Originally Posted By Mr X **I hear of trains going through red blocks rather frequently.** :O Sherry, I know you are offering info in order to assuage peoples fears, but honestly the more you write the more nervous I become! Anyway, I agree that the experience should be luxurious and all that...that'd be the only way to convince more people to ride I think.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>The controlers know where the trains are.<< And yet the staff on board the train apparently has no idea. I suppose they could check, if they cared to. Heck, why not install some automated PA system that went off when they passed various "checkpoints" along the route? Then the onboard staff wouldn't have to be bothered by paying customers at all and they could be free to do... er, whatever it is that's so pressing. At the very least, they ought to be able to tell you if you are in California or Oregon when asked. I understand stuff happens. Weather affects air travel. Busses get stuck in traffic. All sorts of things can delay a train. I am pretty understanding of all that and can be exceptionally patient, too. But as a passenger, all I want is updates. Just let me know what they know so I can deal with it and understand why we're moving at 10 MPH for hours on end. It's the not knowing that is so maddening.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan Heck, even at Disneyland, if the train encounters some sort fo problem, they'll give an estimation on how long the delay will be, so people can make choices. On our trip, one option would have been to abandon the train altogether and drive to our Oregon destination. Heck, 12 hours later we were a mere 2 hours' drive from where we began. What took so many hours by train could have taken 7 hours by car. If we'd only known what we were in for, we'd have done it. Sometimes, on a schedule, one doesn't have the "luxury" of sitting idle for hours at a time.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan Here's an article about the "Star-late" from 2006. <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/08/08/MNGGTKD03A1.DTL&type=printable" target="_blank">http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/ article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/08/08/MNGGTKD03A1.DTL&type=printable</a> >>"They can say all they want that it's not a state issue, but it's a West Coast issue," said Miller. "When tourists are delayed like this, it doesn't reflect well on the state. The governor should take a stand on this." Passengers on the Coast Starlight late last week confirmed Miller's fears. Dennis Dorty of Grass Valley (Nevada County) was traveling to San Diego for a wedding but almost missed the 1 p.m. Friday rehearsal because of the delays. "It's like they don't care about your time," he said. "You buy the ticket, they don't tell you anything about the delays, and then you're stuck on a train -- it's rude."<< Bingo.
Originally Posted By jonvn It really is simple if you need to be somewhere on time, you don't take the train. They have never been on time.
Originally Posted By joeysmommy Thank you all for your input. I was thinking Amtrak might be fun for our "Girls Only" trip in September, now we'll stick to the plan and fly.
