CMK10

Well said GoAmtrak. My Dad and I take two or three long distance train trips a year for fun. We enjoy the journey, relaxing and watching the scenery, drinking, playing cards, laughing. You see parts of the country you'd never see otherwise. It's a great way to travel as long as you don't have a delay like this.

SCEflyer

How did Amtrak address your concerns?

Glensea

In 2009 my mother and I were on the CL, CHI-WAS, and had the same delay experience, with conflicting information the whole trip. Dining car service was horribly slow; we were told that half of the usual number of dining car attendants were not on board so 8 PM meant 10:30 PM, etc. Breakfast became brunch. There were no apologies from anyone about the staffing or delay issue.

The previous year, my now-spouse and I were on a cross-country trip [CL to Southwest Chief to Coastal Starlight. or WAS-CHI-LA-SF] which was running seven hours late, and we needed to get to San Francisco in time to be married in a small church ceremony, "Get me to the church on time, or at least the same day." We abandoned the trip in LA and flew to SF to arrive in time to get the marriage license. I was able to get a refund on the spot in LA for the Coastal Starlight portion sleeper; the agent didn't act as if refunding due to the late train/missed connection was unusual.

We enjoy the train but have learned that Amtrak is about destinations, not about schedules.

ND76

I use the Capitol Limited 2-3 times per year to get between DC and Elkhart, Indiana, where my wife's family lives. I used to use it 4-5 times a year in the late 90s to attend Notre Dame football games. The trip is anywhere from 15 to 18 hours. It is like taking a mini-cruise. Also, the timing is pretty good; you leave DC at about 4 pm and arrive in northern Indiana somewhere between 7 and 10 am the next morning. With a little prior planning, such as putting together a picnic and appropriate beverages, it can be a tremendous experience. Sometimes Amtrak discounts the sleeping accomodations, so that I can travel in real style for between $200-300 one way, with dinner and breakfast included. I've had some terrific sleeping car attendants.

As far as speed, the train can go 70 mph on the B&O Metropolitan Branch between Rockville and Point of Rocks, MD, 55-60 mph on the B&O mainline between Harpers Ferry and Cumberland, and 35-55 mph on much of the route through the mountains between Cumberland and Pittsburgh. Beyond PGH the train can run up to 79 mph on most segments until the suburbs of Chicago.

On my last trip which was a few months ago, the CL ran impeccably between WAS and PGH, and left Pittsburgh station on time. Once across the Allegheny River bridge, the delays began, and we got to EKH about 3:15 late (PGH to EKH is scheduled for 7:30 with 20 minute stops at CLE and TOL). We were subject to both track maintenance and getting stuck behind slow freights. There always seems to be a bottleneck on the east side of the Maumee River bridge just east of TOL station. Also, there is significant freight activity between Goshen, Indiana and Elkhart because of the large freight marshalling yard at the west end of Elkhart.