Amtrak.....grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

[BusynMember]

So I check my e-mail and I have one from Amtrak on Friday. Since I'm not supposed to leave for several days, my stomach starts to twist and I open it.

They canceled the train I'm leaving on. Just canceled it.

I call and inquire.

Yes, it's canceled. Completely. It's canceled from now until April 7th. I can go home April 7th on that train.

No, that's too late.

Ook, well, I can take a bus to a train to another train.

Having no choice, I agreed.

A few hours later, thinking of all that switching I decided to call back, to see if some other agent has a better idea.

The train is still canceled for my departure day, BUT they did add a few trains and one is running the day before my departure day.

I'll have to take a taxi to the station...$100. Yep, I'm not in Kansas anymore. Son has to get to work and drop Junior at school. Train departs early. I have no ride.

I take it anyway.

That's how I'm getting home.

I have never taken Amtrak without having issues, usually late trains, but this was the biggest issue.

I'm deathly afraid to fly in small airplanes and there is no large airport within three hours of us so I took the train.

Next time? Dunno.

But I'll be back. Junior wrapped his arms around my heart. What a sweetie!

 

[Jabberwockey]

Ugh! That suck but at least you have it figured out. I've never ridden Amtrak for any reason so don't know what kind of issues they have but I cant see why they would just cancel a train? Maybe if it went through the Colorado mountains during a blizzard but beyond that,any repairs should have been scheduled.

 

[Confused]

Oh wow thats horrible!!! Sorry your departure date got canceled! Thats a lot of switching around, , made me think of the movie "Planes, Trains and Automobiles"! I hope your travel goes smooth and without any other issues. Good luck!

 

[InsaneCdn]

Cancelling a train? the only reasons I know of to cancel that far in advance are:
1) rides booked are too low - not a paying run. So those people can go jump on some other train.
2) there's been equipment failure, and this train is needed on a busier route.

Not fair. But it happens.

 

[Copabanana]

Yesterday my son and I took Amtrak to the Big City where he had an appointment with his Hepatologist.

We arrived 3 hours late!! We never got to the appointment. The whole day was spent in transit, there and back, 14 hours.

The train was late getting in, and we lost more and more ground as we went, including due to a fire that crossed the track, that nobody ever saw.

 

[BusynMember]

Welcome to Amtrak.

I'm sorry you had my Amtrak experience. I know how important that appointment was to you and your son.

NEVER TAKE IT AGAIN.

Even if Greyhound sounds lower class, use it instead. I had a much better experience on it and we got there on time. It is a perfectly decent way to travel.

We had a four hour layover after we were allegedly to get to Chicago. By the time we were not even close, were not even in Milwaukee yet, it had already been determined that we would not make the connecting train to St. Louis. I have no idea what the excuse was, but this almost happened the first time I t ook Amtrak to St. Louis, but I thought it was a fluk that we only reached Chicago with fifteen minutes left to run like a crazy person and board the train. But the first time, at least we made it....barely.

Amtrak doesn't own the stations. They don't own the tracks. They are not in charge of anything, it seems.

I remember another Amtrak experience that could have been a disaster, long ago. During our adoption days we went to meet a little boy from Delaware and were taking Amtrak. We had a train we had to catch in Washington Difficult Child. I don't remember what the original layover time was supposed to be, but the train had already loaded partway by the time we hit the Washington Difficult Child station and it was Marathan Time again.

It would have been so much fun being stranded in Washington Difficult Child where we don't know anyone at all. This was before we had cell phones.

I guess the years haven't improved the service.

Again, I am so sorry you missed that appointment.

OMG. WHAT A YUK! Washington Difficult Child!!!! Hahahaha. I of course typed Washington Dee Cee, but thought it was too funny to edit.