CHICAGO — The lack of stand-by operational Superliners at Amtrak’s Chicago maintenance facility led to the cancellation of the westbound Southwest Chief on Monday, July 15, less than five hours before it was to depart, Trains News Wire has learned.
With additional equipment unavailable on the West Coast, the eastbound Chief scheduled to leave Los Angeles Wednesday, July 17, has also been cancelled.
Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari says the day-late arrival of Sunday’s eastbound California Zephyr — it arrived more than 16 hours late at 7:15 a.m. Monday morning — “prevented the successful origination of Train No. 3.” Sources tell News Wire the decision was made by officials at the Consolidated National Operations Center in Wilmington, Del. A “service adjustment” advisory was issued Monday at 10:03 a.m. CDT saying the train, scheduled to depart at 2:25 p.m., “is now cancelled due to equipment issues. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience in advance.”
The Zephyr and Chief, along with the Empire Builder and Texas Eagle, are Amtrak long-distance trains whose cars and locomotives are serviced and inspected overnight after making cross-country treks to the Windy City. This involves pulling trains into an enclosed building with an inspection pit, interior cleaning, watering, pumping of all toilet systems, and checking every car for mechanical malfunctions, such as air conditioning failures on equipment dating from 1979 to the mid-1990s. Amtrak’s Chicago mechanical forces must also deal with at least six sets of Midwest Corridor trainsets and the St. Paul-Chicago Borealis overnight.
Sunday’s Southwest Chief arrived an hour and a half late at 4:11 p.m.; the Eagle was 20 minutes early at 2:54 p.m.; and the Builder arrived at 8:26 p.m., three hours, 41 minutes behind its scheduled arrival time. On Monday, with the Chief cancelled, the southbound Texas Eagle and westbound Zephyr departed on time at 1:52 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively; the westbound Empire Builder departed an hour and a half late, according to Amtrak’s train status advisory, “for the second time after addressing a mechanical issue.”
Reports from observers indicate that five of the Superliners arriving Sunday on the Chief went out Monday on the Zephyr, which has been operating with a slightly different consist, although both are assigned only two coaches during the busy summer travel season.
Unclear is why the Chief cancellation came so late. Chicago management and shop forces had plenty of time to see what challenges would be unfolding. The Zephyr that departed Emeryville, Calif., on July 12 was 8 hours late leaving Reno, Nev., after its original locomotive failed at Sacramento, Calif. It was almost 11 hours late departing Denver at 5:47 a.m. Sunday morning. Though every Superliner car type is represented in the Chicago coach yard, apparently not enough rolling stock was deemed road-ready. Sunday’s westbound Zephyr departed more than 3 hours late at 5:09 p.m.
Other disruptions over the last few days include outright cancellation of the Crescent from New York to New Orleans on Sunday, July 14, after other departures were held for hours or cancelled following a Norfolk Southern freight derailment near Atlanta.
Last Friday’s westbound Pennsylvanian was terminated at Lancaster, Pa., Amtrak says, “due to a mechanical issue;” 233 passengers transferred to an electric-powered Keystone as far as Harrisburg and those traveling beyond via bus to Pittsburgh. Buses substituted for Saturday’s eastbound train as far as Philadelphia. These incidents follow a cascading series of systemwide setbacks previously reported [see, “Significant delays, cancellations disrupt Amtrak’s network, News Wire July 12, 2024].
As of this morning (Tuesday, July 16), the only space available from Los Angeles to Chicago on Wednesday — a day the already sold-out Sunset Limited-Texas Eagle departs — was a bedroom on the California Zephyr via Emeryville, Calif., for $3,298. That trip would require taking the Pacific Surfliner to Santa Barbara, Calif., and an overnight bus ride. Those who suddenly found themselves in need of a way from LA to Chicago could always shift to airlines — United flights Wednesday were available for as little as $339 in coach or $704 in first class — but there were no options for passengers planning to take the train from any of the Chief’s or Sunset/Eagle’s dozens of intermediate stops.
Monday afternoon 7-15 I passed by the Amtrak LA yard en route south and there were, in the various shop spaces and storage yard along the mainline, enough Superliners to assemble a normal #4 for Wednesday afternoon the 17th, perhaps there is still hope for #4 tomorrow. I also noted the presence of several Comet cars from the Oakland pool, presumably displaced by new Venture cars, and these are likely there being prepped for the expanded weekend San Diego service (2 additional round trips) starting the 20th for the Del Mar races, continuing the following weekend for ComicCon in San Diego and the Races. In the past Amtrak used a Horizon trainset for extra service and added a cut of Surfliner cars to one round trip during the Races, and this may continue as well, with the extra cars and locomotive sitting at San Diego depot in mid-afternoon.
As far as Amtrak’s decision to run the Zephyr vs Chief, this is likely ridership based, when I looked at a LA-Albuquerque round trip in late June (for the Santa Fe 2926 fundraising event at the RailYards), I had no trouble finding sleeper and coach space both ways (albeit at high prices some days), whereas the Zephyr is often sold out in multiple segments. This shows that 5-6 likely have higher ridership and revenue than 3-4, and emphasizes the importance of adding more cars during summer versus raising prices, so that travellers from smaller en route points don’t get shut out, at any price, by reduced Superliner capacity.
Congress needs to step in and fix this. 1st: pass a law saying Amtrak cannot retire, scrap, or sell any car for at least the next 8 years. Then require no bonus until 80% of the seats in each kind of car are road worthy and can immediately be used. Also 80% of the non-revenue cars such as Bags, diners, lounges, etc. New cars delivered will become part of the inventory.
Next operate all these 80 % car and require that starting at 40% revenue seat miles of the available seat miles. 40% will increase every year If Amtrak cannot fill the seats then each station LAX, SEA, CHI, Nol, Mia, SSY will have a full complement standby train set ready to go in case of delays such as has happened here, Require a 24/7 maintenance crew that can keep a standby train set ready to go. Also enough spare parts to mitigate the OIG’s report of spare parts shortages.
Amtrak will have to issue every week status of each individual loco and car with list of missing parts and when that will be fixed to make them road worthy. MTBFs must increase as well/. Any train that does not make it first 2 stops on time due to mechanicals will be considered as a failure. Cannibalizing cars & locos for other others frowned upon. Each Cannibalizing will require statement as to when additional spare parts will come on property.
I appreciate your thoughts, Alan, but you comment is a stretch. With all respect, Alan, Congress cannot and should not micromanage Amtrak’s fleet. Amtrak’s management needs to see to fleet availability – or else management needs to go away and get lost.
Two years ago I was delayed for hours at DEN Denver International Airport, hoping for a flight to SEA SeaTac Washington, while UAL worked to scrounge up a replacement 737 at Houston and get it to Denver. The spare airplane wasn’t found b/c Congress passed a law, but rather b/c UAL knows how to fly an airline.
I’m sure their Transportation Bill has produced reams of paper around and inside the Beltway.
What has not occurred is Amtrak Motive Power and Rolling Equipment in a State of Good Repair.
The end result of Amtrak persistently concentrating on the wrong focus for its Board–rather than worrying about spreading the federal spoils to every geographic hinterland, instead of seeking those with direct knowledge and experience how to run a passenger railroad. As well, anybody left in corporate management–top to bottom, who understands the operation of passenger trains; how to prevent such needless service failures during high season?
Such persistent failures, known as “repetitive compulsion,” is attributed to the lack of any real railroad people in the upper echelons of management, tolerated by a Board deficient in the requisite experience to select-and hold accountable- competent leadership. Such a combination should put in jeopardy any thought of expanding the national system and acquiring new equipment.
The issue of train cancelations just did not start, if we remember the recent past:
-During the Pandemic when consists were reduced, decision made not to service, overhaul idle equipment.
-Consequently, insufficient capacity to re-equip trains after Pandemic.
-No serious effort made to identify and acquire new long distance bi-levels.
-Yet, bonuses passed out like horse track tickets.
Perhaps such ill-timed rationals explain why today we only have two trains between NYC-Miami with a few sleepers each (“Meteor”-3 to 4; “Star”-2 to 3) when we had dedicated trains when Amtrak entered. Also, look how Amtrak has failed to resolve the issue of the “Sunset’s” time performance; as well, as the same for the “Crescent,” while destroying its schedule convenience.
Yet, the problem of Amtrak continues–nothing changes.
So much for the Biden/ Harris/ Buttigieg leadership of transportation in this country the last three and a half years, and their claims of capital investment for Amtrak.