Joe in Dallas! It looks like ya'll Lucked out on the Weather, Down Here its Going to Remain Freezing until Sunday with Sleet and Ice, then Sunday Night another Cold Wave will Come into Texas with another Chance of Freezing Parcipitation! FWIW the Bad Weather is Supposed to be Moving NE from Texas to Arkansas, Missouri and Across the Mid-South and Mid west! Hope ya'll continue to Miss It in Illinois!
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Agree!!!
OlympianHiawatha
Engineer
It now looks like today's northbound Heartland Flyer is in Service Disruption at FTW; I'm guessing BNSF is restricting traffic for fear the savage cold could cause rail breaks.
Check trainorders! Todays #22 was Turned in FTW back to SAS (with the #422 Slkeeper and Coach from lAX on the Tail)and #21 Turned in STL Back to CHI! Supposedly North of LRK its Solid Ice and Extremely Cold!!! i hope Sarah and Joe get Home OK when its Possible!
OlympianHiawatha
Engineer
Good safe call on behalf of the Bigs! Nothing could be worse than dumping a train, especially a Passenger Train at speed because of a cold fatigue snapped rail.
OlympianHiawatha
Engineer
Plus I imagine after last week the FRA is on the Warpath over Safety and the Railroads are being extra cautious.
dart330
OBS Chief
I drove down to the Texas border today from OKC and it is clearly visible where it went from snow to ice. Semis were getting stuck on hills just South of the border, traffic was backed up for miles. Several cars and trucks upside down in the ditches. We turned around and came back. I am really surprised they haven't closed the interstates in TX.
I was hoping to catch the Heartland Flyer in the morning but looks like that is not happening. Will keep an eye on it to see when they start running again.
I was hoping to catch the Heartland Flyer in the morning but looks like that is not happening. Will keep an eye on it to see when they start running again.
OlympianHiawatha
Engineer
It sounds like the 35 is closed down and backed up for miles with stranded cars near Denton (that's about 30 miles north of Dallas). Except for Essential Service workers I cannot understand why people have to try and get out and drive in weather like this.
Ryan
Court Jester
Just saw on Facebook, Sarah's got a room near the airport and a flight home tomorrow. Hopefully the flight goes...
OlympianHiawatha
Engineer
This could make a good movie - The Out of Towner 2 -Sarah Visits the Grassy Knoll
Hopefully everyone Up that Way is Safe and Warm! We get this kind of Weather so Seldom people forget how Dangerous it can be!!I'll keep My Fingers Crossed for Her! Sounds like Joe and the Colonel might be Somehwere Singing "Let It Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!" while having a Few Adult Beverages! ^_^
I saw Ryan's Post about your Facebook entry! Hopefully You're Safe and Warm in a Nice Room and have a Flight that will take you Home tomorrow! Did Amtrak Provide any Assistance with your Room, Meals, Transportation or Just Refund your Money Since they Cancelled the Trains and there won't be One Tomorrow either ????
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Amtrak is on my Sh*t List right now, that's for sure. I'm going to call them (again) once I've calmed down. I just made it to the hotel about an hour ago. The TRE and various shuttles took longer than I thought. The TRE was fine, that is, but the shuttles took forever because of the ice. I'm kind of a ball of stress right now, and Amtrak had a big part in that.
First of all, I didn't get a call, text, or email. Now, the original res was made through State Farm, and then I called to pay for the upgrade to the roomette. I gave them my email address for the e-ticket, but I can't remember if I gave them my phone number for alerts. Even if I had, I'm betting the State Farm Business Travel Center was the primary contact number on the reservation. That, or more likely, it was my work number.
Regardless, when I got to the station, they had the white board up, and it just said, "Train #21 Arriving:" and then "we'll keep you posted" instead of a time. I knew both trains were delayed, so I figured I'd just hang out and wait. I saw #22 moving along the map on Amtrak's site. I made eye contact with the agents several times, and neither of them asked if I was waiting for #21 or #22. To be fair, the TRE goes to DFW, and I had bags, so they may have assumed I was waiting for that. But, I sat there for a couple of hours before I saw Joe's post about the trains.
I went up to the counter to verify. I said, "Hi! I'm on #22 today, and..." and the agent interrupted me, shook her head, and said, "Mm-mmm... #22 ain't runnin'. That's canceled. No trains until Sunday." She didn't look at me that entire time, and after she finished her statement, she kept messing with her computer. No apology, no solution, no, "Call Amtrak," nothing. :angry:
So, I had a choice. Either call our Business Travel Center and try to book a flight, or get on the phone with Amtrak to hurry up and reserve Sunday just in case the flights were all taken. (Keep in mind hundreds and hundreds of flights had been canceled.) I decided to call Amtrak right away. The hold time was around 20 minutes, which I expected, and then the agent was fairly nice but couldn't get my reservation to transfer. She'd had to manually put the charges in so it wouldn't charge me Sunday's prices, and it was giving her issues. We'd been on the phone for about forty minutes at this point, as she kept having to put me on hold to talk to someone about it, so I'd been on the phone for around an hour. She finally came back on and said, "You know what? When you left Kalamazoo, did you give the conductor the wrong ticket?" Um, no, all four segments were under one QR code. :angry: I knew she had to ask, so I wasn't mad at her, but I was so tired/annoyed at this point. She explained that, somehow, the conductor lifted the Chicago to Kalamazoo ticket, not my Kalamazoo to Chicago ticket. That's why she couldn't transfer the reservation.
So then she said, "I have to transfer you to Refunds, they'll fix the ticket issue, and then they can transfer you back to us to modify your reservation again." Oh, HELL no. I was running out of time to call our BTC, so I told her thank you but I had to disconnect. At no point during the conversation did she say anything about lodging or offer an apology. She just said that the train was being halted at Fort Worth, so they canceled everything today and tomorrow. That was it.
I then spent another hour and a half speaking with my BTC rep, who was so friendly and wonderful and did everything in her power to get me into a hotel and onto a flight tomorrow afternoon. She also gave me their 24-hour emergency number just in case tomorrow's flight is canceled.
Unfortunately, she booked me into a hotel for tomorrow night, not tonight. Luckily, I noticed the error while I was on the TRE and called the hotel right away. They had 20 rooms left, so they gave me one. When I got here, the same clerk gave me my key and told me that between the time I'd called and the time I checked in, they'd booked those other 19 rooms. If I hadn't noticed the error, I either would have had to switch hotels (more traveling in the cold) or slept on a couch in their lobby.
Anyway, now that I'm warm and comfy and a little bit calmed down, I'm going to call Amtrak and make sure everything has been canceled and a refund is being processed. I'm sorry if this was long, but I really needed to vent. I realize I'm lucky to have a place to stay, and I'll still get home tomorrow, so I feel kind of bad for feeling stressed, but there it is.
First of all, I didn't get a call, text, or email. Now, the original res was made through State Farm, and then I called to pay for the upgrade to the roomette. I gave them my email address for the e-ticket, but I can't remember if I gave them my phone number for alerts. Even if I had, I'm betting the State Farm Business Travel Center was the primary contact number on the reservation. That, or more likely, it was my work number.
Regardless, when I got to the station, they had the white board up, and it just said, "Train #21 Arriving:" and then "we'll keep you posted" instead of a time. I knew both trains were delayed, so I figured I'd just hang out and wait. I saw #22 moving along the map on Amtrak's site. I made eye contact with the agents several times, and neither of them asked if I was waiting for #21 or #22. To be fair, the TRE goes to DFW, and I had bags, so they may have assumed I was waiting for that. But, I sat there for a couple of hours before I saw Joe's post about the trains.
I went up to the counter to verify. I said, "Hi! I'm on #22 today, and..." and the agent interrupted me, shook her head, and said, "Mm-mmm... #22 ain't runnin'. That's canceled. No trains until Sunday." She didn't look at me that entire time, and after she finished her statement, she kept messing with her computer. No apology, no solution, no, "Call Amtrak," nothing. :angry:
So, I had a choice. Either call our Business Travel Center and try to book a flight, or get on the phone with Amtrak to hurry up and reserve Sunday just in case the flights were all taken. (Keep in mind hundreds and hundreds of flights had been canceled.) I decided to call Amtrak right away. The hold time was around 20 minutes, which I expected, and then the agent was fairly nice but couldn't get my reservation to transfer. She'd had to manually put the charges in so it wouldn't charge me Sunday's prices, and it was giving her issues. We'd been on the phone for about forty minutes at this point, as she kept having to put me on hold to talk to someone about it, so I'd been on the phone for around an hour. She finally came back on and said, "You know what? When you left Kalamazoo, did you give the conductor the wrong ticket?" Um, no, all four segments were under one QR code. :angry: I knew she had to ask, so I wasn't mad at her, but I was so tired/annoyed at this point. She explained that, somehow, the conductor lifted the Chicago to Kalamazoo ticket, not my Kalamazoo to Chicago ticket. That's why she couldn't transfer the reservation.
So then she said, "I have to transfer you to Refunds, they'll fix the ticket issue, and then they can transfer you back to us to modify your reservation again." Oh, HELL no. I was running out of time to call our BTC, so I told her thank you but I had to disconnect. At no point during the conversation did she say anything about lodging or offer an apology. She just said that the train was being halted at Fort Worth, so they canceled everything today and tomorrow. That was it.
I then spent another hour and a half speaking with my BTC rep, who was so friendly and wonderful and did everything in her power to get me into a hotel and onto a flight tomorrow afternoon. She also gave me their 24-hour emergency number just in case tomorrow's flight is canceled.
Unfortunately, she booked me into a hotel for tomorrow night, not tonight. Luckily, I noticed the error while I was on the TRE and called the hotel right away. They had 20 rooms left, so they gave me one. When I got here, the same clerk gave me my key and told me that between the time I'd called and the time I checked in, they'd booked those other 19 rooms. If I hadn't noticed the error, I either would have had to switch hotels (more traveling in the cold) or slept on a couch in their lobby.
Anyway, now that I'm warm and comfy and a little bit calmed down, I'm going to call Amtrak and make sure everything has been canceled and a refund is being processed. I'm sorry if this was long, but I really needed to vent. I realize I'm lucky to have a place to stay, and I'll still get home tomorrow, so I feel kind of bad for feeling stressed, but there it is.
:hi: Glad you made it to the Hotel Sarah! There are thousands of Folks without Power and Stranded motorists all over N. Texas/Oklahoma , Arkansas and Missouri! I really do hope that your Flight Goes out Tomorrow, I'd think that DFW will be a Zoo for the next Few Days! Good to know that your Companies Travel Desk and the Hotel gave you Good Service (I'm a 40 Year Satisfied Good Neighbor Customer) and as to Amtrak, of course it isn't their Fault about the Cancellations but the Poor Customer Service in Dallas and on the Phone and on the Michigan Train is Not Excuseable! Please contact Customer Relations when you get Home and I'm sure they'll Apologize and Issue you a Travel Voucher! (In addition to your Refund which I'm Guessing will go to your Company right??) Please Keep us Informed and be Safe and Warm! Bon Voyage Home!!!
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ALC Rail Writer
Engineer
Sarah were there any trains running into FTW at that point? It seems silly that an employee would let your stand around when the trains were cancelled. I also would complain about there not being a posting or announcement at the station that your train had been canceled. An agent at FTW should have helped you with more information.
You should make sure to get a refund and voucher, at least enough to offset any expenses you incurred tonight.
You should make sure to get a refund and voucher, at least enough to offset any expenses you incurred tonight.
State Farm will get refunded for the rail portion, and I'll get refunded for the roomette. I'l straighten out the Chicago/Kalamazoo ticket issue at the same time.
As far as tonight's expenses and the flight tomorrow, that's covered by State Farm. I'll get reimbursed for the hotel, and they're picking up the flight. Since my travel was canceled, they're considering tonight and tomorrow as "business travel" since it's obviously not my fault I couldn't get home. They're also paying for all of my coworkers who were stranded here.
I might ask Amtrak for a voucher, though. Yes, it's my fault for not ensuring they had my number, and yes, I should have double-checked the status before I left the hotel, but I'm still pretty irked about the attitude at the station. I'm also irked that the agent didn't even ask if I was ok, if I was stuck, if needed a hotel, etc. I didn't even think to ask because I was so focused on wondering if I'd be able to get home in time to take my final exams on Monday.
Also, they did have "#22 - terminated" written on the white board, but it was on the side facing the wall. :huh: The agent turned it around after three more people went up to the desk to inquire about #22. I almost blew a gasket at that point.
Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, the pax were put off at Fort Worth and then given free tickets on the TRE, which took them to Union Station. I overheard the agent telling a couple about it when they asked when their son would be arriving.
As far as tonight's expenses and the flight tomorrow, that's covered by State Farm. I'll get reimbursed for the hotel, and they're picking up the flight. Since my travel was canceled, they're considering tonight and tomorrow as "business travel" since it's obviously not my fault I couldn't get home.
They're also paying for all of my coworkers who were stranded here.I might ask Amtrak for a voucher, though. Yes, it's my fault for not ensuring they had my number, and yes, I should have double-checked the status before I left the hotel, but I'm still pretty irked about the attitude at the station. I'm also irked that the agent didn't even ask if I was ok, if I was stuck, if needed a hotel, etc. I didn't even think to ask because I was so focused on wondering if I'd be able to get home in time to take my final exams on Monday.
Also, they did have "#22 - terminated" written on the white board, but it was on the side facing the wall. :huh: The agent turned it around after three more people went up to the desk to inquire about #22. I almost blew a gasket at that point.
Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, the pax were put off at Fort Worth and then given free tickets on the TRE, which took them to Union Station. I overheard the agent telling a couple about it when they asked when their son would be arriving.
Thanks Sarah! Amtrak really Messed with the Pooch on this One! That Dallas Agent sounds like they are in Need of Re-Training or De-Training!! (Permanently!) i'm glad you and your Co-workers were Given Good Service by your Company , maybe the Good neighbor could help Train Amtrak Customer Service Reps! (You'd be Great at this! )
I know you'll keep us Informed, Hopefully youll be in Cold Michigan by Tomorrow Night! :lol: As a Previous Poster said Your Updated Trip Report can be Titled "The Out of Towners/Part II!" :giggle:
Pleasant Dreams and Good Traveling!!!!
)I know you'll keep us Informed, Hopefully youll be in Cold Michigan by Tomorrow Night! :lol: As a Previous Poster said Your Updated Trip Report can be Titled
"The Out of Towners/Part II!" :giggle:Pleasant Dreams and Good Traveling!!!!
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buddy559
Service Attendant
Doh!Tomorrow's flight just got canceled.
ALC Rail Writer
Engineer
Double drat.Tomorrow's flight just got canceled.
Maybe not. Sarah posted on Facebook:Double drat.Tomorrow's flight just got canceled.
Another friend says that it's impossible to reach American by phone.
Ryan
Court Jester
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