Bigval109
OBS Chief
When I try to check on train 5 or six at Reno all I'm getting is service disruption. Does anyone know where the detour is taking the CZ.
CZ service disruption
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There's no detour. The route is being shortened at Roseville, CA, for the time being. The "Service Disruption" message is pretty much standard whenever there is something preventing the train from serving all the stations on a route.
Z
Zepherette
Guest
There will be detours this summer, 4 days a week. Check the latest Amtrak timetable for details. On these days, the trains will go by way of Wyoming, and the Colorado Rockies will be missed (Winter Park, Granby, Glenwood Springs, Grand Junction). The reason for this is UP maintenance work in the mountains. The same thing happened last year as I recall. If you want to go thru the Moffat Tunnel and see the Rockies this summer, you will need to be sure and try to pick the right days for your trip. But even then I suspect there may be last minute changes.
M
Mountainman
Guest
The bridge was repaired yesterday, March 27, but who knows when pax trains will be allowed again.l
M
Mountainman
Guest
Just found out that train 5 did cross the newly rebuilt trestle Wednesday evening (around 3 hours ago). Both Zephyrs trains 5 and 6 are supposed to run tomorrow (Thursday). The Capitol train won't resume until Friday at the earliest.
Is there a place where Amtrak can tell you if the Zepher trip your planing to take will be not going along the regular route. I have been looking at a trip on the CZ and the trip thru Glenwood, ect is the main reason.
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This is something I've been harping on for some time, now. Whether the disruptions are Amtrak's "fault" or not, they need to do a better job of communicating them. Twice now I've had vacations cancelled, and my way of finding out about them was hanging out on internet message boards and hearing "rumors." I would have been out hundreds of dollars in hotel cancellation costs if I had waited for Amtrak to tell me. Someone in this thread has said that notice appears in the new national timetable (I haven't gotten mine, yet). If so, that's a step in the right direction.
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Rafi
Conductor
Well, here's what the new timetable says on Page 85 (the CZ page):
No specific days are mentioned since it's really UP's track work schedule that's in flux, I guess.
All the same, I'd like to go DEN-PRO on Sunday, June 24 so that my wife and I can see the canyon, but I can't in good conscience book that ticket (and the Denver hotel, and the flight to Denver, etc, etc) just because I'm crossing my fingers, hoping that I get lucky. I just wish they'd communicate what the probable dates are, and then update from there as necessary.
-Rafi
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- Feb 18, 2003
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I presume you mean Glenwood Canyon, not Grand Canyon. Right now the work schedules by the Union Pacific are probably not specific enough to positively identify actual dates. Since you are travelling in May, and since May is the start month for the project, four days a week suggests that you have a less than 50% chance of going through Glenwood Canyon.
Torgo90
Train Attendant
Amtrak's lack of communication to its passengers other than through last minute phone calls really puts a bad taste in my mouth.
According to some dweeb that spoke to me during lunch at last weeks NARP meeting in Chicago the problem is that they would need to add a manager to post these things on the web or send e-mails. Mr. Dweeb informed me that the only way this could ever happen is if S.294 gets passed so they can increase their management base, as well as it is solely President Bush's fault that CZ delay information is treated as a National Secret. No kidding. I assume they would then need a team of 12 managers to make sure the Manager of Web and E-mail Posting is doing his job properly.
Fellas, the more I dig the more I am getting turned off about Amtrak. Aint nothin gonna change over there. Never ever ever.
Play pretend Amtrak with your basement layouts and forget about the real deal.
Sigh,
Nate
According to some dweeb that spoke to me during lunch at last weeks NARP meeting in Chicago the problem is that they would need to add a manager to post these things on the web or send e-mails. Mr. Dweeb informed me that the only way this could ever happen is if S.294 gets passed so they can increase their management base, as well as it is solely President Bush's fault that CZ delay information is treated as a National Secret. No kidding. I assume they would then need a team of 12 managers to make sure the Manager of Web and E-mail Posting is doing his job properly.
Fellas, the more I dig the more I am getting turned off about Amtrak. Aint nothin gonna change over there. Never ever ever.
Play pretend Amtrak with your basement layouts and forget about the real deal.
Sigh,
Nate
G
Guest
Guest
Well, I guess if you don't like it, don't travel via Amtrak! That will leave more room for those of us that enjoy the experience, even with all the 'inconveniences'. And, by the way, we're not all 'fellas' on this board.
Torgo90
Train Attendant
Thing is, Ms. Guest, I do like it and enjoy the experience. I like model trains too, all of my Marklin crap was pulled out of their boxes after my Christmas Amtrak journey and is still laying all over the basement workbench.
I don't know if you noticed, but there already is plenty of room on board Amtrak LD. That's because Amtrak gets very little repeat business from people who are not railfans, likely because of 'inconvieniences' like not being able to get information about their detoured and delayed trains and then losing money on hotel reservations and cruises.
I went to the NARP meeting in Chicago last weekend. I am not pulling any punches here, ladies and gents, most of the people in that room waxed-on about passenger rails glory days and how Bush and McCain were the reasons that Amtrak is what it is. Then someone talked to me about their basement Amtrak layout. Talking model railroading and ATSF Bi-levels and Pullmans is fine, but if that's the substance of those meetings then it's no wonder so many people want to kill Amtrak. Some guy asked Marc Maglieri when they were going to "fix up Chicago Union Station". I got up and asked where they advertised LD other then AARP Magazine. You don't ask the Media Relations Manager when they are going to paint the train station, you ask him why their marketing appears to be non-existent. I would have liked to ask him other things but by then the MHSR guys were getting irritated with me because I was holding up lunch
I am frusterated with an apparant lack of drive over at Amtrak, lots of things could be done better under their current budget. I think there are people on this board who share my sentiment, there are over at railroad.net. And a "love it or leave it" attitude will assure the only train ride you'll be taking in the future will be on the AOE (or whatever it is now) for $4500.
Nate
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Nate, with all respect, that is simply not a true statement. The poor beleaguered Coast Starlight averaged 454 passengers during fiscal 2006. That's enough passengers to fill 2 sleepers and 5 coaches on each trip, assuming that everyone rode from end to end, something that we of course know doesn't happen. The City of New Orleans averaged 240 pax per day, enough for 2 sleepers and 2 coaches. Amtrak's best train, the Empire Builder, averaged almost 681 passengers, enough for 4 sleepers and 7 coaches.
Only the poor Sunset didn't come close to quite filling up its cars with an average of 71 pax per day, which doesn't quite fill up 1 sleeper and 1 coach. On the other hand, those numbers don't include pax who rode on the Texas Eagle's cars that ride along with the Sunset consist between LA and SAS.
But clearly the above numbers prove that there isn't plenty of room on most Amtrak long distance trains.
Well just in case Marc didn't answer your question, I will. Amtrak is advertising it's long distance trains here in the NY TV and radio market. In the past month or so, I've seen/heard more than one ad for long distance trains here. Yes, I've also seen/heard comercials for Acela too. But they are advertising the LD's in places besides AARP.Some guy asked Marc Maglieri when they were going to "fix up Chicago Union Station". I got up and asked where they advertised LD other then AARP Magazine. You don't ask the Media Relations Manager when they are going to paint the train station, you ask him why their marketing appears to be non-existent. I would have liked to ask him other things but by then the MHSR guys were getting irritated with me because I was holding up lunch
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Torgo90
Train Attendant
Statistically speaking, you're right Alan.
I am going from recent personal experience which I admit is not statistical or scientific. There were empty seats near me available both days a few weeks ago on the EB to SEA including the one next to me, the CS had plenty of open coach I was told (as well as sleepers, the Pac Parlour car was a ghost town), and the CZ... well we pulled an empty coach on the rear (might have been bad) and the other two coaches were sparse indeed (thought I saw some tumbleweed blowing down the aisles). Witnessed a number of on-board sleeper upgrades on that one too. Granted, it was the poor CZ. I believe all of these trains are run shorter than they were 20 years ago as well, running today's "full train" with two coaches does not consitute success in my book.
And frankly, it was said in response to Ms. Guest's "more room for me" mentality. I'll say it again another way: the best way to kill Amtrak is to have it reduced to transporting railfan foamers around like an amusement ride at the fair. No offense to railfans, I am becoming more of one myself... watch a lot of "Tracks Ahead" on PBS now. There just isn't enough of us. And railfans taking all of the cons of riding Amtrak with a grain of salt does not help the big picture.
Regarding LD advertising, Marc satisfactorily answered my question along those lines. It will be good to see those ads. I fondly remember the "See the USA from See Level" commercials from when I was a kid.
I hope everyone here realizes my newfound passion for Amtrak and my reasoning for getting antsy about it on this board. It could be better, even without S.294 funding. With better management practices and business processes along with S.294 it would be exceptional.
I am going from recent personal experience which I admit is not statistical or scientific. There were empty seats near me available both days a few weeks ago on the EB to SEA including the one next to me, the CS had plenty of open coach I was told (as well as sleepers, the Pac Parlour car was a ghost town), and the CZ... well we pulled an empty coach on the rear (might have been bad) and the other two coaches were sparse indeed (thought I saw some tumbleweed blowing down the aisles). Witnessed a number of on-board sleeper upgrades on that one too. Granted, it was the poor CZ. I believe all of these trains are run shorter than they were 20 years ago as well, running today's "full train" with two coaches does not consitute success in my book.
And frankly, it was said in response to Ms. Guest's "more room for me" mentality. I'll say it again another way: the best way to kill Amtrak is to have it reduced to transporting railfan foamers around like an amusement ride at the fair. No offense to railfans, I am becoming more of one myself... watch a lot of "Tracks Ahead" on PBS now. There just isn't enough of us. And railfans taking all of the cons of riding Amtrak with a grain of salt does not help the big picture.
Regarding LD advertising, Marc satisfactorily answered my question along those lines. It will be good to see those ads. I fondly remember the "See the USA from See Level" commercials from when I was a kid.
I hope everyone here realizes my newfound passion for Amtrak and my reasoning for getting antsy about it on this board.
It could be better, even without S.294 funding. With better management practices and business processes along with S.294 it would be exceptional.
wkaemena
Lead Service Attendant
I was wondering if the service interruption west of Denver would be likely over the weekend??? I booked CZ on 12 of June from CHI = 13 of June West of Denver..... which is a wednesday
wkaemena
Lead Service Attendant
Can somebody give me a hint which way the detour will take and how scenic that detour might be?
G
Guest
Guest
Where did you get this info from? I couldn't find it on amtrak.com.
I booked tickets for June 18th and now I am really woried.
It's listed in the new time tables that take effect on Monday. You can also view the note at the bottom of the second page of the online version located here.Where did you get this info from? I couldn't find it on amtrak.com.
I booked tickets for June 18th and now I am really woried.
G
Guest
Guest
Oh no!!! How do we know which days of the week are affected?It's listed in the new time tables that take effect on Monday. You can also view the note at the bottom of the second page of the online version located here.Where did you get this info from? I couldn't find it on amtrak.com.
I booked tickets for June 18th and now I am really woried.
Can we exchange tickets for the other day?
I called Amtrak and was told that the days of the week aren't certain yet. It's really up to Union Pacific to decide these things, not Amtrak, so there's nothing Amtrak can do about giving notice this far in advance. However, in years past, Amtrak has issued a release as soon as the detour dates were known.
Bigval109
OBS Chief
wellI 'm on the CZ on May 18 and I'll just enjoy a route that is new to me. I rode the CZ twice last year for the enjoyment of the ride and the sights. So a little diversion might be nice.
G
Guest
Guest
Please keep us updated about detours.
wkaemena
Lead Service Attendant
Anybody able to give an idea which route the detour might take??
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