Passenger Trains > You can count on Amtrak Mechanical in Chicago...

Each morning I take a look at the Transitdocs map to see how the Western long distance trains are doing.  Most of the time more than one is running late, as indicated by a train number in RED.  A train shown in GREEN is reasonably close to on time (BLACK is Service Disruption).

This morning, out of the five trains shown...two California Zephyrs, two Southwest Chiefs, one Sunset Limited...all but one were GREEN!

The one that was RED was Southwest Chief 3(25).  It was doomed from the start, with an initial terminal delay of over an hour due to...you guessed it, Amtrak Mechanical.  Chicago strikes again.

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I blame amtrak management for not having a big enough workforce there and beechgrove

I thought grey was service disruption and black was services over 3 hours late.

Posted from iPhone

Perhaps more as a result of it being a holiday and fewer freight trains are running?

 

Yes...this was a chance to see all GREEN!! Didn't happen.

GenePoon Wrote:
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> Yes...this was a chance to see all GREEN!! Didn't
> happen.

I was amazed to wake up this morning to see 4 out of KCY on-time, and to see 6 just 1 minute late out of Osceola. 

Peak45068 Wrote:
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> I thought grey was service disruption and black
> was services over 3 hours late.
>

You're right and isn't there also YELLOW? It'd be nice to have a legend on the page to decode the colors...or colours, as VIA Rail is on the status map too.

GenePoon Wrote:
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> Peak45068 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I thought grey was service disruption and black
> > was services over 3 hours late.
> >
>
> You're right and isn't there also YELLOW? It'd be
> nice to have a legend on the page to decode the
> colors...or colours, as VIA Rail is on the status
> map too.

Yellow up to an hour late
Red 1-3 hours down
Black over 3 hours down
Grey. Smash the windows and thumb a lift.

Posted from iPhone

dan Wrote:
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> I blame amtrak management for not having a big
> enough workforce there and beechgrove

It’s been a problem for decades in Chicago.

Posted from iPhone

dan Wrote:
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> I blame amtrak management for not having a big
> enough workforce there and beechgrove

Sorry but unless they have people who actually take the time to get the train 100% ready to head to the station from the yards in Chicago, I seriously doubt extra help will improve things, even before COVID Chicago always cut corners to get a train set out instad of making sure it can head out properly, that's why you get almost everyday trains with last second mechanical issue!

well aware of the situation, in chicago, David Gunn showed up overnight and caught workers not working, but since then what has amtrak management done.  In the Gunn incident i think the unions saved their butss.  Has to be a few good employees there some stuff gets fixed, just need m,ore good workers and a management that wants LD trains maintained

Amtrak management and labor have not done a good job learning from failures, etc over the decades.

Posted from Android

On the transitdocs website, if you hit the i on the top right and then 'what do the colors mean' there is a legend.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/22 10:15 by Oregonpaul.

Chicago maintenance has always been the scourge of Amtrak. I worked 3&4 OBS in the mid 80’s and I can tell stories as bad or worse that I’ve ever seen here on TO.
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