Zephyr Update

[_Rider_]

Maybe this isn't news - thought I'd share anyway.

I just got off the phone with Amtrak, and I was told that the CZ was scheduled to go back into full service on Monday June 13.

I'm scheduled to ride from SAC on the 15th, and still hoping fervently that all the kinks can be ironed out of the routes by then.

 

[Grannie_Roz]

Maybe this isn't news - thought I'd share anyway.

I just got off the phone with Amtrak, and I was told that the CZ was scheduled to go back into full service on Monday June 13.

I'm scheduled to ride from SAC on the 15th, and still hoping fervently that all the kinks can be ironed out of the routes by then.

Woohoo!

 

[fredandgingermad]

Well the website says until through June 14th but regardless i am praying for a full recovery of the CZ and the EB (even though i have no reservations on there) asap

 

[Trainmans daughter]

I received an automated call last night informing me that my CZ trip on the 14th had been cancelled. So I called Amtrak and cancelled that segment. We will fly (ugh!) to Chicago and will connect there to the CL. I was told that I would get a full refund for the CZ segment since it had been cancelled.

 

[Peter KG6LSE]

I am sched to use the CZ on the 12th I HOPE SO ... she was super duper late todat in to Chi

 

[IowaGirl]

I don't know what impact this will have on the trains through Omaha - but the Army Corps is delaying release of water in the Dakota's for a couple days to allow people to pack up and leave certain areas. So there will be considerably more water coming down after the date they are saying service will resume.

This may not have any impact on the service - I can't say for sure.

 

[Amtrak George]

I wonder if the agent giving out information was confused--the service advisory still says the Zephyr is suspended between Chicago and Denver at least through the 14th, and reservations

(the infamous Arrow system) still shows the train "sold out" on the 13th and 14th. :unsure:

 

[The Davy Crockett]

I don't know what impact this will have on the trains through Omaha - but the Army Corps is delaying release of water in the Dakota's for a couple days to allow people to pack up and leave certain areas. So there will be considerably more water coming down after the date they are saying service will resume.

This may not have any impact on the service - I can't say for sure.

You bring up a good point. The resumption of service on #7&8 was changed to a later date than was originally estimated. The service alert on Amtrak's website now says:

This suspension includes the daily originations of the trains from Portland, Seattle and Chicago through Monday, June 13.

Now if you read Amtrak's service alert for #5&6 it states:

This disruption is expected to continue through at least June 14.

(bold emphasis added)
Not to stress out folks who have reservations east of Denver soon after 6/14, but resumption of service on #5&6 seems like it is still a pretty fluid situation. (sorry for the pun. :help: )

 

[boxcar479]

I received an automated call last night informing me that my CZ trip on the 14th had been cancelled. So I called Amtrak and cancelled that segment. We will fly (ugh!) to Chicago and will connect there to the CL. I was told that I would get a full refund for the CZ segment since it had been cancelled.

Did thet offer any alternatives? Or did they tell you the train was canceled, tough luck, find your own way?

 

[Trainmans daughter]

I received an automated call last night informing me that my CZ trip on the 14th had been cancelled. So I called Amtrak and cancelled that segment. We will fly (ugh!) to Chicago and will connect there to the CL. I was told that I would get a full refund for the CZ segment since it had been cancelled.

Did thet offer any alternatives? Or did they tell you the train was canceled, tough luck, find your own way?

Not other alternatives were offered. There really aren't any practical ones from here. I might have been able to book coach seats on the CS to LAX, stay in a hotel overnight, then coach on the SWC to Chicago. Sleepers are sold out.

Actually, I'm kind of looking forward to flying with my granddaughter. It will be her first time on a plane. Her mom has flatly refused to even consider letting her fly until she's 18. But with the alternative being to cancel the entire trip, she has relented "just this once". My granddaughter is looking forward to being 18 for one day, then going back to being a 9 year old! :giggle:

 

[fredandgingermad]

Just looked on Amtrak's website for Chi-Oma and Oma-GBB (the routes i'[m still hoping to take 7/5 & 7/7) for the 6/15 & 6/16 and its showing as available for Chi-Oma but not for Oma-GBB where its still showing as cancelled :unsure: up to 6/16 (but not for 6/17) correct me if i'm wrong but its the same route? just opp direction?

 

[eagle628]

Just looked on Amtrak's website for Chi-Oma and Oma-GBB (the routes i'[m still hoping to take 7/5 & 7/7) for the 6/15 & 6/16 and its showing as available for Chi-Oma but not for Oma-GBB where its still showing as cancelled :unsure: up to 6/16 (but not for 6/17) correct me if i'm wrong but its the same route? just opp direction?

Well, if full service is resuming today/tomorrow/whatever, then the first train to cross over the CHI-DEN route will be the westbound one, while it'll take two days for the equivilent eastbound train to get there, so there'll be a gap between the first westbound train and the first eastbound one.

 

[anir dendroica]

Just looked on Amtrak's website for Chi-Oma and Oma-GBB (the routes i'[m still hoping to take 7/5 & 7/7) for the 6/15 & 6/16 and its showing as available for Chi-Oma but not for Oma-GBB where its still showing as cancelled :unsure: up to 6/16 (but not for 6/17) correct me if i'm wrong but its the same route? just opp direction?

Well, if full service is resuming today/tomorrow/whatever, then the first train to cross over the CHI-DEN route will be the westbound one, while it'll take two days for the equivilent eastbound train to get there, so there'll be a gap between the first westbound train and the first eastbound one.

You assume that all of the trainsets are in Chicago, which they're not. Four are still running between SAC and DEN, and two are sitting somewhere, probably in Chicago. There should be enough trainsets in the right places to resume service from both ends on the same day.

Mark

 

[eagle628]

Just looked on Amtrak's website for Chi-Oma and Oma-GBB (the routes i'[m still hoping to take 7/5 & 7/7) for the 6/15 & 6/16 and its showing as available for Chi-Oma but not for Oma-GBB where its still showing as cancelled :unsure: up to 6/16 (but not for 6/17) correct me if i'm wrong but its the same route? just opp direction?

Well, if full service is resuming today/tomorrow/whatever, then the first train to cross over the CHI-DEN route will be the westbound one, while it'll take two days for the equivilent eastbound train to get there, so there'll be a gap between the first westbound train and the first eastbound one.

You assume that all of the trainsets are in Chicago, which they're not. Four are still running between SAC and DEN, and two are sitting somewhere, probably in Chicago. There should be enough trainsets in the right places to resume service from both ends on the same day.

Mark

Indeed, that's my point. The first trains that travel over the whole route would leave the endpoints on the same day, but the one leaving from California would obviously take more time to get to Omaha than the one leaving from Chicago. Say both trains left on Tuesday. The westbound set would get to Omaha late Tuesday night, while the eastbound one would be in Nevada. Even on Wednesday night, the first train that left from California would only be leaving Denver, while that day's westbound train would be somewhere in Iowa. It wouldn't be until Thursday morning that the first eastbound train went through Iowa, by which time two westbound trains would have made the trip.

 

[fredandgingermad]

Thanks for the clarification I forgot about trainsets being in different places plus the distance/change in time zones. Amtrak are now saying that disruption is expected through June 14th for Eastbound trains and June 15th for Westbound trains for the CZ