Passenger Trains > Capitol Corridor Trains--Delays for May-June 2020

I have been keeping track of the CAPITOL CORRIDOR train service and its many delays here in Northern California.  Here are the latest stats for the months of May-June 2020.  Please note the number of trains has been significantly reduced to 5 round-trips per day, vs. the previous 16 trips per day.  This is due to the COVID-19 (Chinese Orginated Virus ID-19) situation.

Delay causes: 
RAIL CONGESTION (freight / passenger):  12 delays 
MECHANICAL PROBLEMS:  14 delays 
OTHER (late trains turning, boarding issues, etc.):  19 delays 
SIGNAL / SWITCH / TRACK:  6 delays 
POLICE / FIRE / TRESPASSERS:  9 delays 
BRIDGE OPENINGS:  21 delays 
CARS / DEBRIS ON TRACKS / TRACKS BLOCKED:  8 delays 

TOTAL DELAYS:  89
 
AVG. DELAYS PER DAY FOR 2 MONTHS:  1.5  (which may delay multiple trains, adding to the total number) 

--This is a big improvement on a per day basis since the first report I made.  The single biggest contributor to delays remains the Suisun Bridge--it must open often for large oil tankers which serve the many nearby refineries in the Martinez area.  

--One trespasser incident near Davis, CA resulted in a nearly 4 hr. delay for passengers.  

--Some delayed trains had been cancelled for mechanical reasons, with passengers off-loaded and then waiting for the next train to arrive.

--the "OTHER" and "MECHANICAL" categories are the next 2 biggest sources of delays.  It would seen the CC folks still have lots of mechanical issues delaying trains--I have spoke with some engineers who say the CHARGER diesels are still problematic.

--it's very strange to see "RAIL CONGESTION" adding to delays, when UP trains counts are way, way down.  Dispatching priorities / problems??

Still, on a "per day basis", this is a big improvement for the CC operation overall.

Coach


Below is the first report I posted months ago:

Since Jan. 1, 2020, here are the delays by breakdown.  Please note the trains delayed sometimes were delayed by multiple causes, or 1 cause may have delayed multiple trains.  Regardless, the number of delays are huge. 

Delay causes: 
RAIL CONGESTION (freight / passenger):  80 delays 
MECHANICAL PROBLEMS:  50 delays 
OTHER (late trains turning, boarding issues, etc.):  44 delays 
SIGNAL / SWITCH / TRACK:  40 delays 
POLICE / FIRE / TRESPASSERS:  37 delays 
BRIDGE OPENINGS:  26 delays 
CARS / DEBRIS ON TRACKS:  22 delays 

TOTAL: 299 delays 

AVG. DELAYS PER DAY FOR 2 MONTHS:  5  (which may delay multiple trains, adding to the total number) 

Coach



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/03/20 11:30 by coach.

coach Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have been keeping track of the CAPITOL CORRIDOR
> train service and its many delays here in Northern
> California.  Here are the latest stats for the
> months of May-June 2020.  Please note the number
> of trains has been significantly reduced to 5
> round-trips per day, vs. the previous 16 trips per
> day.  This is due to the COVID-19 (Chinese
> Orginated Virus ID-19) situation.

"In COVID-19, ‘CO’ stands for ‘corona,’ ‘VI’ for ‘virus,’ and ‘D’ for disease." -CDC

Go educate yourself.

Thanks for the correction!  

Some of the bridge delays have been quite long: 30 minutes to close to an hour.  

John Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Some of the bridge delays have been quite long: 30
> minutes to close to an hour.  

Years ago when I rode we were stopped for 3 ships to transit while the bridge was open. Think it was an hour delay.

Nathan

Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/04/20 06:00 by atsf121.

John Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Some of the bridge delays have been quite long: 30
> minutes to close to an hour.  

Takes a bit of time to open and close the span. You don't just flip the switch and it's open in 30 seconds.

PHall Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> John Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Some of the bridge delays have been quite long:
> 30
> > minutes to close to an hour.  
>
> Takes a bit of time to open and close the span.
> You don't just flip the switch and it's open in 30
> seconds.

The actual opening and closing is quite quick on that bridge. We’re talking just a few minutes. The problem is that the bridge has to open quite some time before the ship arrives, which was one of the issues the Capital Corridor folks tried to work with the Coast Guard on. One ride home (eastbound) we passed a freighter going under the Carquinez Bridges at Crocket, headed east. But I noticed before we got to Martinez that the Benicia Bridge was already up. So after the Martinez station stop we climbed the hill and sat at the end of the bridge while waiting for the freighter to catch up and clear. That might have taken 15 minutes or more, but once the freighter cleared, the bridge was down and we were off - had to be less than 5 minutes.

Nathan

Posted from iPhone

I've had the bridge raised. It's as quick as any other draw span.

With large vessels it is all about safety. Masters want plenty of time to navigate the span. A stuck bridge, or ship engine failure, would be a disaster.

Running with the current adds to speed. The actual width isn't excessive. Threading a long needle.

Same on the Rio Vista highway 12 bridge and others.

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/05/20 22:57 by stash.

Bridges have to be open well before the ship gets there because ships stop even slower then trains do.