Amtrak Auto Train Discussion

297 passengers would equate to around 150 autos wouldnt it.

Greg Moore wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2020 6:32 pm

Gilbert B Norman wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2020 4:26 pmWill 52(26) proceed North as a passenger train and incur auto rental costs for all parties on board, or will they simply get the passenger cars and the auto carriers ahead of those that derailed to the nearest siding?

Unfortunately, based on the latest reports, I think it's gonna be a bit more than "incur auto rental costs"

I certainly agree, Mr. Moore; consider my comments as "premature" and based upon early reports that it was "no big thing".

While not Crescent City, as that involved injuries and even fatalities, this incident "is a big thing".

Let the Amtrak/CSX "finger pointing" begin.

My impression from the news reports was that the 1st derailed auto carrier was still coupled to the rest of the train, and had to be set upright by use of a crane so it could be separated without dangerous damage.

David Benton wrote: ↑Fri Mar 27, 2020 2:14 am 297 passengers would equate to around 150 autos wouldnt it.

*points above* 179 cars.

lordsigma12345 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2020 8:06 pm
In order to facilitate cleanup and repairs to the A line, Auto Train is canceled for tomorrow and Silver service heading south currently will turn in Jacksonville tomorrow...Silver star heading north today headed back to Miami and returned all passengers to their origination points.

This is why it's hard to take Amtrak seriously for travel. If you cancel everything and anything moving on this line, wtf is all the passengers supposed to do? Sit in the cafe tomorrow all the way to New York? Cancel their trips? Miss their appointed schedule the next day?

When an airline has a problem, they route you around it. Delays are common but they work with you. You may miss some time due to thunderstorms but that's maybe half day at best. I've only once missed an entire day. But here, people are looking at minimum 1-2 day delay. That is so frustrating.

Mr. Dunville, I'm afraid the days of, when there was a derailment along the Hudson Division, the Century and the rest of the Great Steel Fleet was rerouted over the Harlem Div (imagine The Century passing through Millerton NY), the Broadway over the Bald Eagle Line through Lock Haven and Williamsport, and the New Haven (this one I saw first hand) operated "a Westbound passenger" through Stonington the "Morning After" Hurricane Carol.

"Center to Center All Weather Service" and "Your Trip is Weatherproof"? Huh?, Hello.

This "excuse for a shutdown" shows how irrelevant Amtrak is over much of the System. Now what will they do (I'm sure they have highly classified procedures in place) where it is quite relevant and when something "really big" happens; uh, like one of the North River tunnels springing a leak?

Gilbert B Norman wrote: ↑Fri Mar 27, 2020 10:20 am Mr. Dunville, I'm afraid the days of, when there was a derailment along the Hudson Division, the Century and the rest of the Great Steel Fleet was rerouted over the Harlem Div (imagine The Century passing through Millerton NY), the Broadway over the Bald Eagle Line through Lock Haven and Williamsport, and the New Haven (this one I saw first hand) operated "a Westbound passenger" through Stonington the "Morning After" Hurricane Carol.

"Center to Center All Weather Service" and "Your Trip is Weatherproof"? Huh?, Hello.

This "excuse for a shutdown" shows how irrelevant Amtrak is over much of the System. Now what will they do (I'm sure they have highly classified procedures in place) where it is quite relevant and when something "really big" happens; uh, like one of the North River tunnels springing a leak?

If this turns out to be not Amtrak's fault, what rotten luck. I believe the Florida long distance trains are the only trains currently doing any type of ridership in the system with the ongoing coronavirus situation decimating ridership on all the corridors. You'd wonder if they would have made a better effort to accommodate passengers on the affected Silver service trains were it not for the virus situation. It IS possible that the lack of any bus accommodations for today's northbound passengers coming from points south of Jacksonville is related to the virus - some of the bus operators may be shut down.

Gilbert B Norman wrote: ↑Fri Mar 27, 2020 7:29 am Let the Amtrak/CSX "finger pointing" begin.

Did this happen in CSX or CFRFC/Sunrail territory? I am guessing the former but wasn't 100% sure. I would imagine Amtrak is liable regardless as CSX is probably indemnified in the host railroad agreement even if they were found "at fault" here. One early report did indicate that a track defect may indeed have been the culprit - but if so I guess the million dollar question would be did the engineer see it and thought he (or she) would make it when he should have stopped the train or was the defect less obvious?

I wonder how the motor vehicles on the Southbound Auto Train, now nearing Savannah, Georgia will be handled? The Northbound Auto Train is also still in transit.

They must have a plan to get 53 through to Sanford even though they didn't allow the Silver service.

Cant have been much, nothing in local news last night.

Well Amtrak is treating this incident as such; "everything Florida" is showing at the website "service disruption" or "cancelled".

This site is working and shows more detail than Amtrak's:
https://asm.transitdocs.com/map
versus
https://www.amtrak.com/track-your-train.html

Today's Southbound Silver Star #91 is moving, and is expected to arrive in South Florida between 28 and 42 minutes early.

Mr. Boylan, 91(27), right now on the Corridor, sure; but 91(26), which would be in Florida at present, shows "service disruption".

Tadman wrote: ↑Fri Mar 27, 2020 9:37 am

lordsigma12345 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2020 8:06 pm
In order to facilitate cleanup and repairs to the A line, Auto Train is canceled for tomorrow and Silver service heading south currently will turn in Jacksonville tomorrow...Silver star heading north today headed back to Miami and returned all passengers to their origination points.

This is why it's hard to take Amtrak seriously for travel. If you cancel everything and anything moving on this line, wtf is all the passengers supposed to do? Sit in the cafe tomorrow all the way to New York? Cancel their trips? Miss their appointed schedule the next day?

When an airline has a problem, they route you around it. Delays are common but they work with you. You may miss some time due to thunderstorms but that's maybe half day at best. I've only once missed an entire day. But here, people are looking at minimum 1-2 day delay. That is so frustrating.

Actually when the Capital was 14 hours late and caused us to miss our train to Seattle they put us up in a suite for 2 nights, gave us a hundred dollar voucher, then flew us out there so we would arrive the same day we were scheduled.