CZ #6 Question

[ScottC4746]

Continuing my bucket list of every Amtrak route from end to end in numerical (or close to) order, I am planing on leaving EMY-CHI on 18 January arriving 20 January about 2:15 PM. I should have my head examined for crossing the rockies in January, but do you think I could make an 8 PM flight from O'Hare Monday night, the same day I arrive into CHI?

 

[Joeker]

Allowing an hour to get O Hare by the Blue Line and an Hour or so for security So you need to be at the airport by 7:00 pm.

That means an arrival at CUS before 6:00 pm. Certainly doable IF the train is less than 3 hours late. In January its anybody's

guess as to the arrival time. 60-40 odds you make it.

JK

 

[gmushial]

You might look at the arrival times/delays for the last couple years and see what they've looked like. There are a couple people here that have significant archives of old/historic status data (arrival times/cancellations etc) - you might start there (this is not to say every year is created equal, but it least such will be a data driven hint). John Bobinyec might be a good starting point [he's the gent doing the stations status board displays http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/56640-station-status-boards-wish-list/ ... if he doesn't have data to share, I suspect he knows who does. ... I had been toying with the same idea, but a couple weeks earlier, ie, just after the 1st of the year... but not having time constraints, wasn't going to worry about being delayed - though would not like to be cancelled.

 

[the_traveler]

Personally, the crazy part is not crossing the Rockies in January in a train. To me, the crazy part is maybe getting to CHI late, trying to walk several blocks in the cold, wind and maybe snow -and during rush hour - to the "El" for a long ride to the airport (which again may be delayed), plus you never know the wait at "Security" at the Chicago airports (I've seen news reports on the Chicago news saying "Today at Security, the line was 3 hours long!"). And all this has to be done in "a few hours"? :huh:

My recommendation is to stay overnight (maybe near the airport) and fly back the next day.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I think I'd be more concerned about Nebraska & Iowa than the Rockies.

 

[JayPea]

It is doable if everything pans out, but not by me I would want to play it safe and stay over. Plus I'd want that overnight stay just to relax a bit and not be so rushed. Coincidentally I'm on 6 now, just west of Granby.

 

[tp49]

I don't think it's something I'd be comfortable doing especially considering the potential weather issues in Chicago during the winter. For this to work it would require the venerable perfect storm of everything going exactly right with very little room for error. YMMV.

 

[chakk]

But if the weather is bad in Chicado on your arrival, there is a high probability that your 8 PM flight would be delayed as well. And even if the weather is not bad that day in Chicago, it may well be winter-bad in some other city where your specific plane has visited earlier in the day, producing an up-stream delay that can't be recovered during the rest of the day.

It is a rather common occurance in the winter that late planes get later as the day goes on in regions where winter weather is common.

And if the CZ is running really late, you will know it early in the day and presumably could call the airline to let them know that you are "stuck in traffic" and don't exprect to make your departure.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

I wouldn't take the risk. Stay an extra night in Chicago or fly on a later plane.

 

[coachseats]

I personally wouldn't want the stress of worrying about making your flight so I agree with the people that recommend overnighting. But if you do want to risk it and are running late- you could bail out at Naperville and take a cab (would be a bit pricey) to O'Hare which would save you the time of staying on the train all the way downtown and then backtracking out to the airport. But then of course you have to take into account traffic... Plus you technically wouldn't be meeting your goal of riding the route from end to end. So maybe my idea wasn't the best advice after all.