Stopped, between Williston ND and Minot ND close to Berthold…we continue to wait. Train works fine, no conflicts with BNSF for track time. We are waiting on a replacement crew to be driven by car, out to the train from Minot.

An appropriate metaphor for the state of passenger rail in the US, with no outside impediments, amtrak is it’s own worst enemy. Creating delays through failed policy making.

Up to this moment, the Empire Builder had been moving along well. Due to a series of delays from freight traffic, the current crew reached their 12 hour work day limit 20 miles short of the destination. In a move unique to the rail road industry, they just stop the train and call for the new crew to be driven out to meet the now stopped train. Amazing.

The smokers on this train are the most considerable group, they have not had a chance to legally smoke for over three hours. I don’t know what it’s like to need a cigarette, but I have seen the results when folks are made to wait for one.

To hell with customers and the delivery of services paid in advance, Amtrak employees fail to plan for these inevitabilities. Loosing the priority to freight, means passenger rail stops and waits any time there is a shared interest in the same piece of track.

At this point of waiting, we could have walked the final miles to Minot faster.

The state of passenger rail travel in the United States has reached a new low.