Passenger Trains > What is going on in Virginia/DC tonight-A Mess

Its a MESS. Does anyone know whats going in WAS/Northern VA? 

1. Amtrak 20, already running 3 hours late due to a late departure from NOL, lost 5 hours having to run 25mph indefinitely due to heat. Then, sat between Culpepper and Manassas for 2 hours, making it 10 hours late. Then as I type this is stuck AGAIN outside Alexandria.  
2. Amtrak 19, got stuck on the northside of Amtrak 20 when it was stopped between Culpepper and Manassas and as I type this is still sitting in Culpepper 2 hours later. Neither train is moving as of midnight. 
3. 40 Arrived into WAS at 825pm (nearly 4 hours ago) and STILL hasnt left. It would be over 9 hours late. 
4. 41 got stuck near PIT for 4+ hours already running 11 hours late and is now going to be 15 hours late at least before it reaches DC. 
5. It now appears all trains on the south of Baltimore on the NEC are shutdown. 57,128,165 are all stuck near Baltimore not moving. 

Update to Number 3 above-41 ws held overnight in DC for 13 hours for some reason. Now 17 hours late. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/05/26 09:32 by Amtrak-P42.

There was some severe weather that went thru there, that might be the cause.

It has been messy.  The Floridian has to be the most forlorn train on earth.  Hours late is the norm.  

Chessie1963 Wrote:
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> It has been messy.  The Floridian has to be the
> most forlorn train on earth.  Hours late is the orm.  

Much like its namesake of the 1970's, except they don't have PC and L&N trackage falling apart beneath it. 

Chessie1963 Wrote:
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> It has been messy.  The Floridian has to be the
> most forlorn train on earth.  Hours late is the
> norm.  

40 was running 5:16 down when it got
to DC last night, and it's still there, ETA for departure is 8:30AM! I don't think short turning it in Toledo is going to save it this time. 

ST214 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Chessie1963 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > It has been messy.  The Floridian has to be000
> the
> > most forlorn train on earth.  Hours late is
> the
> > norm.  
>
> 40 was running 5:16 down when it got
> to DC last night, and it's still there, ETA for
> departure is 8:30AM! I don't think short turning
> it in Toledo is going to save it this time. 

Perhaps with all the late Floridian trains, Amtrak was out of crews for a holiday weekend, or crew rest caught up. The fact that Amtrak can predict things this much ahead is telling. I've seen and experienced this firsthand with the Empire Builder at Minot, ND. OR it could be that the storms took down trees on the route between DC and Pittsburgh somewhere along the line. 

I would say turn 40 in Cleveland today, to try and get it close to ontime again.  These storms have ravaged Amtrak just like everything else this summer.  Bus everyone back and forth to 
Chicago and intermediate points.  I think that is better than cancelling trains in their entirety, but it would not surprise me if that is what they do again.

This is mostly a big weather snowball (that would be nice right now though).  Heat orders on NS really get things late, putting crews out of place and causing HOS issues.  It's now complicating more as extraboard folks are getting tight on HOS.  Many abnormal re-crews, etc, etc.  

I'd look for a cancelled day on 41/40 to catch things up if Amtrak does what it usually does.  40 still sits in DC this morning due to crew rest issues there, in Cumberland, and Pittsburgh.

Tyler

Does anyone know why 40 sat for 12 hours in Washington from 8 PM to 8 AM before continuing on East?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/05/26 08:20 by Amtrak-P42.

Amtrak-P42 Wrote:
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> Does anyone know why 40 sat for 12 hours in
> Washington from 8 PM to 8 AM before continuing on
> East?

I hope they told the passengers about this delay so they could go to the fireworks at the very least.

Posted from Android

Amtrak-P42 Wrote:
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> Does anyone know why 40 sat for 12 hours in
> Washington from 8 PM to 8 AM before continuing on
> East?

As Tyler4steam said, and I as I also hinted at this morning, it's all due to crew rest and being short on crews along the route of the Floridian, particularly between Washington DC and Toledo. Everything is out of synch. The extra board to re-position crews for LD trains when things do get late have been kept thin by Amtrak management for years now. Has gotten a little better, but I presume the holiday weekend doesn't help either. 

Regarding the point of terminating north/westbound Floridian to Chicago at Toledo, rather than running it through to its normal terminus of Chicago........I believe they will just let all the Floridians continue to march on and do a cancellation of the Floridians tomorrow, Monday July 6, and/or Tuesday, July 7. Total mess of the Floridians and Amtrak trains trying to run along the Atlantic Coast if you ask me. Yes, bad storms, heatwave, etc.   

jp1822 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Amtrak-P42 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Does anyone know why 40 sat for 12 hours in
> > Washington from 8 PM to 8 AM before continuing
> on
> > East?
>
> As Tyler4steam said, and I as I also hinted at
> this morning, it's all due to crew rest and being
> short on crews along the route of the Floridian,
> particularly between Washington DC and Toledo.
> Everything is out of synch. The extra board to
> re-position crews for LD trains when things do get
> late have been kept thin by Amtrak management for
> years now. Has gotten a little better, but I
> presume the holiday weekend doesn't help
> either. 
>
> Regarding the point of terminating north/westbound
> Floridian to Chicago at Toledo, rather than
> running it through to its normal terminus of
> Chicago........I believe they will just let all
> the Floridians continue to march on and do a
> cancellation of the Floridians tomorrow, Monday
> July 6, and/or Tuesday, July 7. Total mess of the
> Floridians and Amtrak trains trying to run along
> the Atlantic Coast if you ask me. Yes, bad storms,
> heatwave, etc.   

Can confirm that at least 41 is cancelled out of MIA tomorrow. 

I heard crew rest.

Amtrak-P42 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jp1822 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Amtrak-P42 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Does anyone know why 40 sat for 12 hours in
> > > Washington from 8 PM to 8 AM before
> continuing
> > on
> > > East?
> >
> > As Tyler4steam said, and I as I also hinted at
> > this morning, it's all due to crew rest and
> being
> > short on crews along the route of the
> Floridian,
> > particularly between Washington DC and Toledo.
> > Everything is out of synch. The extra board to
> > re-position crews for LD trains when things do
> get
> > late have been kept thin by Amtrak management
> for
> > years now. Has gotten a little better, but I
> > presume the holiday weekend doesn't help
> > either. 
> >
> > Regarding the point of terminating
> north/westbound
> > Floridian to Chicago at Toledo, rather than
> > running it through to its normal terminus of
> > Chicago........I believe they will just let all
> > the Floridians continue to march on and do a
> > cancellation of the Floridians tomorrow, Monday
> > July 6, and/or Tuesday, July 7. Total mess of
> the
> > Floridians and Amtrak trains trying to run
> along
> > the Atlantic Coast if you ask me. Yes, bad
> storms,
> > heatwave, etc.   
>
> Can confirm that at least 41 is cancelled out of
> MIA tomorrow. 

Train #40 out of Miami is cancelled tomorrow, July 6, 2026, as is train #41 out of Chicago tonight, July 5th. 

How is the extra board in Toledo these days? 40(3) is currently stopped in Cleveland, 40(4) is between Connersville and Pittsburgh. 49(5) is on time out of Syracuse. Will there be enough crews to bring them all west or will 40(4) be held at Toledo to hook up with 49(5) and go west as one train? 

ST214 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> How is the extra board in Toledo these days? 40(3)
> is currently stopped in Cleveland, 40(4) is
> between Connersville and Pittsburgh. 49(5) is on
> time out of Syracuse. Will there be enough crews
> to bring them all west or will 40(4) be held at
> Toledo to hook up with 49(5) and go west as one
> train? 

That's an excellent question.

Trains have been held waiting for rested crews in many places.  

Combine very thin extra boards, vacation time, dog catch crews to rescue outlawed crews, etc and there isn't much give anywhere on the system.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ST214 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > How is the extra board in Toledo these days?
> 40(3)
> > is currently stopped in Cleveland, 40(4) is
> > between Connersville and Pittsburgh. 49(5) is
> on
> > time out of Syracuse. Will there be enough
> crews
> > to bring them all west or will 40(4) be held at
> > Toledo to hook up with 49(5) and go west as one
> > train? 
>
> That's an excellent question.
>
> Trains have been held waiting for rested crews in
> many places.  
>
> Combine very thin extra boards, vacation time, dog
> catch crews to rescue outlawed crews, etc and
> there isn't much give anywhere on the system.

I guess there were enough crews as they both went west separately.