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I cant think of a city that has it worse than Cleveland....Every train there arrives or departs in the middle of the night....
Posts: 416 | From: St. Albans, Vermont | Registered: Feb 2003
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Ocala, FL . . . doesn't arrive or depart at all any more.
Posts: 363 | From: Southwest North Central Florida | Registered: Apr 2002
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Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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Tucson; Phoenix (whoops, WAZZITSNAME nowadays) is not much better.
Oh well, with the Sunset schedule lengthening, Palm Springs is now served at "people hours".
Posts: 9977 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Especially invonvenient if you are staying at a hotel, when the check-out time is usually 10-11AM.
Posts: 1082 | From: Los Angeles, CA. USA | Registered: Aug 2003
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Mr. Norman, the correct pronunciation of that city is "PAH-HOE-NICKS" just like it is spelled. BTW, I rode the IZ #348/347 through Clarendon Hills last Monday. You have a very attractive 'urb.
Posts: 588 | From: East San Diego County, CA | Registered: Oct 2004
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I believe Mr. RR Bob, my "aside" should have read "whoops, WARESZATSTATION nowadays".
Also of interest, when as a seven year old 3rd grader, I had to learn the 48 States and their Capitols, rehearsing with my Mother, I recall, saying Arizona's capitol was "phooey-nix'. (doesn't look like emoticoms are offered here anymore).
Lastly, Clarendon Hills is a nice burb; I'm getting ready for the day when prudence says I must give up driving (long before the State revokes my license) and I think I will "do OK" right here. (METRA to get downtown for Amtrak trips and the Symphony, 15 miles to ORD if I must use THAT means). But everything has its price. Real Estate taxes are "up with yours in CA" around here.
Posts: 9977 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Would have to add Newton, KS to the list. Both directions arrive about 3 a.m. and most of the passengers come from Wichita about 30 min away, or from outlying areas. Equally inconvenient.
Posts: 30 | From: Rio Rancho NM | Registered: Feb 2005
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Technically, Ocala is still served by Amtrak, that is, with a bus leaving at 7:50 pm connecting with the northbound Star leaving Jacksonville at 10:55 pm. CSX track work means the bus now leaves at 5:30 pm to reach Jacksonville at 8:30. That's only temporary.
The southbound "service" requires leaving the Star around 4:50 AM to catch the Ambus to Ocala. (It would make more sense for the link to be with the Meteor which arrives in Jacksonville at 7:50 am, but ....)
Furthermore, the southbound Ocala Ambus only goes as far as Dade City (or perhaps Lakeland) but not to south Florida (West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami/Hialeah. This is supposed to be only temporary.
Posts: 10 | Registered: Jan 2004
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How about Phoenix? Not only does it not have amtrak service actually within the city, the train arrives at horrible hours.
Posts: 82 | Registered: Aug 2004
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A bus is not a train, regardless of what Amtrak says...
Posts: 363 | From: Southwest North Central Florida | Registered: Apr 2002
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Yuma used to have terrible hours. Salt Lake City s*cks. Las Vegas bustitution is an embarrasment. Also, the name of that hole in the earth that supposedly serves as the gateway to Phoenix is Mari-CRAP-a.
-------------------- Patrick Posts: 387 | From: Bakersfield, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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An after-midnight departure from a major city is bad enough. But as I've experienced on several occasions, there's nothing creepier than being the only passenger waiting on the platform of an unstaffed Amshack, in the middle of nowhere, when your train is two hours late and it's the middle of the night.
Omaha, NE (0519/2219) Lincoln, NE (0411/2323) Hastings, NE (0157/0202) Holdredge, NE (0109/0249) McCook, NE (2359/0358)
-------------------- The City of Saint Louis (UP, 1967) is still my standard for passenger operations Posts: 1404 | Registered: Oct 2001
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All of these mentioned can be made so that Amtrak arrives/departs at hours convinient, just adjust the departures from LA, NYC, WAS, CHI, SEA etc. I am sure those boarding in the major points of origin will be pleased to adjust to 2:00AM.
We all must recognize that if a train has a scheduled running time of more than 18-20 hours there must be some inconvinient times somewhere along the route.
Posts: 467 | From: Prescott, AZ USA | Registered: Mar 2002
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Guess who got to shuttle a family member to/from Maricopa from Phoenix, twice? I was recently on vacation to Phoenix, and had to pick up and later drop off my father at the station. Picking him up was the worst, as the train arrives after midnight. Dropping him off wasn't too bad, I was able to get back to my downtown (Phoenix) hotel before 11:30. Total, oneway, driving time to Maricopa from Phoenix is roughly 45 min or so. The station is actually quite nice, and they even have a ticket agent, and why doesn't Tallahassee? I'm clueless.
Posts: 82 | Registered: Aug 2004
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Pittsburg PA you get a choice of 10 pm or 11 pm comming from the East long gone are the days of the PRR
Posts: 516 | From: New Haven, CT USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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Rate Member posted 05-10-2005 01:02 PM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Enough already!!
All of these mentioned can be made so that Amtrak arrives/departs at hours convinient, just adjust the departures from LA, NYC, WAS, CHI, SEA etc. I am sure those boarding in the major points of origin will be pleased to adjust to 2:00AM.
We all must recognize that if a train has a scheduled running time of more than 18-20 hours there must be some inconvinient times somewhere along the route. "
RR CHina, my point was that ALL cleveland trains leave at terrible hours.
Posts: 416 | From: St. Albans, Vermont | Registered: Feb 2003
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Shanghaiamtrak, Yes, because Cleveland is in the middle of the route for trains leaving principal points of origin.
I was not attempting to dismiss the inconvinient times at Cleveland and the many, many other sites which were mentioned. However, if we are to continue to advocate LD trains then we must accept that there will be these inconviniences at locations along the way.
Please do not interpret that I was picking on you or your post. However after several analogous responses I thought my point should be made. I never seek to disparage any individual as that always diminishes rational communication.
Posts: 467 | From: Prescott, AZ USA | Registered: Mar 2002
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How about Indianapolis? Even the train originating and terminating there arrives in the middle of the night!
Posts: 1 | From: Florida keys | Registered: May 2005
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Even though Cleveland arrival and departure times are "in the middle of the night" the four trains that are scheduled through are within a 4 hour block of time and we recently found the station fairly busy with numerous travelers. There is some safety in numbers. The station also seems to be staffed wth two or three personnel.
Now if someone could just make it easier to get to the station off of East 9th street.
-------------------- "Kansas City Southern. Ooh, that's a lonesome sound." Pure Prairie League Posts: 27 | From: Northeast Ohio | Registered: Jan 2005
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