Was wondering if there has been significant loading or train annulments (freight, commuter, Amtrak) due to the virus? I get Progressive Railroading and Railway Age but of course they are two months leadtime behind, so haven't seen anything there. Maybe people who subscribe to Train Orders etc have read of real time cutbacks. Or OGR members who run the 1:1 scale trains are knowledgeable.
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rrman posted:Was wondering if there has been significant loading or train annulments (freight, commuter, Amtrak) due to the virus?
Yes. Many, MANY commuter lines have drastically reduced service, and some have even shut-down completely. Then there are the subways in NYC and Chicago, for example, that have also drastically cut-back.
I get Progressive Railroading and Railway Age but of course they are two months leadtime behind, so haven't seen anything there. Maybe people who subscribe to Train Orders etc have read of real time cutbacks. Or OGR members who run the 1:1 scale trains are knowledgeable.
The South Shore interurban line between Michigan City and downtown Chicago is running on a reduced train schedule. John in Lansing, ILL
Of late I have read that railroad car loadings are down, but was trackside in recent evenings, along the BNSF "racetrack" (Chicago-Aurora, IL), and was surprised by the amount of inter-modal, mixed freight, coal and oil train activity. A good recreational activity in these constricted times, and hardly anyone around to penetrate my 6' "shield".
For the week ended 3/21 rail traffic was down 8.6% versus last year. The Association of American Railroads has a graph that shows weekly carloads compared to the last 3 years. There has been a noticeable decline since early February.
mark s posted:Of late I have read that railroad car loadings are down, but was trackside in recent evenings, along the BNSF "racetrack" (Chicago-Aurora, IL), and was surprised by the amount of inter-modal, mixed freight, coal and oil train activity. A good recreational activity in these constricted times, and hardly anyone around to penetrate my 6' "shield".
I noticed that UP hasn't "squirted" as many trains through Cedar Rapids. Could almost count on one about every 15 to 20 minutes apart one direction or other. Now seems 20-30 minutes and sometimes longer. Coal loading seems less, more stackers, but I am now out there every day writing down consists, just a casual observer.
The UP rep at the Transportation Policy Council of the Houston Galveston Area Council said train traffic is still flowing through Houston. Amounts not mentioned.
As bad as this hotd everybody, this thing may "help" decongest the Houston Terminal Sub.
Per a group I'm part of, NS has started annulling trains temporarily, but it is traffic-specific (as one might expect). The two Fort Wayne Line/western Pittsburgh Line locals are still operating for now (as are the Class IIs and IIIs they interchange with), but the two dedicated autorack movements, 18N and 27N, are annulled and the remaining output for 27N is moving on M1V. When I went railfanning earlier this month, before the case count accelerated, NS still seemed to be running the same amount of intermodal and manifest movements (and I saw more coal movements than usual), but things likely have changed since then.
The Port Authority has changed about 5/8s of its bus service, but has not curtailed light rail service as of yet.
Both Florida-NYC trains are still running (Silver Meteor/Star). I thought we might have had to take the train home from Florida on 3/25, but our AA flight was OK (but half full). The airports were like a ghost town. Our suburban Philadelphia trains are on a Saturday schedule.
Tangent, possibly related: Interstate semi traffic has certainly not slowed down.
Not certain about other Amtrak but the three nonstop NYC to DC Acela's recently added have been dropped.
Although not directly related to annulments, here is a message from Brotherhood of locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. Might need a cup of coffee while reading long statement.
rrman posted:Although not directly related to annulments, here is a message from Brotherhood of locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. Might need a cup of coffee while reading long statement.
A moral tale still being written.
johnf posted:For the week ended 3/21 rail traffic was down 8.6% versus last year. The Association of American Railroads has a graph that shows weekly carloads compared to the last 3 years. There has been a noticeable decline since early February.
Thanks, johnf.
This is the one (AAR webpage) I'm watching going forward. It is interesting to me that carloadings are only down this much. Rail traffic is usually a leading economic indicator but not this time, I guess because of how sudden the stoppages were/are. I expect carloadings will drop drastically going forward though.
rrman posted:Although not directly related to annulments, here is a message from Brotherhood of locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. Might need a cup of coffee while reading long statement.
Thanks, rrman.
My takeaway. Management must:
1) encourage instead of discourage stay-home-if-sick
2) rehire furloughed people to replace those off sick and to take necessary steps sanitizing the workplace (everything from cabs to bunkhouses)
This is a microcosm including yes, increased costs that must somehow be borne/paid-for.
Several NS train symbols have ended , ,maybe temporarily like the 236 pigtrain now combined with the 234 , and most of the autorack trains have combined like the 29g all running on the 27v.
Was along the Hardy Toll Road in North Houston. Line was not a parking lot. CV19. PSR? Time of day!
Dominic Mazoch posted:rrman posted:Although not directly related to annulments, here is a message from Brotherhood of locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. Might need a cup of coffee while reading long statement.
A moral tale still being written.
Well, one of the morals is that the actions of certain political forces that have so weakened unions in this country is taking its toll.
breezinup posted:Well, one of the morals is that the actions of certain political forces that have so weakened unions in this country is taking its toll.
Careful, big brother is reading re: words "political forces" 
Here is METRA's official statement for Chicago-area commuter rail operations.
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