Miam to Seattle in February

[luckysll]

I am going on a cruise in late January. I'm flying to Miami and taking the train back from Miami to Seattle following the cruise - four days on the trains (early February) and I am so looking forward to it.

My question is: do the trains get delayed by snow storms? You hear about air travel being delayed, but I don't think I've ever heard about the trains (or maybe I just never payed attention before!). Has anyone had any experiences with this?

I don't really mind if there is a delay, because I'm retired, so no panic to get home. Just curious with travelling that time of year and what to expect.

 

[WICT106]

Well, trains do get delayed, but not by snowstorms. Most of the rails over which Amtrak travels are owned by the freight railroads, and their attitudes towards Amtrak can vary greatly from tolerant and cooperative (BNSF, the RR over which the Empire Builder travels) to indifferent (Norfolk Southern, over which the Capitol Ltd. travels west of Pittsburgh PA) to unwelcoming (Union Pacific, and CSX Corp., over which the trains travel from Miami to DC, and DC to Pittsburgh PA). These railroads handle all of the traffic dispatching and do all of their own maintenance as well, so Amtrak has no control over how well those two items are performed, either.

BNSF has made "good faith" efforts to get Amtrak's trains over their rails in a punctual and professional fashion. Contrast that with CSX Corp. and UP RR, who have so many congestion problems at different points in their systems, and so much deferred track maintenance, that you will wonder how they get anything anywhere in a timely fashion.

Wither or not your train is delayed can depend not only upon the weather, but also on these other factors that Amtrak has no control over. However, I'd like to note that the passenger train is the closest method yet to an all-weather form of travel. In order to have any sort of snow delays, you'd have to have one whale of a storm. The best advice I can give you would be to be patient. You'll be passing through some areas that you'll never see from the Highway.

 

[PRR 60]

I will take a slightly more pessimistic viewpoint toward Amtrak’s winter reliability, but not one that should deter you from your trip.

Winter weather can be very tough on Amtrak and train travel. Trains rely upon a whole range of facilities from the track and switches to the signals and grade crossings. Each of these can be affected by the weather, especially snow. In the relatively rare extreme, Amtrak routes can be halted for days or even weeks by extreme weather as was the case last winter when the Amtrak route between Chicago and the San Francisco area was closed west of Denver for about six weeks due to excessive snow and rock slides.

As the prior poster stated, Amtrak relies upon the owners of the tracks for being able to operate trains in bad weather. With freight railroads focusing on their business of moving coal and cars and the like, applying the massive resources that would be required to keep the lines open 24/7 in all weather for one or two passenger trains is simply not feasible. The days of rail being all-weather transportation are long gone. As a result, expect that a major snow storm along your path will significantly delay your trip.

So, that’s the bad news. What is the good news? Well, if you do not mind the potential for delay (and you indicated you would not), then traveling in comfort and safety through a snow storm would be a great experience. You probably will be hours late, but you will move through simply beautiful countryside and will actually be able to enjoy the views of the fresh fallen snow. You will not have to worry about road conditions, your tires, or that other driver who thinks it is fun to drive 60mph on icy roads. You will be able to look out and just admire the scene passing by.

I think a winter trip by rail is a great idea. Enjoy your ride.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the responses. As I indicated, I'm not too bothered by the possibility of delays. In fact, delays would only mean more stories to tell when I get home.

The funny thing is, the reason why I decided to take the train was because the only flights back were through Chicago, Toronto, Denver, etc., and I hate flying into anyplace with the possibility of getting stranded due to snow, de-icing, etc. Always try to fly the warmest route possible. The idea of being stranded on the train due to snow doesn't bother me at all. As long as I get home eventually, I know I'll enjoy the experience.

 

[Guest]

Was on the southbound Palmetto DC-Tampa, (prior to truncation). Ice storm had knocked out power and frozen everything. 34-37 hour delay(stuck on train).

When the sheriff's deputies arrived in somewhere, SC, they told us to be lucky-- the train had heat, something everyone else was lacking in the area thanks to the power outtages.

Why that train wasn't cancelled is beyond me.

 

[RKA]

I have well over 40,000 miles of rail travel on Amtrak as well as VIA in Canada. I would guess that more than 60% is in winter. Last year on the Empire Builder across ND and Montana the snow was above the fence post and still coming down. In all of this rail travel I have never once been delayed by the weather. As mentioned above lots of things not in Amtrack's control can delay you but it is unlikely to be the weather.

You did not say what your route would be. I would guess as follows:

MIA to WAS

WAS to CHI

CHI to SEA

If that is your route you should have a good trip. The Empire Builder is my favorite Amtrak train. I hope you have booked a sleeper.

Have fun and have a great trip.

RBK

 

[Amtrak Watcher]

I have never been delayed by the weather on Amtrak, but have suffered through un-counted delays and multi-day cancellations with the airlines. I have been delayed -after departure- on a few occasion by things like frozen switches and signaling outages along the tracks, which I guess you could put in the category of weather delays, but I have never seen a canceled train departure due to weather. The key point here is that when you are delayed, the inconvenience is nothing like it is with all other forms of travel: you are not separated from your bags, the heat still works, and the food and drink seems to never run out.

 

[AmtrakFan]

Was on the southbound Palmetto DC-Tampa, (prior to truncation). Ice storm had knocked out power and frozen everything. 34-37 hour delay(stuck on train).
When the sheriff's deputies arrived in somewhere, SC, they told us to be lucky-- the train had heat, something everyone else was lacking in the area thanks to the power outtages.

Why that train wasn't cancelled is beyond me.

They couldn't get the transpertation there.