Amtrak (with the Zephyr) is doing exactly want it wants to do, and UP is cooperating as best they can. An hour or 2's delay on the CZ is nothing compared to what normally happens to the east. Amtrak has station stops to make in Roseville and up the hill to Reno. What they're doing makes sense, and given the likely freight congestion in the Canyon the CZ isn't any more delayed than it would be waiting for freight fleets and making bus stops at grade crossings halfway to Winnemucca. With a single-track line that usually has around 20 trains a day carrying 40 or more, there isn't space for Amtrak anyway.

The Bee reported this AM that the connector at Binney would be back in place and operating today. Good work.

The Bee did blow it on estimates of extra travel time for Capitol Corridor folk out of Auburn/Rocklin/Roseville. 2 hour delay? NOT. That delay is for the CZ. Corridor folks only had one train in that area anyway, and riding the bus is actually faster from Auburn (though not from Roseville) based on published bus schedules for the non-rail runs. Assuming more than 1/2 of the people using the train east of Sac come out of Roseville and Rocklin, the typical delay would be more like 10-15 minutes. Is the train making up enough time west of Sac to cover the delay waiting for the bus in the morning (when I've used it, it was always on time leaving Sac at 0740 and usually was 5-10 minutes early in Oakland, so there should be a chance to make up the time).