Passenger Trains > New service Chicago Union Station, IL-St. Paul Union Station, MN

Amtrak launches expanded service: https://media.amtrak.com/2024/04/introducing-amtrak-borealis-trains-with-expanded-service-between-st-paul-and-chicago-via-milwaukee/   



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/01/24 11:55 by SanJoseHost.

Never thought I would see the day.

Reservation system this morning just had the train number (1333), no name. 

What type of cafe car will be used?

Posted from Android

prech786 Wrote:
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> What type of cafe car will be used?

Horizon split Biz-dinette. Since it is a de facto Hiawatha service train south of Milwaukee, they will have food service, analogous to the Pennsylvanian with the Keystones.  

I hope they can keep the cafe car well stocked. 
Maybe they should put a Viewliner Dining car on this train.




joemvcnj Wrote:
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> prech786 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > What type of cafe car will be used?
>
> Horizon split Biz-dinette. Since it is a de facto
> Hiawatha service train south of Milwaukee, they
> will have food service, analogous to the
> Pennsylvanian with the Keystones.  

Jerry Martin
Los Angeles, CA
Central Coast Railroad Festival

Wow, did not realize that was starting so soon. Nothing ever starts that quickly!

What I'm trying to figure out is how this balances with the Hiawatha trainsets since it replaces two trips. Doesn't it leave Hiawatha sets at the wrong locations to start the next trip cycles?

The Hiawathas have 2 train sets for making 7 round trips, each night swapping their overnight stay location.
Now the 2 sets will be covering 6 round trips. I don't know how they wiil cycle that.

It has got a name. It’s called the Borealis Service. The chancing of seeing the aurora from it are pretty slim though.

Rugby
UK

Posted from iPhone

Actually Chicago-Saint Paul Union Depot. 
There is connecting light rail service from
Saint Paul Union Depot to downtown Minneapolis. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/01/24 13:42 by CP8888.

Several Horizon cars needed for this service are being pulled from the "Bone Yard" at BEE for restoration.. One of those cars went north on Monday, C/52527.. It was mentioned in the following thread:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,5855448

Close on the tails of this announcement should be something about an "experimental" return to LVL. That may amount to weekend service, to investigate of the interest level.. An ADA compliant station would be a sticking point...

LVL = Lousiville.
What is that about ?

Oh, thank you. I have corrected the title as best I could since Amtrak on its website calls it the St. Paul-Minneapolis Union Station, and there's no room to add all of that to the title. I also added the states to the stations, to avoid unnecessary confusion. The station code is MSP.

Times would be attractive for PVs, that is if ATK will permit them on those trains.

-John

I wonder if that's why an Amfleet all-table car was on the westbound Cardinal, apparently to Chicago, the other day.  They have to free up two Horizon dinettes from the Chicago corridor trains somehow.  Amfleets, of course, are not maintained at Beech Grove (that I know of).

NPRocky Wrote:
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> I wonder if that's why an Amfleet all-table car
> was on the westbound Cardinal, apparently to
> Chicago, the other day.  They have to free up two
> Horizon dinettes from the Chicago corridor trains
> somehow.  Amfleets, of course, are not maintained
> at Beech Grove (that I know of).

My guess is they will use Amfleet Club-Dinettes for these two consists. Just a guess based on counting cars and availability as far as I can figure out, so could be completely wrong too :).

Wow.   And New Orleans-Mobile remains stuck.

Surprised at the schedule as it is not all that different from the current Empire Builder schedule (3 hours earlier out of CHI, 3 hours later out of STP).  I thought they would have gone with an earlier departure out of CHI and a later departure out of STP.  

I guess this schedule ensures adequate crew rest time at either end, but it will also require two complete train sets.

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The Hiawathas have 2 train sets for making 7 round
> trips, each night swapping their overnight stay
> location.
> Now the 2 sets will be covering 6 round trips. I
> don't know how they wiil cycle that.

This is what I can't figure out:

At 9:32am, 332 arrives into Chicago.
At 9:54am, 331 arrives into Milwaukee.

At 11:05am, 332 flipped to be 333 leaving Chicago, while 331 flipped to be 334 leaving Milwaukee.

Now, at 11:05am, 1333 (Borealis) departs. 333's set is still in Chicago. 1333 continues past Milwaukee. 334 heads to Chicago.

The 1pm cycle comes around:
335 departs Chicago at 1:05pm with either 333 or 334 equipment.
336 departs Milwaukee at 1:05pm with... what? Both trainsets are in Chicago, and 1340 replaces a post-5pm departure (340), not 336.

That example is using the schedule as they have it live right now, so at least at the moment, they did not change the Hiawatha times. I just am trying to figure out how they didn't change them when it unbalances the equipment.



 

The Siemens cafe cars are where ?