Passenger Trains > Temporary reduced consist Capital Limited

Capitol Limited Trains 29 and 30: Temporary Equipment Changes


Effective October 20 through November 20, 2014

Train 29: Effective October 20 - November 20, 2014
Train 30: Effective October 20 - November 18, 2014

Due to delays caused by extreme freight train interference on the Norfolk Southern Railway in Ohio and Indiana, Amtrak is making equipment changes on the Capitol Limited, Trains 29 and 30 on the dates indicated above.

The Capitol Limited consists of two daily trains between Chicago and Washington, DC, one eastbound and one westbound. Delays caused by freight train congestion leaves insufficient time to service trains at the end points for their return trip. Therefore, Amtrak is setting aside an extra set of railcars and a locomotive to help ensure that the Capitol Limited departs Chicago and Washington on time.

In order make an extra set of equipment available, the number of cars typically used on the Capitol Limited will be temporarily reduced. During this period, the Dining car and Sightseer Lounge car will be replaced with a Diner/Lounge Car. Meals normally provided in the Dining Car will be provided on one side of the Diner/Lounge Car and the opposite side will serve as the Lounge Car.

Amtrak will continue to work with Norfolk Southern to improve the reliability of our service.

Reservations and the most up-to-date arrival and departure times are available on Amtrak.com, our free mobile apps and at 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245). Thank you for traveling with Amtrak.

Join us on facebook.com/Amtrak and follow us on twitter.com/Amtrak. Check out our blog at blog.amtrak.com.

PSN 1014-13

So Amtrak has plenty of engines, baggage cars, sleepers and coaches. The shortage of cars is diners and Sightseer Lounges, is appears, and they have 3 extra Cross-Country Cafe cars.

Thank you for posting this Amtrak press release, or whatever it is that Amtrak issued, but it really doesn't make any sense. It looks like there are 3 equipment sets for the Capitol. The Capitol lays overnight in Washington, so that turn-time isn't an issue. Normally the Capitol turns same-day in Chicago. I wonder if they're saying they're going to create a 4th set of the Capitol. But, if they are, where are they getting the engines, baggage car, sleepers, coaches and the 4 Cross-Country Cafe cars?

Something doesn't sound quite right with this press release.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/20/14 16:05 by knotch8.

Evidently they don't want to same-day turn 29 into 30 in Chicago. Turning #4 into #30 won't work very well either. But with some juggling of cars, turning 29 into 59 and 58 into 30 could work without creating another train set.

God, this is terrible. This means passengers will continue to be subject to these crushing delays. Mercifully, with the shortened consist, less of them will be subject to this ordeal. But, any future riders who experience 10 hour delays, are going to detest passenger trains.

Amtrak is having the you-know-what kicked out of it. The revenue loss is going to be substantial for their 2014 reporting period.

If there is any justice left in the world; Amtrak will eventually be awarded large re-reimbursement payments from these freight roads (of course, this won't get ridership back).

Joe



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/20/14 16:23 by floridajoe2001.

Yes and running late will place that many more passengers wanting to eat. Lunch into Chicago and Wash DC.

If they staff it right, the diner-lounge could work......but we know.

While it could be possible to turn Capitol and City of NOL would work, can we confirm that the consist of 58-59 will continue with a lounge car?
It already carries a diner-lounge.

I understand their frustration with NS and the costs, lost business etc. However, at the end of the day, they are your business partner and the only game in town to run many of their trains so I am not sure throwing them under the bus in this type of way makes for a better future relationship.???

Bob

It's the reverse. Amtrak isn't throwing NS under the bus. NS is doing it to Amtrak. If you don't think so then consider this: as soon as NS got negative attention from the STB it began to clean up it's act, at least as far as the Capitol is concerned. That small improvement will last only as long as NS thinks no one is looking.

Thinking that we shouldn't rock the boat by holding NS accountable for it's actions is plantation mentality.

John Webb
Trinidad, CA

so now the sleeper pax don't get the diner but have to eat with the lounge pax on one side

Sounds like now there will be four sets of equipment for the Capitol. How many for the Builder? Still
using one more set than they used to?

At yet NS continues to advertise. They are as I write this currently sponsoring "The Kelly File" on FNC...with the line..."One railroad...infinite possibilities." Maybe they mean there is ZERO possibility of getting the passenger trains they host under contract with loads of actual people on board (as opposed to loads of coal etc.) to arrive at their destinations anywhere near on time (and no, 1.5 hours late isn't near on time...10 minutes is).

If they use 4 trainsets, that will mean 1 additional dorm/sleeper, 2 additional sleepers, and 3 additional coaches. Wonder if Amtrak has this much excess equipment, or if they plan on cutting the number of coaches and sleepers on all consists. We will see starting tonight. I just wonder if there are issues with the number of SSL's available and the number of full diners. Have noticed CCC's running as lounges on the CZ and the CL recently. Does it take longer to service the SSL's and full diners compared to the sleepers and coaches? Also, while the SSL is a great car to have on the CL, does a CCC dining area have the same capacity as a low-level diner? Also, the 1/2 "lounge" area in the CCC has got to be no better or worse than the AmCafes running on the Lake Shore, Crescent, and Silver trains. Also does the CCC have refrigeration capacity on the upper level along w/a microwave, hot water, etc.

The Capitol Limited has operated with a CCC before, alongside a Sightseer Lounge car. The shuffle doesn't make too much sense other than a smoke screen that could lead to a permanent change.....

I always considered the Capitol Limited the premiere East Coast - Midwest train. Amtrak just downgraded service even more, at a time when it appeared NS delays were getting better.

I just don't see the rationale unless Amtrak is putting a fourth train set of the Cap in place, but as mentioned, what equipment do they have to create a totally additional fourth train set.

And even with these NS delays, the Lake Shore, Cardinal, and Capitol Limited are running at a really high capacity! Sleeper space is at a premium!

EDIT - since last week the Capitol Limited has been under 2 hours late into Chicago. That's right after the STB or some regulatory body had words with NS regarding the handling of Amtrak trains. The tilapia smells awful fishy!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/20/14 22:21 by jp1822.

What do they call that, an accommodation train? 2 engines for 5 cars?

mp51w Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What do they call that, an accommodation train? 2
> engines for 5 cars?


Amtrak doesn't even have two extra operable engines most of the time in Chicago. I can't see how Amtrak could create a fourth train set for the Capitol Limited. What a reversal from a few years ago when Amtrak was debating just having two train sets to hold down the Capitol Limited schedule.....

Does anyone know if a SSL is still in the Auto Train Pool? There were three over there..... Despite Amtrak having the special Superliner Diner 1 Lounge conversion. A Lounge supposedly came off to make way for an additional coach car......

Does anyone know the situation of the Superliner Sightseer Lounge cars? How many in operation, how many sidelined, how many required for operation (minus Auto Train but including Capitol Limited requirements)? I see Superliner Sightseer cars not in consists at Chicago, but that does not mean too much.

Convert those CCC cars into SSL's!!!!! Amtrak has around 17 of the CCC cars. They are used on the Texas Eagle/City of New Orleans consists and then substituted from time to time for Pacific Parlor Cars or SSL's. There's still often a surplus of these cars.

No.30 out of CHI Monday had:
2 sleepers
1 diner lite
2 coaches ( one is a bag-coach )

So that's it. Pretty sad. How long will they
give this train two units? The OBS crew is
stashed in the revenue sleepers.

So it has been running 5-10 hours late for a few months, and now it is running "only" a couple hours late and now they do this? Seems a bit late in the game to me.

< I always considered the Capitol Limited the premiere East Coast - Midwest train. Amtrak just downgraded service even more, at a time when it appeared NS delays were getting better. >

What's "premiere" about it ? It is nothing more than the Washington Section of the Broadway Ltd, with the stronger New York section ruined by Amtrak's clumsiness and ineptitude. Imagine if the Lake Shore were just the Boston section.

When Amtrak was told by Congress to come up with the 15 PIP's, the 15 trains were ranked by a composite ranking of riderhsip, OTP, and CSI. The C-L was in the bottom third along with the Sunset, Cardinal, and C-Z. Nothing "premiere" about that. It's inherent flaw is east of Pittsburgh with the lack of Pennsylvanian passengers, poor intermediate business to Washington, and uncompetitive travel times between PGH and WAS.

They generally rob the C-L of its 3rd coach off season anyway.

< At yet NS continues to advertise. They are as I write this currently sponsoring "The Kelly File" on FNC...with the line..."One railroad...infinite possibilities." Maybe they mean there is ZERO possibility of getting the passenger trains they host under contract with loads of actual people on board (as opposed to loads of coal etc.) to arrive at their destinations anywhere near on time (and no, 1.5 hours late isn't near on time...10 minutes is). >

It is theater for Wall Streeters and the idiots on CNBC. They still can't run UPS on time, even if they got their wrist slapped with Amtrak. UPS is a very difficult customer, rightly so. They are not going to be caught with their pants down again this holiday season.