Empire Builder

[lionelhoguy]

Overall I have to say our trip was great. Larry our SCA was great, the crew in the diner were friendly and we met some really nice people. The fact that we came into SEA 30 minutes early was a real bonus. The only thing I would do different is to bring more batteries for my scanner and GPS. I really hope our trip from OLW , PDX to CBS runs half as smooth. Thank you every one for your suggestions. All the stuff here was a real help for a first time rider!

 

[TraneMan]

Great to hear it was in early!

Now just hope it's on the upward trend for the rest of the year!

 

[scrooge]

We have just arrived 36 minutes early in Seattle on Empire Builder having come from Boston. As far as I am concerned everything went according to timetable, meals were ok, the vast majority of the staff we encountered were very obliging and courteous (hats off to Kevin in the dining car), a couple could do with a bit of customer care education. Look forward to the return trip in two weeks time.

Going through the devils lake area is a bit scary, water, water everywhere. Minot station is still not functioning as it should.

 

[Brandon V]

Ok folks, I'd like some kind advice. I'm thinking about taking Amtrak on my first cross-country journey to Portland, Oregon. I'm thinking of doing it in November, as i've seen several days via Amsnag where the Roomette ex msp to pdx is showing $187 plus 187 for rail fare... msp-sea on 7 and then cascades 513 can choose business seat for 16 more... getting in on the 7th of nov as an example and leaving on the 5th from msp... now if i am to schedule an outbound international flight from portland, how many days should i plan for if a possible delay were to happen enroute?

I'd like to stay in PDX a few days prior to boarding the plane(s) to jet off to Asia.

 

[Scrooge]

In the last couple of weeks all the data available from various sources shows that the timetable is working reasonably well. You do get the odd accident delay, 8 hours when a car tried to beat the number 8 EB over a crossing in Montana and did not quite make it. Track works crop up from day to day. Check the Amtrak website daily for service updates.

 

[DET63]

How do Amtrak delays on LD trains like 11/14, 7/8, 5/6, etc., compare with

1. Other, non-LD, trains on the Amtrak system?
   
2. LD trains and other trains in other countries (especially in the Western Hemisphere)?
   
3. Greyhound?
   
4. Airlines?
   

 

[anir dendroica]

How many days? 1.

Based on watching the EB for the past few years I'd say your probabilities stack up as follows (for arrival into Seattle):

50% on time or less than 30 minutes late

30% 1-2 hours late

10% 2-6 hours late

5% 6-18 hours late

5% train cancelled with no alternate transportation.

November doesn't usually have cancellations but early season blizzards and freight derailments can happen. If the train is cancelled you will be notified as soon as Amtrak makes the decision (usually the day before your scheduled departure, though short notice is possible). Note that Amtrak sometimes cancels trains for several consecutive days to allow trains/crews to get back on schedule, so if you want to be 100% comfortable be prepared to book a last-minute flight to PDX should that rare event occur. The latest I've seen a train is 24-25 hours behind, but this happens so rarely that it's not worth planning for. If you give yourself a 12-18 hour buffer by leaving the next day you should be safe.

Mark

Ok folks, I'd like some kind advice. I'm thinking about taking Amtrak on my first cross-country journey to Portland, Oregon. I'm thinking of doing it in November, as i've seen several days via Amsnag where the Roomette ex msp to pdx is showing $187 plus 187 for rail fare... msp-sea on 7 and then cascades 513 can choose business seat for 16 more... getting in on the 7th of nov as an example and leaving on the 5th from msp... now if i am to schedule an outbound international flight from portland, how many days should i plan for if a possible delay were to happen enroute?

I'd like to stay in PDX a few days prior to boarding the plane(s) to jet off to Asia.

 

[Brandon V]

I'm planning to stay in PDX a few days at the end anyways....

How many days? 1.

Based on watching the EB for the past few years I'd say your probabilities stack up as follows (for arrival into Seattle):

50% on time or less than 30 minutes late

30% 1-2 hours late

10% 2-6 hours late

5% 6-18 hours late

5% train cancelled with no alternate transportation.

November doesn't usually have cancellations but early season blizzards and freight derailments can happen. If the train is cancelled you will be notified as soon as Amtrak makes the decision (usually the day before your scheduled departure, though short notice is possible). Note that Amtrak sometimes cancels trains for several consecutive days to allow trains/crews to get back on schedule, so if you want to be 100% comfortable be prepared to book a last-minute flight to PDX should that rare event occur. The latest I've seen a train is 24-25 hours behind, but this happens so rarely that it's not worth planning for. If you give yourself a 12-18 hour buffer by leaving the next day you should be safe.

Mark

Ok folks, I'd like some kind advice. I'm thinking about taking Amtrak on my first cross-country journey to Portland, Oregon. I'm thinking of doing it in November, as i've seen several days via Amsnag where the Roomette ex msp to pdx is showing $187 plus 187 for rail fare... msp-sea on 7 and then cascades 513 can choose business seat for 16 more... getting in on the 7th of nov as an example and leaving on the 5th from msp... now if i am to schedule an outbound international flight from portland, how many days should i plan for if a possible delay were to happen enroute?

I'd like to stay in PDX a few days prior to boarding the plane(s) to jet off to Asia.

 

[eagle628]

How do Amtrak delays on LD trains like 11/14, 7/8, 5/6, etc., compare with

1. Other, non-LD, trains on the Amtrak system?
2. LD trains and other trains in other countries (especially in the Western Hemisphere)?
3. Greyhound?
4. Airlines?

1: Much worse

2: Spectacularly worse

3: Can't say for Greyhound, but for busses in general, somewhat worse

4: Quite a lot worse, except when something like a tornado or blizzard hits the airport you were scheduled to fly out of.

 

[anir dendroica]

How do Amtrak delays on LD trains like 11/14, 7/8, 5/6, etc., compare with

1. Other, non-LD, trains on the Amtrak system?
2. LD trains and other trains in other countries (especially in the Western Hemisphere)?
3. Greyhound?
4. Airlines?

1: Much worse

2: Spectacularly worse

3: Can't say for Greyhound, but for busses in general, somewhat worse

4: Quite a lot worse, except when something like a tornado or blizzard hits the airport you were scheduled to fly out of.

Eagle628 is probably correct overall, but I'll point out that 60-70% of the mentioned trains (CS, EB, CZ) run on time or nearly so. However, major delays (over four hours late) are much more common on Amtrak LD trains than with air or road transit. The major reason is a lack of routing flexibility. Planes can fly around storms and buses can detour around road closures. But when something blocks the tracks, Amtrak usually has to wait for the line to reopen. On 2000-mile routes with busy freight traffic, snafus (e.g. stalled freights, freight derailments, grade-crossing accidents, mud/rock/snowslides) are not uncommon.

Mark

 

[leonid1101]

Well, it seems it is about time for more misfortune to hit the poor Empire Builder. Just called the Amtrak out of Grand Forks, and there appears to be a freight derailment around Stanley, ND just ahead of the EB tonight (Friday night/Saturday morning). Sounds like the earliest it will arrive in GFK will be 8am, over 7 hours late. More likely, it will be much later than that.

 

[michael moffitt]

I see the service disruption as well, but very strange, nothing on the BNSF Service Advisory web site or in the news media in ND either.

Bummer