Amtrak article in Chicago Tribune

I don't think Amtrak is ever on time Went from Chicago to Washington twice.Each time. I never thought we'd ever get there.....never thought we'd ever get back either. It was during the summer, both times.

Never again

On time and Amtrak is never going to happen. And I do not blame Amtrak 100%. As a Amtrak rider when ever I can....I have seem the issue Amtrak faces.

Two incidents come to mind.

Riding the Cardinal Chicago to White Sulfur Springs. Running minutes late due to heavy rain slow orders. We get within 2 miles of the WSS station and stop. We sit for 40 minutes. I finally I hear the conductor on his radio. CSX has a work crew on the far side of the tunnel a mile on the OTHER side of the WSS station. CSX finally allows us to slowly roll into WSS......the conductor tells me that was retaliation for something CSX felt was the Cardinal's fault the week before. The train then sits another 30 minutes before the CSX crew 'finishes'.

Last trip out of Chicago on the Cardinal. We are not out of sight of the Chicago station when we stop at a rail rail crossing. A freight train is stopped on the crossing. We sit for SIX hours. Amtrak tells us they can't take us back tot he station and the freight is 'broke down'.  After 6 hours they back a new loco up to this freight and move the train. Needless to say we never made up the time but got later and later as we missed all meets. Again....the conductor hints that that was a anti Amtrak move...just to show whos boss in Chicago. Who knows.

I still love it as my favorite way to travel.

To Amtrak's credit.......I wrote their customer service after getting home.....and about a month later I got a voucher for $150.00 for the 6 hour delay.....and no restrooms issue I had on the SWC the day before.

Pretty much every time I have ridden the Zephyr between Oakland and Denver the train sits for hours on sidings somewhere between Reno and Salt Lake City.  UP owns both the old SP and WP tracks and can't allow Amtrak to move though on schedule without delays all night long.

I haven't ridden it in about 5 years but I will get another chance week after next returning from the Chicago show.

So my question is:  Is there anything that Amtrak can do about these delays especially if they are done on purpose???

Alan