gokeefe wrote: ↑Tue Sep 10, 2019 4:26 pm
Spare power and coaches is a more than reasonable solution. They don't have it right now but they probably will in the near future.
Even if Amtrak found spare rolling stock to stage in St. Louis to replace a late Texas Eagle, this other problem arises. No spare crew to man those spare cars and locomotive unless you use the crew to be assigned to the Texas Eagle - which then leaves the Texas Eagle without a crew when it arrives.
It will not be leaving St. Louis until 4 pm, assuming the Missouri River Runner switching into a Linclon Service train arrives on time. The Eagle will now be arriving in Chicago much later than before, not leaving St. Louis hours after it was scheduled to arrive in Chicago.
The idea that Amtrak will keep a crew on standby everyday just in case the Texas Eagle is running late seems like a waste of manpower and financial resources. What would you do with them if the Texas Eagle arrives on time into St. Louis? Pay them to do nothing?
There are two corridor trains leaving St. Louis in the morning before the Texas Eagle is scheduled to arrive. Get up early and use them if you expect being on time that corridor trains provide. The Texas Eagle by the time it reaches St. Louis northbound to Chicago has been in serivce almost 24 hours since leaving San Antonio. It often waits hours before departing San Antonio because through passengers of the Sunset Limited/Texas Eagle that left LA two days earlier. So, at least two cars on the Texas Eagle could have been running for 3 days before arriving in St. Louis, three times a week. I do not ever recommend business travelers to take long distance trains, or anyone expecting them to reach their final destination on time.