Passenger Trains > Chief to Starlight connection

As I type, my brother and his son are on the Chief, headed to LA to transfer to the Starlight.  However, the Chief is nearly 3 hours late, so the connection may well be missed.  Surely Amtrak holds the Starlight a bit for a late Chief.  Or do they? 

Thanks.

Typically the Southwest Chief can make up time heading into LA, especially after the Barstow, CA stop is made. Train was running pretty much on time till Flagstaff, then by next station stop it was over 2.5 hours late. It's doing around 90 mph as I write this after leaving Needles, so Amtrak locomotives must be ok. Not sure what caused the delay. There's at least an hour of padding into LA. One train tracker has the Southwest Chief arriving into LA at 9:16 am. Not sure if I believe that. Probably closer to the 10 am hour - if given the green and no major issues. Yes, hopefully they will hold the Coast Starlight for the Southwest Chief. All the best!

Excellent.  Thank you!
 

busses are used to valley trains sometimes

He just woke up and said that the delay was due to a series of frieights.  He estimates about 15 trains were met after Flagstaff.  They were either stopped for them or crawled along at 20 mph.  They met four before Williams!

Messy out there.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/28/24 06:20 by Chessie1963.

We arrived LAX yesterday on #3 2 hours 47 minutes late mostly due to illegal freight train interference by BNSF, esp in the Cajon pass. This put us out of our scheduled slot re: Metrolink. So we were further delayed by Metrolink passenger trains. Failed in our Starlight connection so passengers were either put on later Surfliner trains (for those going to San Luis Obispo and points south) or San Joaquin trains for those going to Bay Area points.

OnTime Wrote:
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> mostly due to illegal freight train
> interference by BNSF

Are you a lawyer and have direct comprehensive knowledge of all the appropriate laws and regulations and contracts that would be involved?

The conductor just told them that they are not holding the Starlight for them.  They will miss it by 10-15 minutes.  I find that ridiculous.  

So they get a bus and an inland train instead of the oceanside experience that they booked.  I told him to get a refund on the ticket and walk away from Amtrak.  Fly to SFO.

About 20 years ago I and my brother-in-law were on the Sunset several hours late and could not make the Starlight connection so we were bussed from Palm Springs to Santa Barbara and caught the Starlight with a few minutes to spare.

Tom

Chessie1963 Wrote:
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> The conductor just told them that they are not holding the Starlight for them.  They will miss it by 10-15 minutes.  I find that ridiculous.  
>
I guess it depends on how many are making the connection, but if it is more than like 5 people I find this a very poor decision on the part of Amtrak.  Train is currently due in at 10:03 and the Starlight departs at 9:51.

kbmiflyer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Chessie1963 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The conductor just told them that they are
> not holding the Starlight for them.  They will
> miss it by 10-15 minutes.  I find that
> ridiculous.  
> >
> I guess it depends on how many are making the
> connection, but if it is more than like 5 people I
> find this a very poor decision on the part of
> Amtrak.  Train is currently due in at 10:03 and
> the Starlight departs at 9:51.

Good Ole Amtrak... makes no sense.

Posted from Android

They sent the Starlight off without them.  Based on projections, they would have needed to hold it for 14 minutes plus boarding.  Too much trouble for Amtrak, I guess.

Absolutely the WORST customer service moves are made by this "company."  I feel bad for my bro.  They are flying to SFO.  Thanks for the experience, Amtrak.

Some of you will say, "You need to stay over in LA to make that work."  I am sorry, accepting Amtrak's ineptitude by spending even more money and time when the connection is allegedly guranteed should not be the norm, nor should it be tolerated. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/28/24 10:05 by Chessie1963.

It's too bad that Amtrak wasn't able to inconvenience an entire train of passengers for your brother. Better luck next time!

Thank you for your input.  You were very helpful.

He is not the only one transferring, and you should know that.  But being from the west coast, maybe you do not.  So let me explain it to you.

There were many passengers on the Chief coming into LA today.  A relatively large number of them were making the guaranteed connection to the Starlight.  Today there were only 10, however.  Let me also add that my nephew has severe autism.  This is not a good situation, given that.  Further, I hardly see a 20 minute delay as a major incovenience for the Starlight passengers.  If it were, no one would ride Amtrak ever, because 20 minute delays are par for the course.  You and I both know--well, at least I know--that there is plenty of padding in the Starlight schedule to make up  20 minutes.  My brother reports that there are some pretty angry folks right now.  He goes with it, but others not so much.

Again, thank you for your extremely helpful comment.  You have a wonderful perspective on things.


portlander Wrote:
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> It's too bad that Amtrak wasn't able to
> inconvenience an entire train of passengers for
> your brother. Better luck next time!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/28/24 10:26 by Chessie1963.

Chessie1963 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> They sent the Starlight off without them.  Based
> on projections, they would have needed to hold it
> for 14 minutes plus boarding.  Too much trouble
> for Amtrak, I guess.
>
> Absolutely the WORST customer service moves are
> made by this "company."  I feel bad for my bro.
>  They are flying to SFO.  Thanks for the
> experience, Amtrak.
>
> Some of you will say, "You need to stay over in LA
> to make that work."  I am sorry, accepting
> Amtrak's ineptitude by spending even more money
> and time when the connection is allegedly
> guranteed should not be the norm, nor should it be
> tolerated. 

I totally agree. There is absolutely no reason to not hold 14 for 4, especially for 30ish minutes, I've been on #2 when we held for about that long for a late 11, it seemed to work. If there isn't enough time for the connection to be reliable, then build in more time or don't make it gauranteed/available.
They were doing this a bunch for quite a while when the Sunset Limited #2/422 was late getting to San Antonio. They'd release 22 before 2 arrived. Then everyone continuing from 422 would have to bus to either thier destination or Longview, TX to join the train. But I'll admit, they got enough feedback that they now hold 22 if it makes sense. 

I think it was earlier this week or late last week...... The eastbound Empire Builder was arriving into Chicago (#8/28) when the Capitol Limited (#30) was leaving Chicago. There were adequate transferring passengers - my opinion - whereby the Capitol Limited could have been held for 10 minutes and it would have done a side by side transfer of passengers.......But Amtrak decided against it. UGH! 

Sorry to hear that your brother missed the connection at LA to the Coast Starlight......I also thought the Coast Starlight left still a bit after the 10 am hour......That connection should be doable. 

portlander Wrote:
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> It's too bad that Amtrak wasn't able to
> inconvenience an entire train of passengers for
> your brother. Better luck next time!

Please expalin how holding a train for 15 minutes inconveniences a whole train of passengers. Especially when there is lots of padding to account for short delays.

WP17

Chessie1963 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The conductor just told them that they are not
> holding the Starlight for them.  They will miss
> it by 10-15 minutes.  I find that ridiculous.  
>
> So they get a bus and an inland train instead of
> the oceanside experience that they booked.  I
> told him to get a refund on the ticket and walk
> away from Amtrak.  Fly to SFO.
===============================

Out of Los Angeles, as elsewhere outside the Corridor and Michigan, Amtrak does not own the railroad. Metrolink trains operate on a schedule, and the dispatchers give them priority; if the Starlight does not or can not operate on its slotted time, it waits until it gets an opening.

Chessie1963 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thank you for your input.  You were very
> helpful.

He might not have been helpful, but he was correct.


>
> He is not the only one transferring, and you
> should know that.  But being from the west coast,
> maybe you do not.  So let me explain it to you.

LOL.


>
> There were many passengers on the Chief coming
> into LA today.  A relatively large number of them
> were making the guaranteed connection to the
> Starlight.  Today there were only 10, however.

Which is it, a large number or 10?   Also, Amtrak does not guarantee a connection, they guarantee they will get you there.   A "bus ride and an inland train ride" which according to you is Amtraks alternative, fulfills that.


>  Let me also add that my nephew has severe
> autism.  

Completely irrelevant.

>This is not a good situation, given
> that.  

Missing a connection never is.

>Further, I hardly see a 20 minute delay as
> a major incovenience for the Starlight passengers.

Or course you don't, as you are not one of them.  Would the 20 minute delay gotten worse, due to Metrolink running on time?  Or do you expect them to hold their on time trains for Amtrak?


>  If it were, no one would ride Amtrak ever,
> because 20 minute delays are par for the course.

Late trains get latter.  You should know that.

>  You and I both know--well, at least I know--that
> there is plenty of padding in the Starlight
> schedule to make up  20 minutes.

I guess Amtrak might know a bit more about it than you, and decided that there is not enough padding.


> My brother
> reports that there are some pretty angry folks
> right now.  He goes with it, but others not so
> much.

It happens, can't please everybody.   I bet there are some really happy people on the Starlight, since it left on time.


>
> Again, thank you for your extremely helpful
> comment.  You have a wonderful perspective on
> things.

Ah yes, if you don't badmouth Amtrak all the time on this board, don't bother commenting.   What a joke.


>
>
> portlander Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > It's too bad that Amtrak wasn't able to
> > inconvenience an entire train of passengers for
> > your brother. Better luck next time!

WP17 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> portlander Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > It's too bad that Amtrak wasn't able to
> > inconvenience an entire train of passengers for
> > your brother. Better luck next time!
>
> Please expalin how holding a train for 15 minutes
> inconveniences a whole train of passengers.
> Especially when there is lots of padding to
> account for short delays.

Explain to me how you absolutely know that Metrolink did not tell Amtrak that if you do not depart on your time slot, you will then have to sit there and wait 90 minutes.