Passenger Trains > 2 months straight without an on time arrival?

https://juckins.net/amtrak_status/archive/html/historychart.php?train_num=4&station=CHI&date_start=5%2F21%2F2017&date_end=7%2F20%2F2017&sort=d_ar&chartsize=2&smooth=1

From Transitdocs website. The last time the Southwest Chief arrived on time at Chicago was May 29th when it was 11 minutes early. Things are starting to improve this week, but it will more than likely be 2 months straight of late trains.

mp51w Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The last time the Southwest Chief arrived on time at Chicago was May
> 29th when it was 11 minutes early . . . it will more
> than likely be 2 months straight of late trains.

That's not very good, but it can be worse: I have a photo in my archives of the eastbound Empire Builder taken at Glenview, IL on September 8, 2014. That was the first on-time arrival of #8 in Chicago since November 29, 2013. Over 9 months between on-time trains. I even posted the pic. to TO to mark the occasion.

The Pennsylvanians {nos. 42 & 43} used to have a good on time record between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh on the NS. However lately that has not been the case. For example today no. 42 left Pittsburgh on time but got to Harrisburg 47 minutes late and New York 59 minutes late. No. 43 left New York on time and Harrisburg 6 minutes late but got to Pittsburgh 55 minutes late. Lately NS has been doing a lot of MW work as well as apparently PTC installation work. Or maybe the blame should be placed on the Auto Router or the Movement Planner {aka "movement preventer"} apps.

mp109 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The Pennsylvanians {nos. 42 & 43} used to have a
> good on time record between Harrisburg and
> Pittsburgh on the NS. However lately that has not
> been the case. For example today no. 42 left
> Pittsburgh on time but got to Harrisburg 47
> minutes late and New York 59 minutes late. No. 43
> left New York on time and Harrisburg 6 minutes
> late but got to Pittsburgh 55 minutes late. Lately
> NS has been doing a lot of MW work as well as
> apparently PTC installation work. Or maybe the
> blame should be placed on the Auto Router or the
> Movement Planner {aka "movement preventer"} apps.

Yeah, I wonder if the logic of the software goes something like this,
If freight train gets delayed by X minutes = loss of profit, then stab
passenger train for less loss of profit. Something like that must be
written in the code you would think. It's probably set up to favor
their traffic over Amtrak, up to a certain point. Obviously, the program will not
allow it to hold a hot container train for two hours in a siding to
allow a crack passenger train(sic) to get by without any delay, or to make up time.

That may have been the case yesterday as no. 43 was behind NS 21M.

mp51w Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------


> Yeah, I wonder if the logic of the software goes
> something like this,
> If freight train gets delayed by X minutes = loss
> of profit, then stab
> passenger train for less loss of profit.
> Something like that must be
> written in the code you would think. It's
> probably set up to favor
> their traffic over Amtrak, up to a certain point.
> Obviously, the program will not
> allow it to hold a hot container train for two
> hours in a siding to
> allow a crack passenger train(sic) to get by
> without any delay, or to make up time.

Unless sidings are an hour apart, the reason for two hour delays to passenger or important freight trains is the failure to allow a meeting place for them, running trains randomly and perhaps merely according to priority until at the last minute realizing, Oh no, No 9999 needs to meet ZHOTTER somewhere! Let's see...G, H, I, J, K are all full of trains with nowhere to go. That leaves F or J. Who wait?
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?18,4140409,4140409#msg-4140409

Unfortunately, train dispatcher chair occupants are not taught to figure that out...and neither are the software designers whose products are intended to allow train dispatcher chair occupants to not need to know.

TAW