Adirondack suspended starting 5/20/2024

Engineer Spike wrote: ↑Sat Jun 08, 2024 8:57 am It’s promising that CN has agreed to perform the required track rehabilitation. Many have made the point of CN not having much obligation to repair the line, since they are a foreign company. One must remember that CN has extensive holdings in the U.S. If someone in our government had some brains and some balls, then something could be done. I’m sure CN bellies up to the table when federal grants are being issued. If someone in charge of the grants reminded CN about not playing ball with Amtrak, as well as the result being the denial of the grant, then things might change.

That's exactly my point above. There's ways of making CN play ball, but they're all long-term plans.

CN has never played ball when it comes to the CN Rouses Point Sub and Amtrak it was going on before I started and will be going on long after I retire. When I first started going up there in '98 there were 5? subdivisions that connected to the RPS now I think there is only one possibly two. Cantic and Brossard perhaps. We wont count the diamond at St Jean as that crosses with another RR. CN would be quite happy if Amtrak was not there to save the expense of maintaining the track to 50mph. CN knows it has Amtrak over a barrel and will continue to abuse that fact every chance it gets.

There we go with talk of coercion and forcing quid pro quo's again....

You can't legally apply pressure or extra enforcement on the US subsidiaries of CN to try and get the Canadian subsidiary of CN to do something...

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Isn't all negotiation quid pro quo?You givre something to get something. The problem here is that Amtrak has nothing CN wants.

For your reading enjoyment

https://www.timesunion.com/business/art ... 503789.php

So, how easy is it to get to Plattsburgh from either Burlington or Essex Junction?

charlesriverbranch wrote: ↑Mon Jun 10, 2024 12:06 pm So, how easy is it to get to Plattsburgh from either Burlington or Essex Junction?

If you don't have a car, you'll want to go as far as Albany or Saratoga Springs and then take a bus. Trailways and Greyhound run buses up the west side of Lake Champlain and serve Plattsburgh. There are some buses that go north from Burlington but they serve Montreal. I'm not aware of any cross-lake service.

charlesriverbranch wrote: ↑Mon Jun 10, 2024 12:06 pm So, how easy is it to get to Plattsburgh from either Burlington or Essex Junction?

Schedules for ferries, all weather service. Charlotte to Plattsburg rode these many times as a kid had relatives that lived in the middle of nowhere VT population 1500

https://ferries.com/

Canada declares war (not really) : https://www.wcax.com/2024/06/14/canadia ... utType=amp

Canadian rail officials blame Amtrak for Adirondack line suspensions

...
But Friday, CN said they’re open all summer during maintenance and their trains are still running. They said Amtrak decided to suspend the service.

In a statement, a spokesperson for CN said: “CN’s Rouse Point Subdivision, which hosts Amtrak’s Adirondack service, is open for freight and passenger rail operations and will remain open all summer and fall while undergoing maintenance. CN continues to operate three to five freight trains daily over this line, and did so as recently as yesterday. Amtrak unilaterally decided to suspend its passenger service between Saratoga Springs and Montreal between May 20 and September 9 without consultation with CN.”

A little more to it than Amtrak just cancel to shut down the service. Over the past couple of days with temps in the 90s CN would have had the 10mph heat restriction in play. I'm sure CPKCS has one too, no longer qualified on that rule book so I can't give you the exact rule. It all comes down to hours of service, can only work 12 hours a day. Last year when Amtrak tried to run the train in the early summer crews were just making it to Albany or outlawing anywhere from Saratoga to Schenectady. Going north was having the same issues on time.

Be it that he "does this stuff for a living", Mr. Junkie raises a relevant point regarding what some here hold is an excessive cancellation of 68-69, Adirondack.

What if The ICEmen and/or their Canadian counterparts are having their version of a field day and the Amtrak crew "dies"? How many CN relief crews are expected to be qualified on Amtrak engines or Amtrak Rules regarding the handling of passengers?

I defer to those who know more about how often crews on 68-69 die, but it would appear that heat speed restrictions would make it more difficult to move over the road within the Hours of Service.