Autotrain this weekend Delays

[lpizzuro123]

We are heading to Disney today, Saturday September 23 and the train is VERY delayed. Anyone else here or on the train heading north or south.

 

[bumbershoot]

That's a bummer. Looks like on the Amtrak site it says you left 5 hours late?

 

[lpizzuro123]

We haven't left yet. They are feeding us pizza now. The train came in around 6:20. They are finished unloading it and cleaning it up. Getting ready to start loading the cars.

 

[bumbershoot]

We haven't left yet. They are feeding us pizza now. The train came in around 6:20. They are finished unloading it and cleaning it up. Getting ready to start loading the cars.

Maybe it said you were *going to* leave 5 hours late. How late did it end up leaving?

 

[lpizzuro123]

We left around 10:20 pm and are still on the train. We are getting ready to have lunch and should arrive in Sanford around 4:00.

We have don't the autotrain many times but have never been this late,

 

[bumbershoot]

We are getting ready to have lunch and should arrive in Sanford around 4:00.

That's definitely later than what they estimated yesterday! (They were saying 1pm)

I know the autotrain is different but for me that's just par for the Amtrak course. I had friends delayed 24 hours going from San Francisco to Seattle once. (And that was after they did Burning Man so they were exhausted.)

 

[lpizzuro123]

Yeah, we will still use it. We don't like to fly and like having our own car.

 

[Kaytie]

Amtrak generally uses commercial (freight) tracks, so freight trains get priority.

 

[bdcp]

I'm thinking this has more to do with getting back into service following Irma. CSX owns the tracks and they maintain them, so it's very possible there could be delays based on repairs and maintenance. What time did the train get into Lorton on the day you boarded? That impacts it too. Sometimes there is a real ripple effect for a couple of weeks after a weather event. We're heading down on 20 Oct. The latest we've ever left is just after 4, but we have arrived after 11 a couple of times.

 

[WDWLODGE]

My in-laws were on the south bound train on Thursday the 21st and they were involved in an accident with a truck during the night. Then after they got going again the train had engine issues. They were on the train for well over 24 hours. I don't think they made it to Sanford until sometime after 6 PM on Friday.