My wife and I boarded the westbound Empire Builder in Minneapolis on Sept. 29th, bound for a connection with the Coast Starlight in Portland that would take us home to California. Little did we know that both locomotives would fail and we would end up arriving in Portland over 14 hours late. This is the longest delay we’ve experienced in our 30 years of riding trains. Following are some experiences and observations:
- We first experienced a major delay of about three hours west of Staples, Minnesota, when one of the locomotives failed. This happened during the night, but then the second locomotive failed in Grand Forks, North Dakota. We ended up spending eight hours there. Eventually, a BNSF freight locomotive came to the rescue.
- Rather than a relatively short station-stop in Minot, the duration extended to over two hours. In addition to the train being watered and the locomotives fueled, mechanics worked on the engines. I don’t know how successful they were.
- When we arrived in Spokane, we experienced another long delay. We ended up departing the station over 14 hours down.
- The onboard staff seemed to know little about the situation. I was concerned, in particular, because the lateness of the train meant we would miss our connection with the Coast Starlight in Portland. A kindly ticket agent in Minot checked the computer and informed me that Amtrak would most likely put us up for the night in Portland, then accommodate us on the next day’s Starlight. That proved to be the case, though no one could tell us anything more until we arrived in Portland. It would have been nice if Amtrak had communicated something to the onboard staff, who knew and shared little.
- My wife and I were traveling by sleeper, and in checking the Amtrak website, I could see that only coach seats were available on the following day’s Starlight. The Minot ticket agent assured me that Amtrak would find sleeper space for us on the Starlight, which proved to be the case. I was grateful for this, but I didn’t find out for sure until our 1:30 a.m. arrival in Portland.
- To Amtrak’s credit, it did bring onboard free food for the last several meals. I’m sure this was much-appreciated by the many coach passengers. This included pizza in Grand Forks, Subway sandwiches in Minot, donuts, muffins and fruit the following morning, stew and rice for lunch, and Subway sandwiches for all after leaving Spokane.
- Although the trip worked out okay, and we safely arrived at our California destination, though a day late, our largest gripe was the lack of information shared. Taking the Empire Builder is a long ride, and the additional 14 hours made it even longer. I wish someone onboard had proactively taken us aside to explain how Amtrak typically handles these types of problems to give us some reassurance. This never happened. Rumors flew among the passengers, but none was batted down. The ticket agent in Minot proved quite helpful, but it only occurred because I sought her out. Most passengers were left up in the air. The lack of shared information was probably the worst part of the trip.
- One other quick observation related to food availability in the diner. At the first lunch of the trip, I ordered the plant-based hamburger. The waiter apologized and told me that none had been loaded in Chicago. At dinner, I asked for a roll, and again was told that none had been supplied. The dinner salad came in a small bowl, unlike previous diner meals. Were they running out of salad greens? Amtrak has a traditional dining menu that is fairly small and is the same for all western trains. Why is it that commissaries cannot properly stock trains at the beginning of the trip?
- As all Amtrak trips, I still enjoyed the overall experience – the passing scenery, the relaxation, the connection with history. Amtrak has been underfunded for decades and often just does the best it can. I always hope for the best, but still feel sad when that “best” falls short.
