I just noticed that 92 gets into WAS three minutes too late to be a legal connection to 29. Would it be logistically difficult for Amtrak to either have 92 depart MIA three minutes earlier, tighten the en route dwell time for 92 by three minutes, or have 29 depart WAS three minutes later? Or is this schedule purposeful because Amtrak does not want to guarantee a connection between the two trains?
Logistics of enabling connection between 92 and 29
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the_traveler
Engineer
Part of the problem with those above ideas is that trains have to run in certain time slots, as not to interfere with other trains using the same track. Remember that Amtrak is not the only train on the track - and many routes are sIngle tracked. You can’t have 2 trains going in opposite directions on one track!
That is also why you may see a train departing at say 3:02 or 5:47 instead of 3 or 5:45.
That is also why you may see a train departing at say 3:02 or 5:47 instead of 3 or 5:45.
jis
Permanent Way Inspector
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I doubt that CSX really cares about three minutes this way or that way, even in the currently fashionable Precision Railroading. 
Ryan
Court Jester
Looking at a little over a year's worth of data, the connection gets missed over 1/3 of the time. Futzing with the schedule to make it a legal connection wouldn't end well much of the time. I'd hazard a guess that it's scheduled that way precisely to prevent it from being a legal connection, given 92's poor performance into WAS.
Frankly, although the connection between 30 and 91 is guaranteed (at least now), I think it is too tight. In the last 6 months, I have been on 97 at least twice where the connection to 91 was missed and those passengers were on 97.
brianpmcdonnell17
Conductor
The three minutes isn't the issue; other connections are guaranteed that are shorter, such as 14 to 28. However, it is too risky given current OTP, with it only being made 66% of the time over the past year. Meanwhile, 30 to 91 has a success rate of 84%, which is apparently enough for a guaranteed connection.
That’s interesting that that is permitted. I thought the minimum connection time for connections from long distance trains was 90 minutes. Is that something that's more of a guideline than a hard and fast rule, or am I mistaken about that being a thing at all?
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Of course you can. Railroads have been doing that for almost 200 years. The only problem is that they can't pass each other. Well, there is one small additional problem ...
Then again, if they are heading away from each other, there is no problem!
