Amtrak Guest Rewards - Compensation Question: Train Swoped for Bus Swoped for Refund

A pleasant train trip from MSP to CHI turned into an annoying and expensive trip for my son and me. The train was swoped out the night before for a nine hour bus ride, a joy I declined. Amtrak refunded my money, but it left me staying in MSP overnight for no reason along with buying two last-minute air tickets to Chicago. All in, I spent $350 that I hadn't planned on due to Amtrak's problems keeping the trains running.

What manner and amount of compensation should I expect to get from Amtrak customer care? I was on hold with them yesterday but after 45 minutes of waiting, I had to go and actually work.

I suspect their COC covers the replacement of the train with other ground transport.....

Good luck!

Bill,

I don't believe that the train was actually cancelled, what happened which unfortunately has been happening much of the summer, is that the train was running very late. When that happens, Amtrak chooses to bus people from MSP to Chicago so as to get them there on time and to help preserve connections to eastern trains. If you would not have minded being hours late into Chicago, you probably could have still taken the train when it showed up.

All that said, since you decided not to take their offer of the ontime bus, the only recourse you have is a refund of your original fare. I think it unlikely that Amtrak will do more than that.

No one likes a bus when they are expecting a train, so your feelings are understandable.

But, I don't understand the time frame here. The Empire Builder is scheduled to leave MSP for Chicago at 7:50 in the morning. How would swapping the train for a bus require you spend an extra night in MSP?

Presume that OP meanted "swapped."

OP elected a refund. He then elected to spend the night and fly. If those are damages, they are consequential and expressly excluded under the Amtrak COC. After all, wouldn't everybody opt for a flight under the circumstances if Amtrak would foot the bill?

No one likes a bus when they are expecting a train, so your feelings are understandable.

But, I don't understand the time frame here. The Empire Builder is scheduled to leave MSP for Chicago at 7:50 in the morning. How would swapping the train for a bus require you spend an extra night in MSP?

I arrived in MSP from ANC the previous day and would have headed straight to Chicago with my son instead of loitering around MSP waiting for an early morning train.

When they called me at 11pm (!) I was told that I could wait for the train "if I wanted" but that there was no guarantee it would even come that day. My options were the bus or a refund.

Taking the train was part of the planned mini-vacation. Instead, it turned into a waste of an afternoon and a night in MSP plus the expense of a flight to Chicago.

I had the same problem 10 days ago as the OP. I elected to take the bus, as we had a connecting train to Buffalo. As buses go, it was ok, but it ain't a train.

To top if off, they held our departure from Chicago because.....they wanted to wait for the delayed train we had been told not to catch because we'd miss our connection. A bit annoying. Eventually the Lake Shore Ltd to Buffalo was four hours late arriving.

This was a minor delay compared to our other main journey (Chicago-Denver) - it was 8 hours late!

I love travelling by train, but I'd think twice before taking Amtrak again.

That was completely your choice to not take the bus - or the late train - and instead fly to Chicago. I believe that you should receive a refund of the original fare that you paid, but that is it. I don't understand why you ended up with an extra night in MSP.

I arrived in MSP from ANC the previous day and would have headed straight to Chicago with my son instead of loitering around MSP waiting for an early morning train.

When they called me at 11pm (!) I was told that I could wait for the train "if I wanted" but that there was no guarantee it would even come that day. My options were the bus or a refund.

Taking the train was part of the planned mini-vacation. Instead, it turned into a waste of an afternoon and a night in MSP plus the expense of a flight to Chicago.

I think I see what you mean. But from Amtrak's perspective, you were offered a travel choice that both left and arrived on the same day as you were ticketed. So they would have no particular reason to offer compensation for your lodging costs. The only thing Amtrak would have to compensate you for would be if you had a sleeper ticket. In that case, the bus would have been a significant downgrade in services and thus they would refund the extra fare you paid for the sleeper.

But for coach passengers, a "bustitution" does not normally result in compensation, especially if it did not result in an overall delay (which it would not have in your case). But yes, you will probably be able to get a refund of the Amtrak ticket you did not use, which would partially offset the cost
of your plane ticket.

I agree. You contracted with Amtrak to get you from Point A to Point B and they offered to do that. While it may not be in the mode you choose, they were actually being proactive by possibly avoiding delays. You elected to take a refund which cascaded into hotel and airfare. That was your choice and as such you should not receive any compensation as Amtrak would have gotten you where you needed to be.

Double post due to FlyerTalk errror