Maybe the schedules should be stretched some more down here in the south during the summer to allow a little catching up for heat restrictions. Seems like it's just one thing after another, but since it's not likely to cool off down here until late September, or later, if the heat restrictions are likely to stay in place, a schedule change would be appropriate so as to help the trains have at least a fighting chance of making some decent OTP. Right now it is pretty disastrous. We spent quite a bit of time on that trip, both directions, and waiting at stations, explaining to other pax some of the "not Amtrak's fault" reasons for the lateness. The explanations are usually accepted, but more than three hours of lateness is still an embarassment unless something really serious single-eventwise, like a vehicle-train crossing accident, is the main culprit. As an aside, most people are completely unaware that Amtrak doesn't own the tracks that their trains travel on, except in certain limited areas, like the NEC. I wish Amtrak did a better job at getting that info into the pax' mind. That and maybe urge pax to contact their reps in Washington to get better funding for continuted Amtrak travel.