#6 always late?

[happy2meetu]

I am catching the #6 in SLC going to Chi. When looking at the stats it has only been on time once in 30 days and has been very late the bulk of the time. We are leaving on April 27. Is this the normal state of affairs for the route and should we just plan on being in the station for awhile?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

About 1/2 of the late trains in March were under 1-1/2 hours. The one's with major delays were most likely due to flooding or freight delays.

https://juckins.net/amtrak_status/archive/html/history.php?train_num=6&station=slc&date_start=03%2F01%2F2017&date_end=03%2F31%2F2017&df1=1&df2=1&df3=1&df4=1&df5=1&df6=1&df7=1&sort=d_ar&sort_dir=DESC&co=gt&limit_mins=&dfon=1

 

[RSG]

It helps to track the train before it gets into your station; if you’re electronically connected, signing up for the text message alerts from Amtrak is helpful, as is doing periodic status updates via smartphone or other device. With a little practice, you can get pretty good at determining when the train is likely to arrive in your station and thus not have to wait around too long.

A couple of years ago I was on #6 and there were delays (exactly why I no longer remember) so that the arrival time into SLC (normally 3:05 AM) was actually around 10:30 AM. I would have hated to be someone who came there at 2:30 and waited without knowing the situation in advance.

 

[happy2meetu]

Hopefully I will be able to track it and not leave my hotel in the middle of the night and then have to sit several hours in a cramped station. I understand that sometimes trains are late, but would like someway to not show up so early that I sit for hours.

 

[PaulM]

I understand that sometimes trains are late, but would like someway to not show up so early that I sit for hours.

FWIW it seems Amtrak's train status has become more accurate in recent years.

 

[chakk]

The tricky part for #6 departing SLC is if it leaves Elko on time (or close to it), but then encounters problems (signals, freight breakdown, track washout) east of Elko. Much of that area is very remote and Amtrak's tracking system may have some problems in accurately determining train location until it gets within 40 miles of SLC.

 

[John Bobinyec]

Here's a list of options for tracking the trains: Guide.

jb