BUFFALO, N.Y. — After a two-day hiatus while up to 6 feet of heavy lake-effect snow fell in Buffalo, Amtrak trains were moving again today (Sunday, Nov. 20) through western New York even as many area roads remained impassable.
Meanwhile, with the Thanksgiving holiday — and its usual heavy ridership — approaching, operating obstacles cropped up on several long-distance routes west of Chicago, as well as Chicago-based state-supported routes.
The last train to venture west of Albany-Rensselaer, N.Y., on Thursday, Nov. 17, was Empire Service No. 283, which was terminated at Syracuse; it normally operates to Niagara Falls, N.Y. The equipment headed back to New York City from Syracuse Friday morning as No. 284. An earlier eastbound departure, train No. 280, had been cancelled into Albany on Friday. Truncated versions of cross-state Empire trains continued to operate through Saturday only south of the state capital to New York.
The Lake Shore Limited did not run Wednesday through Saturday out of Chicago and Thursday through Saturday from New York. but its coaches and sleeping car accommodations were sold out in both directions for the Sunday departures.
Cascading delays on Western long-distance routes
The Chicago-Seattle/Portland, Ore., Empire Builder, which has faced recent operating issues, saw tardiness multiply after the westbound train hit a car in Brookfield, Wis., west of Milwaukee, on Thursday afternoon. The 4-hour delay for police activity resulting after the car’s driver was killed, was followed by congestion en route to the West Coast. After the train’s same-day turn to return east, the delay grew to more than 9 hours by midafternoon Sunday as the Builder crossed Idaho and Montana.
After what is likely to be late Monday night or early Tuesday morning arrival in Chicago, with passengers missing eastern connections, the same equipment is set to head west again at 3:05 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 22. On that day’s westbound train, the three coaches are already sold out on the Chicago-Columbus, Wis., segment.
Lengthy delays also affected the Southwest Chief leaving Los Angeles on Nov. 16. Running 4½ hours late at its first stop, the eastbound Chief lost another 3 hours into Albuquerque, N.M., and three more into Chicago, arriving almost 11 hours late at 1:31 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19.
The fact that Amtrak’s Chicago Maintenance Facility had much less time to prepare the train to head west again may have been a factor as it went from a reported on-time departure from Chicago on Saturday to 5 hours, 29 minutes late by the time it reached its first stop in Naperville, Ill., just 28 miles away. As of midday Sunday, it remained that same amount behind schedule. The same equipment must flip back at Los Angeles to Chicago on Monday; that train is sold out in coaches east of Kansas City and the one remaining L.A.-Chicago roomette is priced at over $1,000.
Midwest service issues
Also on Thursday, Nov. 17, “mechanical issues” turned the last St. Louis-bound Lincoln Service train of the day, No. 307, into an overnighter. Due out of Chicago at 7:05 p.m., it was delayed for more than 7 hours. St. Louis arrival was 7:26 a.m. instead of 12:23 a.m. on Friday. This, in turn, delayed morning Lincoln Service No. 302 to Chicago by more than 2 hours.
Another Thursday incident involving a trespasser in in Kalamazoo, Mich., delayed eastbound Wolverine No. 355 from Pontiac, Mich. Passengers were bussed to their destinations that evening, but stranded equipment and unavailable operating personnel forced Amtrak to cancel Wolverines 350 and 355 on Friday.
Previously, Amtrak and its state sponsors routinely fielded additional pre- and post-Thanksgiving service out of Chicago by manipulating schedules and crew turns. The company has little ability to capture additional holiday patronage, and little margin of error to keep its regular trains running, because of a lack of equipment or qualified employees. It has previously announced cancellations until December of state-supported round trips on the Chicago-Carbondale, Ill.; Chicago-Quincy, Ill.; and St. Louis-Kansas City, Mo., routes.
Lacking any details regarding the cause of most of the delays it’s hard to make any judgement here about Amtrak’s competence or just cascading bad luck runs.