Website documentating train arrival delays

[Trogdor]

One minor request. Could you somehow change it so it doesn't automatically default to train 6 arriving DEN all the time?

Ideally, it would leave in whatever you last input into the system, or, failing that, just have the boxes blank.

 

[Faraz]

Faraz - nice work. Could you perhaps register on this Board? I can't email or PM you otherwise. Thanks.

I have just now registered.

For those interested in the site, you can click on it from my signature below:

 

[AmtrakWPK]

Faraz, that really is a great tool. Thanks for the work. Sure saves a lot of wear and tear on the mouse

 

[Faraz]

One minor request. Could you somehow change it so it doesn't automatically default to train 6 arriving DEN all the time?
Ideally, it would leave in whatever you last input into the system, or, failing that, just have the boxes blank.

I have just implemented this feature. Another idea I had was making a tool for showing where a particular train is. So if you enter 6 , it will tell you the last city it just arrived it and the time it arrived there.

 

[AmtrakWPK]

Where do you enter the 6?

 

[Faraz]

Where do you enter the 6?

I have not developed that script yet, was just wondering if it would be something useful before I start work on it.

 

[Rafi]

Where do you enter the 6?

I have not developed that script yet, was just wondering if it would be something useful before I start work on it.

ABSOLUTELY, considering that Amtrak removed most of that functionality from their online train status tool.

-Rafi

 

[dan72]

Where do you enter the 6?

I have not developed that script yet, was just wondering if it would be something useful before I start work on it.

ABSOLUTELY, considering that Amtrak removed most of that functionality from their online train status tool.

-Rafi

I've been meaning to ask about this for awhile. A year ago, when you would plug in stations and time, not only would it give you an estimated arrival, but it would also tell you the station is was last at. Does anyone know why they stopped doing that?

Dan

 

[Rafi]

ABSOLUTELY, considering that Amtrak removed most of that functionality from their online train status tool.

-Rafi

I've been meaning to ask about this for awhile. A year ago, when you would plug in stations and time, not only would it give you an estimated arrival, but it would also tell you the station is was last at. Does anyone know why they stopped doing that?

Dan

I have a couple of theories:

1). The technology they use to bring that information to the website changed in some way that it can't report the last station anymore. I find this hard to believe, but I suppose it's possible.

2). Someone made a decision to take that information down. As for a reason, the only thing I can think of is that they don't want you gauging on when to get to the station based on the last station the train departed, or based on the last two stations the train was between (as the web would sometimes—very helpfully, in my mind—report). Perhaps someone gave Amtrak a hard time for the website reporting that it had not yet departed a given station, where in fact it had, and the train crew didn't call it in? Who knows, but that's my best guess.

Given that you can still get this information from JULIE (just say, "Get Details"), I can't imagine why they'd remove it from one resource and not the other, however.

Either way, it's a pain, so I hope our friend is able to build a similar functionality into his site.

-Rafi

 

[Anthony]

I don't think there's been any technology change -- certainly, all that info is still contained in Arrow. If you call an agent, they can still tell you where its last OS report was from (station, control point, etc.)

 

[AlanB]

My guess is that Rafi is on the right track with his #2 choice, too many people based their arrival at a station on that estimate and missed the train because it got in earlier than estimated. So Amtrak removed that choice, forcing people to speak to a live agent who could at least advise them to be more careful and not take that time as actual.

 

[Trogdor]

Checking the Southwest Chief arriving Los Angeles, your website shows it as arriving 1377 minutes late on February 10, when Amtrak's website shows it arriving an hour early.

 

[Faraz]

Checking the Southwest Chief arriving Los Angeles, your website shows it as arriving 1377 minutes late on February 10, when Amtrak's website shows it arriving an hour early.

This bug should be fixed now.

 

[Steve4031]

This is a nice tool. I used it today when my girlf friend and I got into discussion about Amtrak's time keeping. Unfortunately, it supported her assumption. A friend of ours took 305 home on Saturday, February 17. It did not get in until after 1 a.m IIRC. Our friend, a non rail fan, noted that the 307 (I think) which should have left Chicago at 7 p.m was only 10 minutes behind her train. So it was a rough night on the UP. It has been a rough night for the past 3 weeks because 305 was not on time once, and its delay pattern was very similar to what our friend experienccedd.

On a positive note, this mutual friend defendedd Amtrak after my girf friend expressed concerns about the inconveniences caused by the extremely late arrival. I was not involved in this conversation at all . . . so my feelings were not at stake.

Our friend enjoyed the train ride to Chicago and back. She stated that she put the time on the train to good use. The fact that Amtrak substituted superliners on this train probably helped. She appreciated the seats. Her ticket bought 10 days ahead of time was 60 dollars. A ticket on Southwest might have cost closer to 160 so close to the beginning of the trip. Southwest;s cheapest rt fare is 100 which is not really competitve with Amtrak by the time you factor getting too and from the airport and paying for parking, etc.

Amtrak's additional frequencies on this route facilitated the occurrence of this trip.

 

[WICT106]

Bump to top. Here is yet another report on selected routes On time Performance. On time report at Railroad.net. I'm curious as to what is going to happen on my trip aboard the Cardinal, which begins tomorrow.