Amtrak Sunset Limited Trip - Day 2

The second day of our Sunset adventure. We explore Pensacola, meet some Amtrak employees and get ready to go back East. www.railfandanny.com

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Amtrak
• CSX
• Pensacola
• P&A
• Sub
• Chipley
• railroad
• railfan
• railranning
• travel by rail
• take the train
• http://www.railfandanny.com/

[GeileSexyZeiten]

Is it normal for the USA that passenger trains are usually late there? And especially THAT late?

I live in Germany, and I never arrived more than 10 minutes late when riding by train, simply never!

I´m really shocked that the USA has such a primitive rail passenger service today! I mean this is really bad, you´ll never be on time when you go by train there...and nobody really seems to care about as I see in this video...

[distantsignal]

Yes, passenger train travel is terrible here in the US as far as scheduling goes.

Since World War II, the US has been in love with Air travel and the automobile so we have let our rail transit system collapse.

Of course, America is far larger than any country in Europe so it's a greater effort to travel here.

But our regional rail systems should be on a par with yours.

DH

[NCStL576]

Pardon me if I'm "too far up north" to know Will Chipley, but who's he?

[distantsignal]

Wm Chipley was first superintendent of the Pensacola and Atlantic RR. Now the CSX P&A Sub.

[Railryder456]

Amtrak does not want to add the Sunset Limited back on east of New Orleans, because it always ran late and the expenses. If passengers want this train added back from New Orleans to Florida they need to contact their Congressman and Senators and request it. That is the only way it will be added back on.

[distantsignal]

That's absolutely right.

I remember one transportation official saying "it would be cheaper for us to buy each passenger a plane ticket than to carry them on The Sunset"

Until that hurdle is overcome, train travel will remain a mere novelty.

DH

[andrewhurricane]

@distantsignal thanks so much for posting. The days of trains consistently running 12 hours late are officially over. I used to ride the Crescent all the time when I was little, and it was always arriving 7-10 hours late. I still ride that route often and the latest it's ever been in the past year was 1hour 15 min for me. I've been doing everything possible to encourage the restoration of Amtrak service east of New Orleans, we need it back now more than ever in light of these high gas prices

[kmothersil]

This route along with the Desert Wind and Pioneer are the train routes that are really missing around here.

[Lifty4ever]

@GeileSexyZeiten oh yea in canada via rail's ocean overnight train has a saying. "its normal to be late". seriously very time i was on it it has never been on time or early

[Lifty4ever]

@distantsignal

[AmtrakFlorida]

@munna21978 Amtrak has improved extremely in the past few years. The trains today are WAY cleaner and faster. Yesterday's Sunset Limited arrived an hour early into New Orleans, for example. Down here in West Palm, the Silver Meteor arrives about 10-35 mins early DAILY. We have greatly improved, you must agree, with new car orders on the way.

[AmtrakFlorida]

@JimmySand9 Yesterday it got into NOL an hour early

[AmtrakFlorida]

@GeileSexyZeiten They're actually getting cleaner, and new cars are on the way, as plans have them. If you go on the Amtrak.com website and put in train 2 into NOL you cans ee how it's been doing lately. Yesterday, for example, the Sunset arrived 1 hour early into NOL! Sunset Limited To New Orleans, LA (NOL) 2:55 pm Sun Jan 23, 2011 1:54 pm Sun Jan 23, 2011 Arrived: 1 hour and 1 minute early. From New Orleans, LA (NOL) 2:55 pm Sun Jan 23, 2011

[AmtrakFlorida]

@GeileSexyZeiten This has greatly improved now in 2011 with trains rarely being late. Amtrak shook off their bad reputation they carried before if you ask me.

[nbtrainlvr94]

Its pretty sad bcuz now Mobile,AL has been cut off from an Amtrak Service and also they have torn there station down it does really need to be restored back to going to Orlando.

[munna21978]

primitive, undeveloped and shameful train system in this country USA.