Stuff happens when you travel by train. And in the case of Amtrak’s Empire Builder, it’s white stuff that’s happening. The problem is between Whitefish and Cut Bank, Montana—specifically in the Marias Pass area. According to a spokesman for BNSF, the freight railroad that owns the track, at least one avalanche damaged track to the…
The annual Fall meeting of the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP), which took place in Denver, officially ended Sunday afternoon. It was, by all accounts, the best such event ever, with excellent speakers, productive sessions and more attendees than any previous meeting. This is an over-simplification, but NARP’s principal mission is to serve…
Brief recap: Because of a demonstration at the entrance to the Chunnel in France last month, Eurostar trains stopped running for several hours and, as a result, I was a no-show for a hotel room in London I had reserved weeks earlier through Booking.com. After consulting one of the ombudsman-types on Christopher Elliot’s web…
It’s common knowledge that Amtrak has been having serious problems with the on-time performance of several of its long-distance trains. Among others, the California Zephyr and the Texas Eagle have had some serious delays on an on-again-off-again basis. But the principal culprit—or should I say “victim”?—has been the Empire Builder, which runs daily in…