Question about late arriving trains....

[Mommie to 5]

Hi all. I yet again followed another cool link (thanks so much) and stumbled upon the Amtrak On Time Performance website. I found out that the California Zephyr 5 train that we're taking next Tuesday has been more than 300 minutes late twice in the past week. Normally, I wouldn't mind at all, but again, I am traveling with my 8 year old daughter and 300 minutes late puts us waiting in SLC until past 4:00 in the morning. We are taking the Amtrak Thruway into SLC from Boise, so we don't really have any options about just arriving late to the station to accomodate that schedule.

Couple of questions there. First of all, is anyone familiar with the SLC station? Will I be able to find a place for my daughter to sleep if we need to be prepared for a long wait?

Secondly, I have paid for a roomette for that night. Should I make any sort of a stink about not being able to actually use it to sleep in the above mentioned worst case? I doubt if we were to board at 4:30 in the morning that we would be able to get much use out of it. I could certainly be wrong though. My assumption would be that we would want to be awake and exploring the train, eating our meals, etc.

Thank you all so much for your replies. I want to be sure that I'm as informed as possible about our travel plans. I can't tell you all how anxious I am to make this trip since reading of your wonderful experiences.

OH - PS. I called Amtrak today to inquire about the status of our return trip on the Coast Starlight on the 23rd. They said that someone will be calling me later this week to discuss possibly having to take a bus from Eugene to Portland. Does anyone know if this is a "for sure" or just a contigency plane???

 

[Green Maned Lion]

I wouldn't make a big stink about it, except to Amtrak's Customer Service people. The crew really aren't at fault and are just taking the brunt of lots of people upset about it.

 

[AlanB]

Secondly, I have paid for a roomette for that night. Should I make any sort of a stink about not being able to actually use it to sleep in the above mentioned worst case? I doubt if we were to board at 4:30 in the morning that we would be able to get much use out of it. I could certainly be wrong though. My assumption would be that we would want to be awake and exploring the train, eating our meals, etc.

I wouldn't make a stink to the crew or the station personel as there will be nothing that they can do. But once your trip is over, call up Amtrak at the toll free number, when Julie answers say "Agent", when you get an agent on the line, ask to be transferred to customer service. They are the only people that can give you some compensation for having lost out on the sleeper for the bulk of the night, if the worst case scenario happens.

Note: They will only give you compensation in the form of a voucher to be used on a future Amtrak trip. So if you don't plan to ride again in the near future, then there will be little point to calling. The voucher is good for one year, and provided that you mail it back to Amtrak before the expiration date, they will issue a new one good for yet another year.

OH - PS. I called Amtrak today to inquire about the status of our return trip on the Coast Starlight on the 23rd. They said that someone will be calling me later this week to discuss possibly having to take a bus from Eugene to Portland. Does anyone know if this is a "for sure" or just a contigency plane???

The bus will be from Klamath Falls to Eugene. You'll have a full, normal train with sleepers up to Klamath Falls. Then a bus from there to Eugene, followed by a coach only train to Portland. This is confirmed, as noted in the seperate topic currently running regarding the Coast Starlight.

 

[Mommie to 5]

Thanks so much Alan and GML. Do either of you know if the station in SLC is comfortable? Will it be possible for my little girl to catch a few zzzzz's if we need to wait that long?

PS - Don't worry - I am SO laid back about this trip. I am expecting delays and just trying to figure out what the norm is in how they are handled. We don't need to be in Anaheim until late Friday night and are scheduled to arrive there on Thursday morning. I hope that's plenty of time for delays. On the way home, heck, I'm coming home to four other children who didn't get to ride the train. I consider that a hostile mob and any delays would be appreciated! :lol:

 

[AlanB]

Thanks so much Alan and GML. Do either of you know if the station in SLC is comfortable? Will it be possible for my little girl to catch a few zzzzz's if we need to wait that long?

Sadly, no, I have no clue. The one time that I was in SLC on Amtrak, that being last summer, we were so early into SLC that the station wasn't even open yet. We arrived about 3 and a half hours early thanks to a detour that the train was taking last summer. So after wandering around outside for a little while, I just went back inside and got on the web with my laptop. By the time the station opened, I was probably fast asleep in my bed.

 

[AMTRAK-P42]

Thanks so much Alan and GML. Do either of you know if the station in SLC is comfortable? Will it be possible for my little girl to catch a few zzzzz's if we need to wait that long?

Sadly, no, I have no clue. The one time that I was in SLC on Amtrak, that being last summer, we were so early into SLC that the station wasn't even open yet. We arrived about 3 and a half hours early thanks to a detour that the train was taking last summer. So after wandering around outside for a little while, I just went back inside and got on the web with my laptop. By the time the station opened, I was probably fast asleep in my bed.

SLC is very very basic. The entire area is actually under construction in the immediate vicinity around the station. There are probably about 30 seats in the station, at most. 2 drink machines and a water fountain. It will not be too comfortable for sleep, but it is safe. The station is heated/cooled at least, but is not much bigger then a fairly large mobile home.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

I assume Salt Lake City had a Union station at some point, yes?

 

[the_traveler]

I guess the "old" station is being replace (thank goodness). When I was at SLC a few years ago, it was a small station, with just 20-30 hard plastic seats, the ticket counter, a few drink machines, bathrooms, a TV and not much more. I flew into SLC about 10 PM, and had to wait for the EB CZ until about 3 AM. The seats are not suitable for easy sleeping.

One good thing is that SLC is a scheduled extended stop. IF it is on time, it is scheduled to depart at 11:30 PM. But since it arrives at 11:00 PM, you can board then. The train will stay at the station until the scheduled departure time, but you will be aboard! (In fact, when I took the CZ, I was aboard and asleep before we even departed SLC! )

I assume Salt Lake City had a Union station at some point, yes?

Yes, the current station was/is (IIRC) the former D&RGW station. There was another station (Union Station) in SLC that was operated by UP. But the tracks have been removed, and (IIRC) it is now a shopping mall. (But the building still stands and is being used, just not for trains. )

 

[MrFSS]

Speaking of SLC, here is the link to their rail website: FrontLines 2015 Rail Construction Project

 

[AlanB]

I guess the "old" station is being replace (thank goodness).

Yes, a new intermodel station is being built in SLC. When completed, it will serve Amtrak, Frontrunner (Commuter service), TRAX (Light Rail), local buses, and intercity buses. At present the building only serves intercity buses, but the TRAX extension is scheduled to open this month and IIRC, Frontrunner starts running within the next couple of months too. When I went through last year, only one section of the building had been built, the rest was still under construction including the section that will serve Amtrak.

Here's a picture that one of the OTOL'ers took of an artists rendition of what the completed building will look like.

 

[Rail Freak]

I guess the "old" station is being replace (thank goodness).

Yes, a new intermodel station is being built in SLC. When completed, it will serve Amtrak, Frontrunner (Commuter service), TRAX (Light Rail), local buses, and intercity buses. At present the building only serves intercity buses, but the TRAX extension is scheduled to open this month and IIRC, Frontrunner starts running within the next couple of months too. When I went through last year, only one section of the building had been built, the rest was still under construction including the section that will serve Amtrak.

Here's a picture that one of the OTOL'ers took of an artists rendition of what the completed building will look like.

OTOL?

 

[AlanB]

OTOL?

On Track On Line

And their forums are at:

OTOL Forums

 

[Green Maned Lion]

No more beaux-arts city beautiful stations, huh?

 

[RobertF]

I assume Salt Lake City had a Union station at some point, yes?

SLC's Union Station is now a Mall called the Gateway. I live/work just a walk away. It's a beautiful building and it's a shame that it's not used for Amtrak anymore (it was long ago). The current Amtrak station is very sparse, as already described. 4am is quite early for catching any kind of transportation, in my opinion, even if it is a train.

If the train is 300 minutes late (6 hours!!) then you could take in Temple Square... it's a close cab ride away and usually open around 7am or so. It's a good way to burn some time.

 

[RobertF]

I guess the "old" station is being replace (thank goodness).

Yes, a new intermodel station is being built in SLC. When completed, it will serve Amtrak, Frontrunner (Commuter service), TRAX (Light Rail), local buses, and intercity buses. At present the building only serves intercity buses, but the TRAX extension is scheduled to open this month and IIRC, Frontrunner starts running within the next couple of months too. When I went through last year, only one section of the building had been built, the rest was still under construction including the section that will serve Amtrak.

Here's a picture that one of the OTOL'ers took of an artists rendition of what the completed building will look like.

Just got an email today about FrontRunner in fact. It starts operation 4/28. For the week before they will be allowing people to ride for free.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Good way to advertise the advantages!

 

[AmtrakCrescent20]

This page on the USA Passenger rail guide website has a few pictures of the station, probably enough to give you a general idea of what to expect

 

[Cascadia]

If the train is 300 minutes late (6 hours!!)

Hi Robert, don't mind me, but I can't resist correcting your math, 300 minutes should be 5 hours?

forgive me cause I'm tired and my shoulder hurts and this is about the level of discourse I'm up for lol. Wouldn't want to try getting more creative til I've had dinner.

There that's my contribution to the forum for now, lame as it is!

 

[Mommie to 5]

I guess the "old" station is being replace (thank goodness). When I was at SLC a few years ago, it was a small station, with just 20-30 hard plastic seats, the ticket counter, a few drink machines, bathrooms, a TV and not much more. I flew into SLC about 10 PM, and had to wait for the EB CZ until about 3 AM. The seats are not suitable for easy sleeping.
One good thing is that SLC is a scheduled extended stop. IF it is on time, it is scheduled to depart at 11:30 PM. But since it arrives at 11:00 PM, you can board then. The train will stay at the station until the scheduled departure time, but you will be aboard! (In fact, when I took the CZ, I was aboard and asleep before we even departed SLC! )

I assume Salt Lake City had a Union station at some point, yes?

Yes, the current station was/is (IIRC) the former D&RGW station. There was another station (Union Station) in SLC that was operated by UP. But the tracks have been removed, and (IIRC) it is now a shopping mall. (But the building still stands and is being used, just not for trains. )

I had to get a good chuckle going at that one Traveler. The shopping center is called The Gateway and it's one of my favorite places to shop in SLC. It didn't dawn on me until I read this that there is a big Union Pacific neon sign on the side of the mall that faces the used-to-be-called Delta Center (where the Jazz play - can't remember what it's called now...). We are planning on killing off a couple hours at The Gateway while we wait for the CZ. I'll take a moment to imagine what it must have been...

 

[RobertF]

I guess the "old" station is being replace (thank goodness). When I was at SLC a few years ago, it was a small station, with just 20-30 hard plastic seats, the ticket counter, a few drink machines, bathrooms, a TV and not much more. I flew into SLC about 10 PM, and had to wait for the EB CZ until about 3 AM. The seats are not suitable for easy sleeping.
One good thing is that SLC is a scheduled extended stop. IF it is on time, it is scheduled to depart at 11:30 PM. But since it arrives at 11:00 PM, you can board then. The train will stay at the station until the scheduled departure time, but you will be aboard! (In fact, when I took the CZ, I was aboard and asleep before we even departed SLC! )

I assume Salt Lake City had a Union station at some point, yes?

Yes, the current station was/is (IIRC) the former D&RGW station. There was another station (Union Station) in SLC that was operated by UP. But the tracks have been removed, and (IIRC) it is now a shopping mall. (But the building still stands and is being used, just not for trains. )

I had to get a good chuckle going at that one Traveler. The shopping center is called The Gateway and it's one of my favorite places to shop in SLC. It didn't dawn on me until I read this that there is a big Union Pacific neon sign on the side of the mall that faces the used-to-be-called Delta Center (where the Jazz play - can't remember what it's called now...). We are planning on killing off a couple hours at The Gateway while we wait for the CZ. I'll take a moment to imagine what it must have been...

Now called Energy Solutions Arena... I preferred the Delta Center name myself...

 

[RobertF]

If the train is 300 minutes late (6 hours!!)

Hi Robert, don't mind me, but I can't resist correcting your math, 300 minutes should be 5 hours?

forgive me cause I'm tired and my shoulder hurts and this is about the level of discourse I'm up for lol. Wouldn't want to try getting more creative til I've had dinner.

There that's my contribution to the forum for now, lame as it is!

yes, 5 hours. My math is poor.