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The last train before the shutdown
By adamg on Sun, 12/26/2010 - 5:18pm
Stephanie counted herself lucky: She had a ticket on the 5:10 Amtrak train out of South Station - one of the last to leave before the rail line shut down service because of the storm. She reports refugees from the all-canceled Fung Wah streamed into the train station:
Passengers crying I MUST GET TO NY! ... I saw one woman screaming "I will sue Amtrak" - it was nuts.
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Comments
why is Amtrak shutting down?
Trains should be able to power themselves through weather that shuts down buses, cars, and airplanes. Amtrak didn't shut down for the Blizzard of '78. The MBTA is not reporting any delays on its commuter trains right now.
This is Amtrak we're talking about
I once got stuck for five hours in Connecticut on Amtrak during a snowstorm.
More recently, as in last week, there was the 10-hour delay on a train between Baltimore and Philadelphia.
Electric Trains and Storms
If the power goes out, which is a fair bet, it would mean stranded trains. Knowing that there were no trains on that route also means the utility can load shed the railway and keep other areas on line, or the power can be diverted for other purposes.
They are also stopping the
They are also stopping the Boston-Portland Downeasters, which are diesel powered.
WorldWideBus out of Alewife
I got a message that they have cancelled the afternoon runs, but they won't call tomorrow morning runs until 9pm.
Meanwhile, BoltBus has sufficient courtesy and experience to let me know that they canceled my evening bus and will refund.
This means that I won't go to NYC tomorrow as planned, because it will be a mess and I won't have a way back.
HOWEVER, IF you are stranded, are reading this and IF it looks like the Alewife bus will run tomorrow at 7am, please send me an e-mail through my log in and I will send you a PDF of my confirmation so you can get to NYC.
7am Alewife to NYC Cancelled
Worldwide Bus finally got it together and put out a delayed cancellation of tomorrow's runs - but they will revisit it after 11am.
Planning ahead?
To the lady screaming she's going to sue Amtrak because her train is cancelled: PROPER PLANNING!
In this connected day and age there is absolutely no excuse for lack of proper planning. We've known about this storm for over 24 hours. If you choose to be blissfully ignorant to the world around you, then you deserve the inconveniences that follow.
I was in NY for the holidays, and I decided to cut my trip short and leave at 9PM last night. There was almost no-one on the roads and I got back to Boston safe and in record time. I got up early this morning, went to the grocery store, ran some errands and got back home all cozy and warm before anything started.
Now I'm relaxing, sipping some wine and watching everything unfold.
Stay Safe everyone!
If I were planning ahead
I'd consider the fact that I had a train ticket, rather than a rental car or a bus ticket or a plane ticket, to be sufficient planning. Trains are supposed to be able to run in snow.
Gee aren't you smart!
You can afford a car, and afford the gas and tolls and costs to get to NYC. You had a place to park it there, or you could afford to pay to park it there. Your ability to afford a car and park it in NYC gave you the flexibility to change plans when the storm was announced.
So you probably don't know, I'm sure, that many bus and train runs for this week were already sold out as of three weeks ago? I made my reservations for a day trip tomorrow on the 9th of December and even then I did not have my choice of which runs I could take because entire buses were already fully sold out. This was the case last year when I took my kids down for a day - we made reservations fairly early, but were limited in our choice of runs because of the demand this time of year.
This is one case where your privilege provided you with flexibility that others lack. Congratulations. You managed to turn your material advantage into a moral issue that makes it sound like it is all just your superior judgment, while carefully avoiding the simple fact that people can't change their tickets to come home a day early when the space for them to do so does not exist. Even when it is a good bet that they tried to do so.
Nonsense. I know it's a busy
Nonsense.
I know it's a busy travel season and all, but when a storm comes in that has the potential to be severe, you don't throw a hissy fit because you hoped it wouldn't be as bad as predicted.
You deal with it.
Even if that means staying with relatives longer, calling into work, making plans to leave early if you can do so, staying in a motel waiting it out, or lining up alternative forms of transportation.
Screaming at employees at Amtrak like a diva, because they'd rather put safety of customers and employees before your spoiled, pretentious ass, is childish. A little humility goes a long way. There's a lot of people in the same situation tonight not acting like a compete douche.
Screaming at Amtrak Employees IS wrong
So is scolding people for not having the ability to change plans.
Exactly.
If you've lived in New England long enough, you know you have to be flexible with travel plans in the winter. Think ahead, consider all possible outcomes, have backup plans. Mother Nature could care less if New Yorkers are stranded in Boston!
Clarification
Ok SwirlyGrrl, let's get some facts straight.
I planned for the holidays 30 days in advance. I also researched when the first snow usually falls in Boston. Last year we had a bad storm in early December, so I figured that we would get one sometime this month this year. Given the fact I absolutely loathe being stranded I decided to choose the mode of transportation that would almost guarantee me an out if needed due to an approaching storm. A car! Now before you start another rant about how much money I have and all that, know this. I RENTED a car from Hertz for $68 for Thursday - Sunday. I had a 2 day free voucher that I won which is why it was so low, but regardless, it's a great rate if you reserve ahead of time. Gas cost me $60 for the whole trip as well.
I also did some research into you Ms. SwirlyGrrl, and it appears, unless your previous posts to other stories are not true, that you OWN a car! So it seems that you have more "privilege & flexibility" then I have.
By SwirlyGrrl - 12/26/10 - 4:42 pm#6
If the snow is going to be wetslop - UP, because my wipers will freeze to the glass and can get damaged.
If the snow is light and not icy - down, because one swipe and it will be gone.
By SwirlyGrrl - 12/26/10 - 4:25 pm#1
I took my son in to do some shopping and have lunch. We were walking back to our car (parked on a side street resident only except Sunday spot ...) and there were fleets of tow trucks on both Mt. Auburn and Brattle, hauling cars away.
I could post more, but you get my point.
In closing, You managed to turn your material advantage into a moral issue that makes it sound like you and everyone else who can't do some basic research and proper planning is the victim and everyone like myself who can use Google and hertz.com are self-entitled pricks! In reality we were the ones that are dry and relaxed at the moment and not complaining about the storm, travel, etc.
Happy New Years!
(Don't forget to make your reservations for NYC on the 31st and wonder why when you leave Boston at noon you don't make it to Times Square until the 2nd!!)
Get a grip
wow! I did not think acting like an adult instead of petulant spoliled brat was a question of privilege. Guess you told her!
smart people plan ahead: this is a good thing
The self-righteousness that can appear in Uhub comment threads is at times unbearable... ESPECIALLY coming from angry cyclist advocates who drive gas-guzzling behemoths yet berate others who drive!
Furthermore, so what if some people earn a decent enough living to be able to own a car and drive to NYC? When did earning a living and doing better than the bare minimum that become a crime?? For chrissakes, you don't need to be a millionaire to be able to afford a used, fuel-efficient vehicle. Many people who weren't born with a silver spoon or trust funds work hard and earn a good living. Nothing to be ashamed of!
Smart move, SPBOS!
Glad you got home safely before the storm hit. It's agreed--one can't excuse poor planning.
I still remember the big storm we had three years ago at around this time, when many, many people were stupid enough to drive into work despite the predictions for that particular storm that had been going on for days in advance. I had an appointment that day, but I took the MBTA to get there, and was glad that I did, despite the fact that I didn't get home until close to five p. m., when it was already dark out. I looked out my window and could see that there was a huge gridlock of vehicular traffic, until well past nine-thirty that night, because all the schools and businesses had let out at pretty much the same time! Unbelievable!
Hi Miki.
Hi Miki.
Megabus has also shut
Megabus has also shut down.
"Please be advised that all service in and out of our hubs in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC will be canceled on Sunday, December 26, 2010"
But yeah, bad move on amtraks part. Buses are down, planes will be grounded....this is the perfect time to show off how well trains can work in the snow.
Instead of canceling, they should be scheduling extra runs to meet demand and keep the tracks clear.
Okay, so. Trains can run
Okay, so.
Trains can run through a certain amount of snow. And back in 1978, Amtrak still had a line of equipment that was built with steel by big burly men. Not so much today with their euro imports.
However, if Amtrak 'called it', it is because they know the situation is unsafe, for electric OR diesels. This is probably due less to 'the trains can handle it' and more due to 'hey, the engineer can't see the signals or more than a hundred feet down the line'.
Safety first, people.
Our own fault
The bigger problem is visibility and signaling. The track schedules are almost wall-to-wall trains these days whether they're passenger or freight. This is one reason why your train getting delayed 15 minutes for any reason will likely lead to you losing 2 hours. The late train loses priority for switches and other trains HAVE to go first which means you get to wait on the side track until the next "hole" occurs.
We have reached the limits of our train system and we never chose to spend the capital (monetary or political) to claim some land and expand it. The end result is our train system isn't in the same comfortable situation it was in the 70's.
New York New York
Anyone screaming about how she's going to sue Amtrak is of course going to New York.
currently on an amtrak train
i'm currently on train 2258 running (was scheduled to run i guess) between DC and south station. amtrak seemed to be doing all they could do before departing DC to tell people that the train was terminating in NYC and that would be it for the evening. anyone (at least on the southern end of this mess) who claimed to be caught unaware was either a last-minute ticket purchase or completely out of it.
they've been handling it very well on my train by handing out free booze. also, to anyone in the same situation, call the amtrak number (800-872-7245), follow the logical prompts, and see what they can do for you. i called early enough to get put on the first tentatively scheduled train out of NYC at 6:55. if all goes to plan i'll be in south station at 11:11 tomorrow morning. in their defense, it appears to be snowing an insane amount outside right now, and we were maxing about 5mph betweeen the BWI and the delaware station.
Not the worst port in a storm.
It could be much worse for those stranded in South Station.
They could be in Penn Station.
South Station is a veritable paradise in comparison. I mean there are actually seats in South Station.
Penn Station has but one place to sit, the very dirty floor.
Not sure if the last train is
Not sure if the last train is the greatest place to be. I hear the last one out of Penn station got stuck all night on the Shoreline. The winds and snow can knock out catenary lines and break signalling, not to mention visibility issues.