posted
Looks to me like BNSF and CP have bigger problems with evaluating and repairing tracks after the flood than they first thought they'd have... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`````` Southwest Chief, Empire Builder and California Zephyr Midwest Flooding Disruption Update
June 20, 2008 5:00 pm CDT
Amtrak has been notified by BNSF and Canadian Pacific (CP) railways of efforts to restore passenger train service on three routes disrupted due to flooding on the Mississippi River and its tributaries in Iowa and Wisconsin. BNSF and CP host these trains on tracks they own, maintain and dispatch.
While still hoping to restore rail service soon, Amtrak is planning to operate limited alternate transportation through the affected areas for each of these trains until further notice.
Through June 24, passengers are urged to call Amtrak at 800-USA-RAIL if they have travel plans through the affected areas on routes of the Los Angeles-Chicago route of the Amtrak Southwest Chief; Seattle/Portland-Chicago Amtrak Empire Builder and the San Francisco Bay-Chicago route of the Amtrak California Zephyr.
Those passengers with telephone contact information in their reservations are being called by Amtrak and offered options including future travel dates.
Southwest Chief, Trains 3 & 4
Service by the Southwest Chief between Kansas City and Chicago has been temporarily suspended since June 17 due to flooding on the BNSF Railway route in Iowa.
Alternate transportation by chartered motorcoaches will be provided between Kansas City and Galesburg or Chicago, with the exceptions of La Plata, Mo., Fort Madison, Iowa, and Mendota and Naperville, Ill. Passengers ticketed at those stops are being offered travel at other Amtrak stations or on other Amtrak trains.
Empire Builder, Trains 7/27/807 & 8/28/808
Service by the Empire Builder between St. Paul and Chicago has been temporarily suspended since June 10 due to flooding on the Canadian Pacific Railway in Wisconsin and the closing of a detour route since June 15.
Alternate transportation by chartered motorcoaches will be provided between St. Paul and Chicago, with the exception of Glenview, Ill., where passengers are being offered travel on Hiawatha Service trains are available as alternate transportation between Glenview and Chicago.
California Zephyr, Trains 5 & 6
Service by the California Zephyr between Chicago and Denver has been temporarily suspended since June 13 due to flooding on the BNSF Railway route in Iowa.
Alternate transportation by chartered motorcoaches will be provided between Denver and points in Nebraska, including Omaha. No alternate transportation is available to or from points in Iowa. Alternate transportation between Chicago and other points in Illinois will be provided by other Amtrak trains.
Amtrak regrets any inconvenience. This information is correct as of the above time and date. Information is subject to change as conditions warrant. Passengers are encouraged to call 800-USA-RAIL or visit Amtrak.com for schedule information and train status updates.
Posts: 1404 | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
Was in Chicago Union Station on June 21 to ride City of New Orleans, and Amtrak was busing Southwest Chief passengers to/from Kansas City, Empire Builder Passengers to/from St. Paul. CZ was suspended altogether. It's a mess out there.
#59 had no problems, departed Union Station right on time, arrived New Orleans 45 minutes EARLY, despite the detour around Memphis due to that sinkhole at the old REA building south of Central Station. Nice trip, and Amtrak's new "Cross Country Cafe" food service is not bad at all (most passengers, who don't remember white linen tablecloths and five-star service, will probably prefer it to what Amtrak has been doing recently).
Posts: 614 | From: Merchantville, NJ. USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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As of today (6/24) the Amtrak website is showing the Southwest running between CHI and Kansas City. No stopping in Ft. Madison due to flooding. Train status shows #4 running late into Galesburg.
Posts: 1572 | From: St. Paul, MN | Registered: Dec 2002
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Mr. Twin Star, if flooding is an issue in Fort Madison or Shopton (very believable) , how will the train get through?
Posts: 9976 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
Latest update at Amtrak website is 8AM June 24:
June 24, 2008 8:00 am CDT
Amtrak has been notified by BNSF Railway it has restored service through the affected areas on the Los Angeles-Chicago route of the Amtrak Southwest Chief, effective June 24. However, BNSF and Canadian Pacific (CP) railways are still working to restore passenger train service on two other routes disrupted due to flooding on the Mississippi River and its tributaries in Iowa and Wisconsin.
BNSF and CP host these trains on tracks they own, maintain and dispatch. Amtrak is planning to operate limited alternate transportation through the affected areas for these trains until further notice, while hoping to restore rail service soon.
Through June 27, passengers are urged to call Amtrak at 800-USA-RAIL if they have travel plans through the affected areas of the San Francisco Bay-Chicago route of the Amtrak California Zephyr and the Seattle/Portland-Chicago route of the Amtrak Empire Builder.
Those passengers with telephone contact information in their reservations are being called by Amtrak and offered options including future travel dates.
Southwest Chief, Trains 3 & 4
Service by the Southwest Chief between Kansas City and Chicago, suspended since June 17 due to flooding on the BNSF Railway route in Iowa, is restored, with the exception of the Fort Madison, Iowa, station.
Passengers ticketed at that stop are being offered travel at other Amtrak stations in LaPlata, Mo., or Galesburg, Ill., or on other Amtrak trains, until the station can reopen following the flooding.
California Zephyr, Trains 5 & 6
Service by the California Zephyr between Chicago and Denver has been temporarily suspended since June 13 due to flooding on the BNSF Railway route in Iowa.
Alternate transportation by chartered motorcoaches will be provided between Denver and points in Nebraska, including Omaha. No alternate transportation is available to or from points in Iowa. Alternate transportation between Chicago and other points in Illinois will be provided by other Amtrak trains.
Empire Builder, Trains 7/27/807 & 8/28/808
Service by the Empire Builder between St. Paul and Chicago has been temporarily suspended since June 10 due to flooding on the CP Railway in Wisconsin and the closing of a BNSF Railway detour route for passenger trains since June 15.
Alternate transportation by chartered motorcoaches will be provided between St. Paul and Chicago, with the exception of Glenview, Ill., where passengers are being offered travel on Amtrak Hiawatha Service trains as alternate transportation between Glenview and Chicago.
Amtrak regrets any inconvenience. This information is correct as of the above time and date. Information is subject to change as conditions warrant. Passengers are encouraged to call 800-USA-RAIL or visit Amtrak.com for schedule information and train status updates.
Posts: 1404 | Registered: Oct 2001
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The only mystery remaining is the skip of Ft Madison. There is no high ground alt route around the Shopton area where the station is located and both track and street are same level from the Bridge to Shopton. In short, I am at a loss to know if the train operates, why is it not stopping at FMD?
Posts: 9976 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
Perhaps FMD has station access/safety issues? I have often used FMD as a departure point, and as I remember the station, parking, and tracks seemed to be at about the same level. But once water starts rising you never know where the low spots will show up.
Posts: 1572 | From: St. Paul, MN | Registered: Dec 2002
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Mr. Norman: from where you live, you could do an overnight at the Depot Inn and solve the FMD mystery for us.
Posts: 1572 | From: St. Paul, MN | Registered: Dec 2002
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posted
Here's a photo that is quite "telling' regarding why both the "Old Depot' (visible) and Shopton are inaccessible at present, yet the BNSF rolls on:
It appears that the tracks have been raised a good 3ft since I last had occasion to be in Fort Madison.
Posts: 9976 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Good current photo, Gil -- yeah, I am guessing that there is a problem with the station itself at Fort Madison -- perhaps it is still full of floodwater, dirt, mud, etc. The railroad is definitely on a more elevated grade than the rest of the area, and I imagine there will be pretty slow speed limits throuh the area for a while
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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quote:Originally posted by PullmanCo: Latest update at Amtrak website is 8AM June 24:
June 24, 2008 8:00 am CDT Southwest Chief, Trains 3 & 4
Service by the Southwest Chief between Kansas City and Chicago, suspended since June 17 due to flooding on the BNSF Railway route in Iowa, is restored, with the exception of the Fort Madison, Iowa, station.
Passengers ticketed at that stop are being offered travel at other Amtrak stations in LaPlata, Mo., or Galesburg, Ill., or on other Amtrak trains, until the station can reopen following the flooding.
quote:In Fort Madison, Forsberg said 250 BNSF workers, along with the same number of contractors, raised a 17-mile section of track up to 24 inches to avoiding flooding.
"They sandbagged to keep that line going. We were getting crews to trains stopped on the raised track by boat," Forsberg said.
Guess they decided boat to train for the passengers was a little too much. (Amboat to get to your Amtrain?)
Posts: 2808 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
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posted
Under Western Trains on Trainorders they are saying the transcon is now shutdown near Marceline, MO due to recent rain and flooding. #4 passengers allegedly enduring bustitution.
Amboat -great idea! First class passengers in the cabin cruiser. Coach into the rowboats.
Posts: 1572 | From: St. Paul, MN | Registered: Dec 2002
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BNSF’s Chicago-Kansas City double-track main line was taken out of service early today, Thursday, June 26, 2008, due to flooding at Marceline, Mo., about 120 miles west of Fort Madison, Iowa. As of 10:00 a.m. today, we are unable to provide an estimate of when the track will be returned to service.
We are able to re-route some trains and are evaluating re-route options for others, but shipments over this route will be delayed as we assess the situation and determine how to minimize delay.
This impact affects freight moving Chicago, IL, to/from Southern and Northern California, Phoenix, AZ, and Alliance, TX, as well as interchange over Chicago, IL. Freight moving to and from eastern gateways may require alternative interchange gateways.
Additional updates will be provided later today as we have further information on the extent of the damage and anticipated duration of the closure at Marceline.
Posts: 1404 | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
So we still may be bussed between CHI and KCY? AMTRAK still shows the 6/24 update in their web site as of 8 AM EDT this morning -- are there any alternate routings that the SWC could take? I have noticed that the W-bound SWC has been consistently 5 to 6 hours late into L.A. for several days now.
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
Mr. Rich, there is a report at another site (OK, we don't worry about the "on another network" routine around here - Railroad Net) that #3(26) was routed via St Louis.
As of a few moments ago, the website reports #3(26) is running some five hours late, which would be "in line" with the additional time required account the detour.
Posts: 9976 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Tnanks, Gil -- I just checked the BNSF web site and looked at their maps -- if there is flooding at Marceline, it looks like an available alternate route would be from Bucklin, a few miles north of Marceline. According to Google Earth, there is a connection at Bucklin to another line which bypasses Marceline to the N and still goes to KC. (Any thoughts, Mr. Harris?)
The routing through St. Louis makes sense -- that would be the route of the Lincoln Service/Ann Rutledge, and yes, that route would take about 5 hours longer, according to AMTRAK schedules; however, that would mean no service to Princeton, Galesburg, Fort Madison, or La Plata, and the latest AMTRAK news release says nothing about that.
The latest news release on the BNSF web site, however, is dated 6/23 and says the floodwaters are beginning to recede, and E-W [freight] service is being restored now.
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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While we're talking about the rerouting of passengers let me bring a first person report to the forum. I/we...the bride and I were bussed CHI/MSP on Sunday 06.15. From the manner in which the alternate transportation was provided this must have been the first time Amtak has ever had to set up the logistics to get a group of passengers from point a to point b along with their baggage. And judging from our view point they have a very long and slow learning curve. The first problem was providing some one who knew what the plan was and how to execute it. The second was to have people who wanted to do something beside stand around and commisserate with each other on how poorly the passengers were taking the reroute. The "first" bus in front of the station was full of checked baggage. However all the folks milling around waiting to board the bus had baggage they could carry on Amtrak but not the bus provided. Ergo, no one wanted to get on the first bus and leave their baggage to "fate" and the folks who haunt the area around Union Station. So, bus number one leaves full of baggage but few if any passengers. Bus number two arrives and people mill around waiting for the driver to open the baggage bays. She finally deigns to alight the vehicle, unlocks the bays and immediately returns to her seat at the helm, leaving the "first class" passesngers to elbow and arm wrestle with each other to get their bags on the bus. While this is occuring some folks who are traveling with baggage they can store on the racks above the seats are boarding. When the folks who have finally gotten thier bags in the bays go on board there are few seats available. The rush then takes place to get on bus number three that's just arrived, again with a driver who believes his ONLY task in life is to open the baggage bays and quickly return to the drivers seat. All the time the folks from Amtrak continue to do and say nothing. The passengers take charge because no one elso will. Bus two departs with open seats. Bus three departs with open seats. We learn later that two or three addtional busses are used and a couple of them along with the van with the dining car staff don't find the MSP station until the wee hours of the morning. When we arrive in MSP we find nothing much has improved. There is no one to meet the arriving busses and direct the passengers...most of whom are "First Class/Sleeping Car" passengers. I must adimit we didn't feel very "First Class". With no one giving directions my "Native New York" genes kick in and we move smartly through the milling crowd and at the end of a room marked "Sleeping Car Passenger" we I spot the Conductor. We check in with him...every one else is still just milling around...and learn our car and room is available for boarding. We leave the rest of the folks in the station, proceed to the train and are comfortably in our bed by midnight. The next morning we learn the errant busses and van with the dining car staff arrived to allow a departure just a little after two a.m. I won't begin to describe the worst nine hours of our lives on the bus, including the snotty driver who couldn't find the switche to turn the reading lights on or they thiry minute meal break that stretched to over an hour. Suffice it to say, Amtrak personnel were either ill prepared or just couldn't care less. Less than best regards, Rodger
Posts: 112 | From: Merrimac, MA | Registered: Nov 2007
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posted
One advantage of taking 3/4 through St Louis is Amtrak has qualified T&E crews. Other routings, not so.
Posts: 1404 | Registered: Oct 2001
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The Chief that you've been tracking (the one with the dead headed Surfliners up font) was my train. (June 26 #3 into LAX)
I was ticketed from Albuquerque, NM (ABQ) to Fullerton, CA (FUL). The Chief didn't get into ABQ until around 9:30 PM. My all time late record. 7:30 PM being the previous.
This was the first CHI-LAX train since the flooding bus bridge started. Not only did the detour add to the lateness, but one if not both of the locos (P42s) were having HEP and overheating difficulties. I'm not sure where it detoured (St. Louis sounds about right though)...stupid me forgetting to ask...but it was definitely detoured between Kansas City and Newton when I last talked to an agent about the arrival status. At 5:30 AM Mountain Time, Julie couldn't tell me where the train was and sent me to an agent. Anyway, at ABQ they added a third P42 to the point. It appeared to have been taken from the Grandluxe (formerly American Orient Express) consist that was sitting in the depot. Although there were 4 P42s so I'm not sure if #4 brought some with (as she was pretty close to on time into ABQ on the 25) or if the Grandluxe had 4 P42s.
My sister and I were the only sleeping car passengers boarding at ABQ and to my shock the dining car crew was willing to serve us dinner, even at 10:00 PM...when the HEP came back on. But since the train was so late, and with my previous diner shut down after being really late experience, we had already eaten. So we had some ice cream for dessert. I think the crew appreciated that since they seemed very tired and although were friendlier then ever you could tell it was one of those nightmarish trips and they were hinting at closing down.
Although being extremely late, and getting later, we were surprisingly given the track by BNSF. It amazes me that they would hold freights at strategic crossovers and let us switch around them even when we were past any hope of regaining any appreciable time. Still some Santa Fe passenger pride out there?
It got daylight around Seligman, AZ (super rare daylight trackage for #3). The engineer (new one after Kingman) complained to the conductor that the oil temp was getting really high on the unit they added at ABQ somewhere around Goffs, CA and he had to keep it at run 7 to avoid a computer shutdown. They were really worried if she'd be able to make some of the steeper desert grades. Some other interesting scanner info was they were worried about the LAX platform length of the consist...extra cars/units included 2 Surfliner coaches, a second baggage car, a fourth coach, and a third loco. So it was a pretty lengthy consist for the typical 11 car Chief (including the standard 2 locos). Because the coaches were on the extreme rear of the consist was the reason for the concern. If the deadhead equipment was on the rear there wouldn't be much platform issues other then some track blockage in the back. But I'm not sure how those worries transcribed since we got off at Fullerton.
The P42s survived though, and we got into Fullerton at my now all time Chief late record arrival of 2:05 PM according to my watch. 12:45 PM was my previous record.
I didn't really want to get into a whole trip report so sorry for the digression. But I thought it might be interesting to hear from someone onboard.
-------------------- Matt Visit gallery for photos of our train layouts Posts: 579 | From: San Bernardino Subdivison | Registered: Dec 2001
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