by JMBethpage
Unfortunately, my July 5 Amtrak experience was not so timely. We took train 64 from Niagara Falls, Ontario to NY Penn Station. The scheduled departure from Niagara Falls was 11:40 am, however, this was delayed for 1 hr. According to the station master, it was because a draw bridge over a canal west of the Falls was struck by lightning while in the upright position and time was needed to allow repair crews to arrive. Does anyone have any information on this?
This delay was compounded by our experience at US Customs in Niagara Falls, NY. 1 hr. is allotted for customs on the train schedule, in our case it took 2 1/2 hrs., while the customs agents marched many Arab looking people off the train for interrogations in the customs building.
It looked like most, if not all, returned to the train before we could proceed. During this time we were not permitted to leave our seats or use cellphones. Caution is great but additional agents may have minimized this lengthy delay.
As a result, we arrived at Penn Station at just about midnight, instead of the scheduled arrival of 9:45pm.
As for the cafe car, I asked the attendant if I could use the microwave to heat up a deli sandwhich I brought on board. I was rebuffed because of FDA regulations so I ate my sandwhich cold.
This delay was compounded by our experience at US Customs in Niagara Falls, NY. 1 hr. is allotted for customs on the train schedule, in our case it took 2 1/2 hrs., while the customs agents marched many Arab looking people off the train for interrogations in the customs building.
It looked like most, if not all, returned to the train before we could proceed. During this time we were not permitted to leave our seats or use cellphones. Caution is great but additional agents may have minimized this lengthy delay.
As a result, we arrived at Penn Station at just about midnight, instead of the scheduled arrival of 9:45pm.
As for the cafe car, I asked the attendant if I could use the microwave to heat up a deli sandwhich I brought on board. I was rebuffed because of FDA regulations so I ate my sandwhich cold.