Return To Tri-Weekly; Any Foundation?

Another site is featuring a topic with statements such as "heard it from on high; they're going back to Tri Weekly".

I cannot find any foundation at the website, as all the East-West trains show Daily operation - even through slow period January!!

Of course, it's been said throughout history, repeat a lie often, and it becomes the truth. We've seen enough of that "post-Election".

Any foundation, anyone?

moderator; I will understand if this topic is killed.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/transpor ... l-funding/

In recent years, Amtrak had threatened to reduce long-distance train operations, but the legislation prohibits Amtrak from discontinuing or reducing such service as long as it receives adequate federal funding for the route.

Amtrak would also be required to bring back ticket agents to some stations that have been unstaffed. A ticket agent must be available at each station that has at least 40 passengers a day, according to the bill, which targets Amtrak’s policy since 2018 to eliminate agents at smaller stations.

The locals have schedules written for just in case Dec 3rd actually happens with the LSL. It could as a crew base has an issue with the jab. Funny thing about this you force people to do things, you loose workers. You loose workers choo choo no go. Choo Choo no go. No money to pay the bills hhhmmmm. This theory applies across many fields of play.

Please don't jump down my throat about pro this or anti that, I had my two jabs. Just simple observations of a person who makes big stuff stop and go.

It’s definitely a possibility - depends on the vaccine rates by the deadline. It does seem like a couple of the western trains going to tri weekly is at least a possibility. Sounds like though it will be crew base to crew base not a system wide decision. It sounds like if they do it would be between December with a target return to daily by April (or when they can get staff back up to snuff.)

Not going to happen, says the law. It madates more expenses for Amtrak in long-distance country, as a political compromise. That's how I read it.

If they can’t run the trains because they don’t have the staff then it is what it is.

We aren’t hearing such rumblings for the NEC and state supported branches. I am curious if anyone has heard anything in this part of the world.

This reduction in service seems man made. If short of engineers why cannot the conductor ride in the loco supervising a freight RR engineer? Some problems but could be overcome ? Doesn't conductor know how to operate HEP ?

The freight roads won't go out of their way to provide crews if Amtrak comes up short staffed. It's in their best interests for Amtrak to have to anull or reduce schedules.

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kitchin wrote: ↑Sun Nov 14, 2021 5:25 pm Not going to happen, says the law. It madates more expenses for Amtrak in long-distance country, as a political compromise. That's how I read it.

Sometime back in the 1970's a Penn Central official was testifying before a Senate committee that if PC didn't get some money from the government soon it would have to shut down. When a senator harrumphed that "you can't shut down without approval from the Interstate Commerce Commission," the official's reply was to the effect that if the employees don't get paid the trains don't run. Fifty years later that's still true. It's possible that Amtrak may be trying to find a systematic way to deal with the situation rather than announce last-minute cancellations on a day-to-day basis.

rcthompson04 wrote: ↑Sun Nov 14, 2021 6:59 pm We aren’t hearing such rumblings for the NEC and state supported branches. I am curious if anyone has heard anything in this part of the world.

Actually there is. NEC has a deeper pool of people to draw from but frequency reductions/shortened consists are possible on the NEC. And there are concerns of cuts on some of the state corridors including the Surfliners.

eolesen wrote: ↑Sun Nov 14, 2021 8:59 pm The freight roads won't go out of their way to provide crews if Amtrak comes up short staffed. It's in their best interests for Amtrak to have to anull or reduce schedules.

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Considering the government contractor mandate that is moving full steam ahead, the Class Is will likely have crew issues as well.

Regarding using alternative crews, I presume some places on the NEC you might be able to pull off using some commuter crews (looking at SEPTA with its ACS-64 trained engineers).

My bigger concern for the NEC is right of way maintenance. We are entering a maintenance heavy period with winter. If maintenance crews are in short order, things like frozen interlockings and downed overhead wires might become bigger nightmares than usual.

west point wrote: ↑Sun Nov 14, 2021 7:03 pm If short of engineers why cannot the conductor ride in the loco supervising a freight RR engineer? Some problems but could be overcome ? Doesn't conductor know how to operate HEP ?

Mr. West Point, you want an Attendant up there with you beyond when FAA required at "potty time"? How about up there with your 1000hr First Officer when it's "your turn"?

What does she know about flying the aircraft? FA's I know in this life are happy to tell me "they don't know much".

rcthompson04 wrote: ↑Sun Nov 14, 2021 11:09 pm Regarding using alternative crews, I presume some places on the NEC you might be able to pull off using some commuter crews (looking at SEPTA with its ACS-64 trained engineers).

Can't wait to ride the Newark, DE-Trenton, NJ Regional. Qualifying crews beyond those points is a process that would have had to have started over a year ago.

Not to mention the SEPTA engines and Amtrak engines are not quite the same, to the point where when SEPTA got their ACS-64s, any engineers qualified on the Amtrak ones had to requalify.

This is all notwithstanding the fact that there are barely enough SEPTA engineers to run the reduced schedule there is.