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Re: Snow Train and #6 both cancelled for today Feb27th
Author: Q
Date: 02-27-2007 - 21:26
My son was on that cancelled westbound!
It wasn't cancelled just because of snow on Donner, which at this point is by historical standards still very moderate to light. The train was hours and hours late into Reno - had already gone dead on the law once, as it has been doing frequently for two or three weeks now. Even before there was any new snow. At reno it was already long out of food; and too late to reach Oakland to be turned in time. Hence no eastbound Zepher over Donner either.
When we demanded from Amtrak the reasons why, thay claimed it was many miles of slow orders between Salt Lake and Elco; and several "dead on the law" U.P. freights west to Reno. On my son's eastbound trip last week, they got stuck for hours behind a dead on the law freight blocking the main east of Soda Springs - arrived at Reno at around 11pm - got into Salt Lake City 9-1/2 hours late.
He missed his employment interview. Luckily, his new prospective employer was desparate enough to be understanding. We'll know for sure in a few days. Sadly, his new bride to be says she is done with trains
Yet in the face of the obvious reality that U.P. still does not have enough employees to avoid constantly overrunning the hours of service law, we read in the news line that U.P. is beginning to lay off (slight turndown in car loadings) some newly trained employees. In this labor market, most won't come back - none will want to! Just ask Boeing about that.
If memory serves me, the original Amtrak law, which relieved the railroads of their "Common Carrier" obligations, disallowed any reduction of maintenace standards for any route carrying passengers. It would seem this is being ignored all over the U.P..
So where is the legal action. Obviously, this is not going to get better until the tracks are sued right out from under them. Perhaps congress needs to really start kicking. Certainly Amtrak should be - and the NRPA as well.
Oh well! I will be retired soon and not have to worry about the continued health of rail industry - which at this point seems hopeless. Thanks for the rant-space.
It wasn't cancelled just because of snow on Donner, which at this point is by historical standards still very moderate to light. The train was hours and hours late into Reno - had already gone dead on the law once, as it has been doing frequently for two or three weeks now. Even before there was any new snow. At reno it was already long out of food; and too late to reach Oakland to be turned in time. Hence no eastbound Zepher over Donner either.
When we demanded from Amtrak the reasons why, thay claimed it was many miles of slow orders between Salt Lake and Elco; and several "dead on the law" U.P. freights west to Reno. On my son's eastbound trip last week, they got stuck for hours behind a dead on the law freight blocking the main east of Soda Springs - arrived at Reno at around 11pm - got into Salt Lake City 9-1/2 hours late.
He missed his employment interview. Luckily, his new prospective employer was desparate enough to be understanding. We'll know for sure in a few days. Sadly, his new bride to be says she is done with trains
Yet in the face of the obvious reality that U.P. still does not have enough employees to avoid constantly overrunning the hours of service law, we read in the news line that U.P. is beginning to lay off (slight turndown in car loadings) some newly trained employees. In this labor market, most won't come back - none will want to! Just ask Boeing about that.
If memory serves me, the original Amtrak law, which relieved the railroads of their "Common Carrier" obligations, disallowed any reduction of maintenace standards for any route carrying passengers. It would seem this is being ignored all over the U.P..
So where is the legal action. Obviously, this is not going to get better until the tracks are sued right out from under them. Perhaps congress needs to really start kicking. Certainly Amtrak should be - and the NRPA as well.
Oh well! I will be retired soon and not have to worry about the continued health of rail industry - which at this point seems hopeless. Thanks for the rant-space.
