Passenger Trains > Where's the freight?

I've been on #6 since it left EMY yesterday. We've been either on time or ahead of schedule at every station. Except for a string of empty hoppers near Price I haven't seen a single freight train. I overheard a conversation in the diner which implied that the host railroads have been forced to give Amtrak trains priority over freights. I doubt that, but think the economy must have drastically reduced freight traffic. Am I correct or has UP/BNSF rerouted freight traffic? bill

There's another thread on here about BNSF's current level of freight ops on the Central Corridor - check the Western board. UP rerouted most of the ex-SP freight via Cheyenne after the merger.

A few years ago we were stuck behind a BNSF freight going west, it took forever. Just shows how things have changed.

cbqbill Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I've been on #6 since it left EMY yesterday.
> We've been either on time or ahead of schedule at
> every station. Except for a string of empty
> hoppers near Price I haven't seen a single freight
> train. I overheard a conversation in the diner
> which implied that the host railroads have been
> forced to give Amtrak trains priority over
> freights. I doubt that, but think the economy
> must have drastically reduced freight traffic. Am
> I correct or has UP/BNSF rerouted freight traffic?
> bill


My understanding is that Amtrak is legally supposed to have priority. Now, I have heard exactly the opposite too. Plus, I have heard that if an Amtrak train is off it's schedule more than just a few minutes, the priority regulation is no longer valid. I believe it was just a few months ago that the news was reporting that the feds were putting pressure on the freight companies to comply with the priority law. I am sure there are many here who know exactly what the agreements and regulations are.

cbqbill Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I've been on #6 since it left EMY yesterday.
> We've been either on time or ahead of schedule at
> every station. Except for a string of empty
> hoppers near Price I haven't seen a single freight
> train. I overheard a conversation in the diner
> which implied that the host railroads have been
> forced to give Amtrak trains priority over
> freights. I doubt that, but think the economy
> must have drastically reduced freight traffic. Am
> I correct or has UP/BNSF rerouted freight traffic?
> bill

Amtrak did some serious saber rattling and threatening of lawsuits last year (August or Sept IIRC) and there have been some majorly huge improvements on OT performance, particularly here on the coast. Granted, the slowdown hasn't hurt, but things definitely have improved. UP even put a new person in the slot to deal with ATK. However, I see some slippage lately here on the coast and it may be that good weather and increased MOW activity will put a chink in that OT record.
C.

Carol Voss
Bakersfield, CA

as far as I know, the "directive" was no more putting Amtk
in sidings for freight to pass.

Of course, some of the brain trust up at Omaha (not Axy, of course)
just held amtk on the main for freights.....bfd.

The current spat of timeliness is due to the current lack of freight
trains to confuse the dispatchers.

It won't last, unless the fines for delaying amtk become large enough
for mgmt to notice.

There is a restored Amtrak priority requirement, or at least the threat of it, in the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008. You can find the details on line (I don't have the direct link handy, google the act and search "on time").

This has a lot to do with it:

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,1932202

lowwater

pdt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> as far as I know, the "directive" was no more
> putting Amtk
> in sidings for freight to pass.
>
> Of course, some of the brain trust up at Omaha
> (not Axy, of course)
> just held amtk on the main for freights.....bfd.
>
> The current spat of timeliness is due to the
> current lack of freight
> trains to confuse the dispatchers.
>
> It won't last, unless the fines for delaying amtk
> become large enough
> for mgmt to notice.


Yeah right, the fines have been on UP's list for years and managment never noticed it even then!