Passenger Trains > Empire Builder Train #7/27 (7/29) - 12 hours Late

Train #7/27 that left Chicago on July 29th (3.5 hours late nonetheless) is currently running a bit over 12 hours late leaving Spokane (due to freight congestion, broken down freight near Flathead Tunnel, out of its regular time slot, etc.). It's pushing on to its western terminus. No buses called to do a bus-bridge between Spokane and Portland/Seattle and try and preserve some on-time semblance for Train #8/28 of 7/31 out of Seattle and Portland. Presently one can't book a ticket for train #8/28 leaving Seattle/Portland on 7/31. "No trains found." Empire Builder train consist does a same day turn at the West Coast terminus and now that it appears #7 and #27 will be heading all the way through, arrival will be after 10:30 pm. Turning the equipment leaves for an after midnight departure of #8/28.  Appears they may have cancelled the Empire Builder train #8/28 that would have left 7/31 from Seattle/Portland back to Chicago??? Or maybe sales are just blocked completely for what will be a VERY late running train. I understand that getting a bus-bridge called in could be difficult in this current environment, but it's not been done this whole year practically, when pre-COVID, it had been done of the Empire Builder was running "x" amount of hours late by Spokane.   



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/31/22 16:11 by jp1822.

Amtrak at its finest, it can mo longer be counted on.

Posted from Android

“Playing cards with the old men in the club car…..”

Enjoying the American railroad experience.

And the band played on.

Regards

Posted from iPhone

One of my favorite song's. The City of New Orleans by Arlo Guthrie.
Robert in Island City Oregon 

8notch Wrote:
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> One of my favorite song's. The City of New Orleans
> by Arlo Guthrie.
> Robert in Island City Oregon 

Yes. Arlo had a good version of Steve Goodmans song. Willie did it justice too.
All part of the American railroad experience; sloooow down, read poetry as you go through Wray Colorado 12 hrs down and take in the sights of the Rockies at 11 PM on #5.
All while eating the baloney sammich you made yesterday cause you ain’t allowed in the dining car.

And the band played on.

Regards

Posted from iPhone

The same thing happened with the derailment/bus bridge a couple of weeks ago and my #28 left Portland at 3:30 am.  The one plus side is seeing all of the dark sections - especially the Kootenai River - in daylight.

I would be surprised if they cancel the train.  It might just be a glitch, as in the estimated departure is now on 8/1, so train 28(31) doesn't exist in the system.  With our train it seemed to mess up the tracking pages as well so we were not on the map for all of our eastbound run.

My family rode 49 and 7 from Albany to Whitefish last week with no issues.

Art House

 

aehouse Wrote:
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> My family rode 49 and 7 from Albany to Whitefish
> last week with no issues.
>
> Art House
>
>  

Other than this past winter of being late, but at least the train ran, I really have no issues at all with the Empire Builder. I have had MANY MANY flawless trips on the Empire Builder so something has bound to happen. And the winter was ROUGH in Cascades and even Marias Pass this year. So no complaints here. Just a little disappointed that "working out the bugs" of ALC42s has come at the expense of this train's timekeeping for some people's trips......