C
Charles
Guest
Hi - I've always wondered why opposing trains on a route have roughly the same day/night running?
We do have to keep in mind that, since the train runs basically 24/7, it cannot have all daytime stops ... just not possible
As I think I understand the question being: "why do LD trains cover the same territory in daylight regardless of eastward or westward direction?", the answer is reasonably simple.
It all comes down to making connections in Chicago and reasonable arrival and departure times at end point cities.
In Chicago, the general 'pattern' is trains from the east arrive in the 9AM-Noon time slot and make connections to the west in the 2PM-4PM time slot. Trains from the west arrive in the 2PM-4PM time slot to connect to east coast trains departing 6PM-10PM. Throw in the need to keep platforms reasonably open during the AM and PM rush hours for Metra commuter trains at both sides of the station. Having all the trains from both coasts arrive at 7-9AM, for example, would would cause major delays to Metra trains due to lack of track and platforms. In short, connectivity to other LD trains and working with Metra are paramount to scheduling trains at Chicago. The same 'rules' apply to NYP, PHL, WAS, and LAX, too. Amtrak scheduling generally avoids commuter train rush hours at the major stations.
Passengers generally want to depart and arrive during daylight hours. But early evening is reasonable as well. #48 departing CHI at 9:30PM is scheduled as a 'clean up' train that carries misconnects from the West and sometimes (note: 'sometimes') will wait for really late trains from the west. For what it's worth, back in the late '70s, I'd arrive at CUS on the Cardinal about 8-9PM (the schedule was 12 hrs different than today) as it allowed me to be at an east coast client and make it aboard the Cardinal at WAS for its then 9:30PM departure, even connecting from late east coast LD trains. I'd then take the North Star at 10:30PM to Milwaukee where I lived at the time. Unfortunately, that Cardinal schedule and the North Star are both gone, likely never to return.
So, what happens with the one LD train per day, the both the first and last 300-500 miles are in daylight (summer time), and everywhere in the middle gets whatever arrival/departure times the LD train passes through. That's why Cleveland, Minneapolis, and San Antonio are generally in the dark both ways most of the year. Also note that the more scenic portions of each LD route are done in daylight both ways, a notable exception is the New River Gorge on the Cardinal and the Hudson and Mohawk rivers on the Lake Shore Ltd. Both scenic highlights are in daylight one way only.
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