Passenger Trains > INDOT's Hoosier State OTP Tanks

From INDOT Press Release of 10/25/16..

"Riders, Revenue, On-Time Arrivals Continue to Improve for Hoosier State Train. On-time arrivals between Indianapolis and Chicago averaged 86 percent in August and 82 percent in September. Yesterday CSX Transportation replaced the manual switch near the Crawfordsville station with a new switch that is expected to cut 8 to 15 minutes from a one-way trip."

Of the 8 southbound's in the past 2 weeks (6/5 to 6/19), 5 have missed on-time performance by an average of 28 mins.. There was one initial terminal decay. Northbound's did better, only 2 missed OTP with no initial terminal decay.

Still, 7 late trains out of 16 operated ain't no cigar for INDOT. That puts the overall OTP here in June for the two week period at 56%. It should be no surprise to insiders that we have settled into the post IPH era and don't make extra efforts for this train.

So what is causing most of this - starting off late or EHH ?

If a tree falls in the forest, and there is no one around to hear it .....

Blaming Amtrak and INDOT for CSX's failure to run a railroad?

1976 Wrote:
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> Blaming Amtrak and INDOT for CSX's failure to run
> a railroad

Exactly. The train did quite well AFTER IP and their junk locos left the picture. Remember all the cancelled trips under IP? I haven't seen any Amtrak trips cancelled. They also tightened the southbound schedule by 10 minutes. CSX and other railroads in Chicago seem to be the culprits on most of the delays. I doubt it matters to them whether IP or Amtrak is running the show.

Posted from iPhone

The OP simply has an axe to grind with Amtrak. He failed to mention that a major cause is the reopening of a yard on the single track mainline on the near West side of Indianapolis.

Running out to South Hunt and backing up the connection is going to add 10 to 15 minutes. All the gains from the power switch and faster entry to the Monon at Ames is lost and then some. One step forward, two back. The story of the Indy-Chicago corridor.

Posted from Android

cabsignaldrop Wrote:
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> Running out to South Hunt and backing up the
> connection is going to add 10 to 15 minutes. All
> the gains from the power switch and faster entry
> to the Monon at Ames is lost and then some. One
> step forward, two back. The story of the
> Indy-Chicago corridor.
>
> Posted from Android

Posted from iPhone

alan2955 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> cabsignaldrop Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Running out to South Hunt and backing up the
> > connection is going to add 10 to 15 minutes.
> All
> > the gains from the power switch and faster
> entry
> > to the Monon at Ames is lost and then some. One
> > step forward, two back. The story of the
> > Indy-Chicago corridor.
> >
> > Posted from Android
>
> Posted from iPhone

Sadly true. Is the backup move going to be a daily event, or just used when the former PRR routing is blocked with a freight train?

The dispatcher will have the option to run Amtrak via either routing based on traffic conditions. ..hopefully it will run its current routing more often than not, but who knows.

I don't see IDOT building a connection from the ex-NYC to the PRR at North Hunt in the northeast quadrant...not even sure how feasible it is. It would be quite a climb and there are many warehouses and support roads in the area. It would be ideal, but highly unlikely.

Posted from Android

1976 Wrote:
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> The OP simply has an axe to grind with Amtrak. He
> failed to mention that a major cause is the
> reopening of a yard on the single track mainline
> on the near West side of Indianapolis.


Has Transfer even reopened yet?

CSX can quickly settle this problem. They have only TWO passenger trains per day to operate. Their railroad is not overburdened with freight. When senior mgmt. tells dispatchers that they are not to delay Amtrak, the problem is solved. Amtrak ties up the railroad about 20 minutes twice per day.

toledopatch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 1976 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The OP simply has an axe to grind with Amtrak.
> He
> > failed to mention that a major cause is the
> > reopening of a yard on the single track
> mainline
> > on the near West side of Indianapolis.
>
>
> Has Transfer even reopened yet?


The yard tracks, no. The practice of heavily using the siding and runners that never closed for block swaps has already become a major role.

1976 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> toledopatch Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > 1976 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > The OP simply has an axe to grind with
> Amtrak.
> > He
> > > failed to mention that a major cause is the
> > > reopening of a yard on the single track
> > mainline
> > > on the near West side of Indianapolis.
> >
> >
> > Has Transfer even reopened yet?
>
>
> The yard tracks, no. The practice of heavily using
> the siding and runners that never closed for block
> swaps has already become a major role.

Q236 and Q260 have already had their profiles changed and now always work Transfer, even though yard is not open yet. Last night/this morning,. 236 arrived at 2151 and departed at 2336, with 260 arriving at 0115 and departing at 0231. And even though Q240 "technically" originates in Avon for St Louis, I believe it too is working Transfer - that would be a mid day move. 240's power and cars are set off at Brightwood on Indy's far east side by the Louisville-Cleveland train Q254.

From what's I've observed, the block swapping on the 200 series automotive trains is working pretty well right now, so it's not a matter of CSXT not knowing how to operate their railroad - they seem to be doing that quite well in THIS SPECIFC example. This is more of an example of where CSXT operations fall at a very inconvenient time for Amtrak. And as they close Avon and transfer that work to Transfer, State, and Hawthorne, more than just a pair of rack trains will be using Transfer yard and the windows for Amtrak will shrink further. And with State reopening on the B&O east of downtown, you risk same problems there for days the Cardinal runs with no easy work around like you have on west side.