Amtrak On-Time Performance (OTP) Delays Reroutes Annulled

Some places around Buffalo got 92 inches, How will CSX dig out as snow plows very scarce?

I'm surprised Amtrak would run the LSL through Buffalo. There's a travel ban in place.

If CSX has the tracks open and says its OK for the train to run it will run.

As for the travel ban.

Amtrak's office of the Chief of Police will issue and has issued letters to all employees stating our need to get to work. We are covered under 49 CFR 239. It authorizes employees with proper photo ID and acting within the scope of their employment to cross police lines road blocks ect to restore railroad operations. There is always names and numbers for contact info at the bottom of the letter for just in case I guess.

Never having to use such letter but having carried such, I'm not sure what type of success you may or may not have.

IF it runs tonight that would mean Amtrak would have to get an engineer from Buffalo to Syracuse unless they just happened to have one stuck in the hotel for the past week, doubtful. Then they would need a complete T&E change at Buffalo which is normally Toledo Conductors and a Buffalo engineer, although the extra board conductors in Buffalo may be qualified to Toledo. I'm no help only qualified to Syracuse.

As of now, the 1st Eastbound train from Buffalo tomorrow morning, 12/29/22, is cancelled. All Lake Shore Limiteds in both directions are 0% full and sold out through Fri. 12/30/22, also the same for Eastbound on New Year's Eve.

Railjunkie wrote: ↑Wed Dec 28, 2022 1:03 pmAs for the travel ban.
Amtrak's office of the Chief of Police will issue and has issued letters to all employees stating our need to get to work. We are covered under 49 CFR 239. It authorizes employees with proper photo ID and acting within the scope of their employment to cross police lines road blocks ect to restore railroad operations. There is always names and numbers for contact info at the bottom of the letter for just in case I guess.
Never having to use such letter but having carried such, I'm not sure what type of success you may or may not have.

That letter isn't mentioned in 49 CFR 239 at https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/s ... I/part-239 so it's probably up to whoever sees it to decide if it will be honored. The Regulation at CFR 239.101(a)(5) does require "Liaison with emergency responders" which could include that letter, but the Regulation doesn't require anything from the emergency responders. News reports say that Military Police and out-of-town State Troopers are helping to enforce driving bans in Buffalo. Some of them may come from non-Amtrak places and not know about your letter. But it may look so official and impressive that they will wave you past their roadblock into a dangerous situation.

JimBoylan wrote: ↑Wed Dec 28, 2022 2:23 pm

Railjunkie wrote: ↑Wed Dec 28, 2022 1:03 pmAs for the travel ban.Never having to use such letter but having carried such, I'm not sure what type of success you may or may not have.

That letter isn't mentioned in 49 CFR 239 at https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/s ... I/part-239 so it's probably up to whoever sees it to decide if it will be honored. The Regulation at CFR 239.101(a)(5) does require "Liaison with emergency responders" which could include that letter, but the Regulation doesn't require anything from the emergency responders.

I agree ... the regulation referred to requires railroads to have a plan, to practice their plans and to share their plans as appropriate. It does NOT require a police officer to allow a person to enter an area that is barricaded. The argument would come down who would have the authority to stop travel and whether being employed by a railroad (regulated by the federal government) exempts a person from following local or state enacted rules.

It could be argued that the passenger trains shouldn't be running. While getting passengers out of a dangerous situation to safety would be considered an "emergency", intentionally taking passengers into an emergency situation is foolish.

Reroute the Lake Shore through DC to NY if travel by train between Cleveland and NY/Boston is "essential". Don't create an emergency.

JimBoylan wrote: ↑Wed Dec 28, 2022 2:23 pm

Railjunkie wrote: ↑Wed Dec 28, 2022 1:03 pmAs for the travel ban.
Amtrak's office of the Chief of Police will issue and has issued letters to all employees stating our need to get to work. We are covered under 49 CFR 239. It authorizes employees with proper photo ID and acting within the scope of their employment to cross police lines road blocks ect to restore railroad operations. There is always names and numbers for contact info at the bottom of the letter for just in case I guess.
Never having to use such letter but having carried such, I'm not sure what type of success you may or may not have.

That letter isn't mentioned in 49 CFR 239 at https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/s ... I/part-239 so it's probably up to whoever sees it to decide if it will be honored. The Regulation at CFR 239.101(a)(5) does require "Liaison with emergency responders" which could include that letter, but the Regulation doesn't require anything from the emergency responders. News reports say that Military Police and out-of-town State Troopers are helping to enforce driving bans in Buffalo. Some of them may come from non-Amtrak places and not know about your letter. But it may look so official and impressive that they will wave you past their roadblock into a dangerous situation.

I had such a letter, issued by and on NJ State Police letterhead, with facsimile signature of the NJSP Superintendent, for use in such emergencies if assigned "lookup duty" on behalf of my electric transmission and distribution utility employer during a snow or other travel ban emergency. The letter specifically mentioned my employer by name.
Perhaps the railroads also obtain such letters at the state level.

Railjunkie wrote: ↑Wed Dec 28, 2022 1:03 pm As for the travel ban.

Amtrak's office of the Chief of Police will issue and has issued letters to all employees stating our need to get to work. We are covered under 49 CFR 239. It authorizes employees with proper photo ID and acting within the scope of their employment to cross police lines road blocks ect to restore railroad operations. There is always names and numbers for contact info at the bottom of the letter for just in case I guess.

Never having to use such letter but having carried such, I'm not sure what type of success you may or may not have.

IF it runs tonight that would mean Amtrak would have to get an engineer from Buffalo to Syracuse unless they just happened to have one stuck in the hotel for the past week, doubtful. Then they would need a complete T&E change at Buffalo which is normally Toledo Conductors and a Buffalo engineer, although the extra board conductors in Buffalo may be qualified to Toledo. I'm no help only qualified to Syracuse.

Oh yes, I remember those letters. Back in 2015 at my job, our department was brought together and my manger said "Hey, something bad's going to go down. Get home safely and remote back in." So I escorted my co-worker to the subway and then took a connecting light rail to Baltimore Penn Station, followed by a train back down to BWI and a taxi home. Got on my PC, got logged back into work... and got the TV on... to witness the start of the Freddie Gray riots.

My company's support department got those letters for a while when Baltimore was on curfew.

Back to Buffalo, looks like they'll still need them. Just checked, ban's still inside city limits.

Latest from Amtrak for tomorrow (Dec 29th) is no Maple leaf north of Rochester, no Empire service west of Syracuse, no Empire builder leaving west of Minneapolis/St. Paul and no westbound Empire Builder from Seattle at all.

48 just left Elkhart (on time). Engines are back to back so it looks like they were prepared to run them around the passenger cars if they needed to turn the train back to Chicago as 49.

Train status is predicting an on time arrival in Buffalo.

49 is running late but should be in Buffalo by 1am ET.

JimBoylan wrote: ↑Wed Dec 28, 2022 2:03 pm As of now, the 1st Eastbound train from Buffalo tomorrow morning, 12/29/22, is cancelled. All Lake Shore Limiteds in both directions are 0% full and sold out through Fri. 12/30/22, also the same for Eastbound on New Year's Eve.

The first westbound Lakeshore left Albany tonight and was quite full, both the New York and Boston sections. Left a little late do to PTC issues but it did go. I do expect to see AMT 48 either sitting or soon to be arriving on track 3 tomorrow when I pull into the parking lot.
As there is no equipment in Niagara Falls or Buffalo to start an eastbound train it makes sense they are sold out. Amtrak was going to attempt to send a westbound Wednesday but the state said no. As of 1100pm Wed. night while talking to a yardmaster he mentioned AMT 281(29) will be a deadhead move from Syracuse to Niagara Falls.

At least some good news this morning (Thursday): Travel ban is completely lifted in Buffalo, per local-to-Buffalo news.

Maybe Friday will be more normal.

528 cip cip....over

#5(28) never showed up during my walk yesterday. #3(28) "almost did" (5 ML NPV), but even with the now "heat wave", there was still wind - and "I wanna go home".

Train Status shows 5(28) as "unavailable". If CXD, Train Status reports it as such.

This leads me to wonder if #5(28) was detoured over the C&NW, or was it simply the data entry into Train Status was faulty and should it have been recorded as a CX?

Enquiring mind wants to know.

Big time delay on the Auto Train. https://www.whio.com/news/national/dela ... N5EI6DIOA/

As I also noted at the "delays" topic, an "arwethereyetitis" pandemic has set in.

On my twenty four "voyages", such becomes endemic at about High Noon - oh, and that's on Day 2; never mind Day 3

Silver Services were also detoured as well. Right now there's a ton of truncations and cancellations along the route.