Fire impacts Coast Starlight (6/29/21)

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No they won't. If you try to book LAX-SEA after the 14th but before the end of the month, it offers you the CS to SAC, a bus to KFS, and then a train the rest of the way. Sounds like they recognize a reality of the situation and have made arraignments for a bus bridge to be in place for as long as is necessary.
Ok when I posted they hadn't yet updated it in their system. Seems they finally have... though they haven't reached out to customers who already have reservations. Mine's just completely disappeared from the app and if you try to access it from the website it just gives you an error when you click on it.
 
Ok when I posted they hadn't yet updated it in their system. Seems they finally have... though they haven't reached out to customers who already have reservations. Mine's just completely disappeared from the app and if you try to access it from the website it just gives you an error when you click on it.
Get on the horn and call so Amtrak can send you an Update with a pdf of your rez!
 
Sitting on a bus for the overnight portion of the trip as appealing as that sounds is not for me, I’ll be asking for my points back.
That bus sounds better than what the riders of the SWC are getting today. They have a 7+ hour bus ride between Kansas City and Chicago due to a freight derailment. And it certainly sounds better than being stuck in an airplane on the ground for hours, which has happened to people. Be glad Amtrak is easier to deal with than airlines as for getting your money/points back.
 
I just checked Amtrak's dynamic Schedules feature (yes, I prefer timetables, too, but this is coming in handy right now) and it is showing a bus bridge until Tuesday, September 7th, with the train resuming running the entire route on Wednesday, September 8th.
 
That bus sounds better than what the riders of the SWC are getting today. They have a 7+ hour bus ride between Kansas City and Chicago due to a freight derailment. And it certainly sounds better than being stuck in an airplane on the ground for hours, which has happened to people. Be glad Amtrak is easier to deal with than airlines as for getting your money/points back.
Edit: Just checked the CS schedule and I see the bus bridge is 7 hours also :(
 
Edit: Just checked the CS schedule and I see the bus bridge is 7 hours also :(
Looks like the bus will be making stops at Dunsmuir, Redding and Chico. Google maps shows a trip time of 1:33 between Chico Amtrak and Sacramento Valley station. With a Chico departure of 2:50 am, that should put the bus at Sacramento station 4:20- 4:30 ish.

Hope they open the train for boarding when the bus gets there.
 
Looks like the bus will be making stops at Dunsmuir, Redding and Chico. Google maps shows a trip time of 1:33 between Chico Amtrak and Sacramento Valley station. With a Chico departure of 2:50 am, that should put the bus at Sacramento station 4:20- 4:30 ish.

Hope they open the train for boarding when the bus gets there.


I would hope they do too. I'm scheduled to ride the CS starting from Seattle on Oct. 1st and going the full length of the route to LA. I'd think the repairs would be completed before then, but if not, then a bustitution it is. I'm just glad that Amtrak will reinstate the bus bridge.
 
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I just checked Amtrak's dynamic Schedules feature (yes, I prefer timetables, too, but this is coming in handy right now) and it is showing a bus bridge until Tuesday, September 7th, with the train resuming running the entire route on Wednesday, September 8th.
I have a reservation for a roomette on the Starlight on August 23 from Seattle to Santa Barbara. I just checked Amtrak's website and that date now shows a bus bridge from Klamath Falls (departing 10:00pm) to Sacramento (arriving 5:30am). Obviously, not pleasant for a sleeper passenger with nearly the entire overnight portion of the trip on a bus. I used points for this trip. If I decide to go ahead, how does Amtrak calculate a partial refund of points? Or, if I decide to cancel, do I get a full refund of my points?
 
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View attachment 23528
UP is replacing the whole bridge.
Probably need only to replace the deck structure leaving the foundation supports in place.
Photo does not show the B-I-G whole picture.
Shows a couple of cranes - - -
Shows the decking removed from the left side of the photo

Amazed with the speed of restoring rail lines due to crashes derailments and the slings and pains of outrageous unfortunate accidents !
 
I think their guess is better than ours as they are certainly in touch with UP. ;)
Do you think UP really knows how long it is going to take either?

They are just best-guessing too and of course are trying to sound optimistic for their customers.

I'd plan on it being until at least Labor Day.
 
I have a reservation for a roomette on the Starlight on August 23 from Seattle to Santa Barbara. I just checked Amtrak's website and that date now shows a bus bridge from Klamath Falls (departing 10:00pm) to Sacramento (arriving 5:30am). Obviously, not pleasant for a sleeper passenger with nearly the entire overnight portion of the trip on a bus. I used points for this trip. If I decide to go ahead, how does Amtrak calculate a partial refund of points? Or, if I decide to cancel, do I get a full refund of my points?
Amtrak had traditionally allowed full points refunds if you cancel in situations like this.

If you still plan to go through with it, I'd call them up and see what they'll offer. They'll probably give you a partial refund anyway, but better to be proactive.

If it were me, I'd bag it. I would not do an overnight bus, period.
 
Probably need only to replace the deck structure leaving the foundation supports in place.
Photo does not show the B-I-G whole picture.
Shows a couple of cranes - - -
Shows the decking removed from the left side of the photo

Amazed with the speed of restoring rail lines due to crashes derailments and the slings and pains of outrageous unfortunate accidents !
I did not say that based on a picture. I was “quoting” what someone on another forum had said about replacing the whole bridge.
 
I'll be on the CS on Sept 12 from Sea to Sac. At least there will be bustitution starting soon. The Sea to Sac leg is part of my rail pass. Without that route,I'd have a lot of rearranging to do.
 
That bus sounds better than what the riders of the SWC are getting today. They have a 7+ hour bus ride between Kansas City and Chicago due to a freight derailment. And it certainly sounds better than being stuck in an airplane on the ground for hours, which has happened to people. Be glad Amtrak is easier to deal with than airlines as for getting your money/points back.
Where is this derailment? Seems like they have more alternate rail routes available in this case, including an Amtrak route (via St. Louis), so why the bus (except for intermediate stop passengers)?
 
Where is this derailment? Seems like they have more alternate rail routes available in this case, including an Amtrak route (via St. Louis), so why the bus (except for intermediate stop passengers)?
"Derailment in Marceline, MO blocking both mains."
 
A question. With all the construction going on how is UP going to get the needed specialty steel ? The statement by UP of fixing tracks means what ? Wooden ties, rail, switches, signals, signal bungalows ??? They might cannibalize other improvements but signal bungalows are another matter.,
equipment from other locations are different. Ground conductivity, block distances, resistance, impedance. All in all a very difficult engineering feat. Just thought if satellite equipment destroyed can the carrier provide replacement equipment quickly ?
 
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