Passenger Trains > Empire Builder is now cancelled Friday

Due to a schedule change, your upcoming trip Reservation #A9034B for Train 7, from Glenview, Illinois to St.Paul Friday, March 13th has been CANCELLED.

Posted from Android

Can you change to the Amtrak Borealis? 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/12/26 08:21 by mbrotzman.

Borealis runs 4 hours earlier, which means most same day connection to #7 can't be made for up to MSP. The Borealis is also only 3 SL coaches, has little wiggle room, especially with regular Hiawatha passengers on board as far as Milwaukee.

This is just another lazy, bonus-driven cop out by Harris's Amtrak. 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/12/26 09:17 by joemvcnj.

I got the last ticket on the Borealis

Posted from Android

By Saturday there will be three sets of Empire Builder equipment in Chicago,  You think they could add a couple of coaches on Thursday & Friday Borealis, and even Saturday.

DNienke Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> By Saturday there will be three sets of Empire
> Builder equipment in Chicago,  You think they
> could add a couple of coaches on Thursday & Friday
> Borealis, and even Saturday.

They won't do a thing to a state supported train unless the state pays them.

PRIAA needs to be replaced with mileage reduced to 105 from 750, bonuses abolished, and FRA's dismantling of Amtrak into separate business units be carried forth.

Posted from Android

There are no restrictions to adding coaches to a state supported train. Don't know where you came up with that crap.
Seats are available on the Borealis for Friday Mar 13th...


joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> DNienke Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > By Saturday there will be three sets of Empire
> > Builder equipment in Chicago,  You think they
> > could add a couple of coaches on Thursday &
> Friday
> > Borealis, and even Saturday.
>
> They won't do a thing to a state supported train
> unless the state pays them.
>
> PRIAA needs to be replaced with mileage reduced to
> 105 from 750, bonuses abolished, and FRA's
> dismantling of Amtrak into separate business units
> be carried forth.
>
> Posted from Android

agitator Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There are no restrictions to adding coaches to a
> state supported train. Don't know where you came
> up with that crap.
> Seats are available on the Borealis for Friday Mar
> 13th...

It is not "crap"
Consist limits are set by PRIIA contracts or the state leases more coaches and adds car miles.  
The could conceivably make an exception for this situation, but on an going bases, no.  



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/12/26 10:22 by joemvcnj.

1333 is "sold out" on Friday the 13th

Posted from Android

DNienke Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> By Saturday there will be three sets of Empire
> Builder equipment in Chicago,  You think they
> could add a couple of coaches on Thursday & Friday
> Borealis, and even Saturday.

Good point, they were able to make up a set for no. 5 a few months ago when no. 6 was delayed badly over Donner!

Posted from Android

Why's no. 7 canceled!

Posted from Android

Odds are at least one of the sets will not get out of Chicago Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday without a equipment issue 

Based on my experience on 7/8, it will likely be that the toilets don't work in a sleeper car. 

Bingo!  Things need to change, and fast.

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> They won't do a thing to a state supported train
> unless the state pays them.
>
> PRIAA needs to be replaced with mileage reduced to
> 105 from 750, bonuses abolished, and FRA's
> dismantling of Amtrak into separate business units
> be carried forth.
>
> Posted from Android

People on this board are really deluded to think breaking up Amtrak will fix it, just like what the British did to British Rail would fix it too right? Can’t wait for Amtraks rolling stock manager to gouge the operation side like the rolling stock companies in the UK do. Yeah let’s just copy an even worse model without even the benefit of infrastructure owned by the state.

AmtrakMidwest Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> People on this board are really deluded to think
> breaking up Amtrak will fix it, just like what the
> British did to British Rail would fix it too
> right? Can’t wait for Amtraks rolling stock
> manager to gouge the operation side like the
> rolling stock companies in the UK do. Yeah let’s
> just copy an even worse model without even the
> benefit of infrastructure owned by the state.

Amtrak was merely an operating company from 1971 to 1976 and only acquired Michigan and the NEC as a convenient dumping ground from the Penn Central becoming Conrail and its ultimate IPO

The UK was a privatization effort with Railtrack and TOC's. This is not that. But the UK railways are under constant rolling stock renewal. Even the not so old Class 365 MU's have been retired.  

Given the bug-ridden, defective, and high shop margins of the CAF Viewliners, bug-ridden and design flawed Chargers, and the high defect rate on Next Gen Acelas that are 5 years late, Amtrak is not very good at procurement
 

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> AmtrakMidwest Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > People on this board are really deluded to
> think
> > breaking up Amtrak will fix it, just like what
> the
> > British did to British Rail would fix it too
> > right? Can’t wait for Amtraks rolling stock
> > manager to gouge the operation side like the
> > rolling stock companies in the UK do. Yeah
> let’s
> > just copy an even worse model without even the
> > benefit of infrastructure owned by the state.
>
> Amtrak was merely an operating company from 1971
> to 1976 and only acquired Michigan and the NEC as
> a convenient dumping ground from the Penn Central
> becoming Conrail and its ultimate IPO
>
> The UK was a privatization effort with Railtrack
> and TOC's. This is not that. But the UK railways
> are under constant rolling stock renewal. Even the
> not so old Class 365 MU's have been retired.  
>
> Given the bug-ridden, defective, and high shop
> margins of the CAF Viewliners, bug-ridden and
> design flawed Chargers, and the high defect rate
> on Next Gen Acelas that are 5 years late, Amtrak
> is not very good at procurement
>  

Get real dude, the UK has had a lot issues with its new trains as well, namely their Hitachi DMUs. It also ignores that Congress doesn’t provide Amtrak with the funding consistently needed to order new trains. The rolling stock companies in the UK are private and they gouge the operators which forces high fares. No one in the UK likes this system.

AmtrakMidwest Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------
>
> Get real dude, the UK has had a lot issues with
> its new trains as well, namely their Hitachi DMUs.
> It also ignores that Congress doesn’t provide
> Amtrak with the funding consistently needed to
> order new trains. The rolling stock companies in
> the UK are private and they gouge the operators
> which forces high fares. No one in the UK likes
> this system.

As you have been told, what the FRA is proposing is not a UK system nor a privatization scheme. So you wailing about the UK is a waste of key strokes.

Congress gave Amtrak plenty of money to buy new trains and everything they have bought over the last 10 years is junk.

They are also about to buy hundreds of Airo train cars and locos. Orders will be let for new LD coaches next year. So again, your Amtrak victimhood mentality is devoid of reality.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/26 17:19 by joemvcnj.

The big problem I saw while working at amtrak was the independence of the mechanical department
under the existing scheme.  Mechanical was responsible to nobody except themseleves.  A young
transportation officer wanting to point out the failures of mechanicals application of the blue flag rule
was counseled not to get into "Marshall's (the mech supt.) House"  All mechanical was responsible for
was having their excuses ready for the "Morning Call" from Philly.

 

Englewood Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The big problem I saw while working at amtrak was
> the independence of the mechanical department
> under the existing scheme.  Mechanical was
> responsible to nobody except themseleves.  A
> young
> transportation officer wanting to point out the
> failures of mechanicals application of the blue
> flag rule
> was counseled not to get into "Marshall's (the
> mech supt.) House"  All mechanical was
> responsible for
> was having their excuses ready for the "Morning
> Call" from Philly.
>
>  

That's an excellent example of how a "silo" hurts overall performance in an organization. If part of Marshall's etc bonus was based on error free turn around time, MTBF, etc there might be a different outcome. And the parts guy's bonus was based on how many mechanic requests were satisfied within one hour, etc. All the way around the circle.

Incentive and bonus frameworks shouldn't be based on easy to hit targets that don't integrate with other areas of the company to deliver corporate objectives.