91 & 97 MIA Turnaround (2024)

Is this the correct order of things?

Trains 91 & 92 are the Star, and carry 2 sleeper cars.

Trains 97 & 98 are the Meteor, and carry 3 sleeper cars.

Train 91 arrives in MIA evening of day 1, turns around and becomes train 92 departing MIA on day 2.

Train 97 arrives in MIA evening of day 1, turns around and becomes train 98 departing MIA on day 2.

Or are there extra trainsets in MIA so that day 2's 92 and 98 don't depend on the timely arrival of the previous day's 91 and 97?

What happens if either or both of day 1's trains are extremely late, or even terminated north of MIA? Is there extra equipment in MIA to make up either of day 2's trains?

We have reservations for train 98 on Saturday July 5, scheduled to leave MIA at 8:20am. Train 97, scheduled to arrive MIA on Friday July 4 around 7pm is currently about 5 hours late out of PTB, with no status update for stations RMT and FAY. I assume this is because of Arthur. What can we reasonably expect to happen if Friday's 97 doesn't get into MIA until well past midnight Saturday morning? What if 97 is terminated north of MIA? Will Saturday's 98 have to be cancelled south of wherever 97 is terminated?

91 turns to 92 and 97 turns to 98. No extra train sets. If incoming is very late, outgoing leaves late.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum

97 is stopped just south of Petersburg and expected into RMT at 9:20, which would make it a shade over 9 hours late.

If it's made it that far, it isn't likely to be terminated, just late. As Jishnu said, if it's super late, you may leave late.

Thank you guys for that info. Not the best news possible (would be nice if there was an extra trainset or 2 in MIA), but we can deal with a delay, as long as the train isn't outright cancelled.

Ryan, I would love to have the detailed kind of info you provided about the status of the train. Can I ask you where you get it from?

Thanks again.

The "Track a train" on Amtrak's website - it's down in the bottom left.

Looks like it's still sitting in the same place. The Auto Train is moving north approaching Emporia, we'll see if it makes it through. That'll at least let you know that there's a track available.

RyanS said:

The "Track a train" on Amtrak's website - it's down in the bottom left.

Looks like it's still sitting in the same place. The Auto Train is moving north approaching Emporia, we'll see if it makes it through. That'll at least let you know that there's a track available.

Click to expand...

Very cool! The things I miss when I'm away from the forum for a year!

Assuming 97 finally arrives in MIA at 3:00am, what's the best educated guesstimate for when 98 might head north? Are the folks who would service 97/98 even on the clock at that hour?

As of 9:15 am Amtrak claims that 97 is expected to arrive Miami after 1am. Auto Train is expected into Lorton at around 12:30.

Both trains are on the move and 52 has crossed 97around Emporia. 97 is past Roanoke Rapids and 52 is closing in on Petersburg.

Depending on how much work needs to be done, and if any cars need to be shuffled etc. turning should take anything between 4 and 7 hours I would imagine.

Incidentally 97 is now expected into Rocky Mount a little over 9 hour late.

I never understood why the Star only has two sleepers while the Meteor has 3? Not enough equipment? Or they feel that is just how many they need on a daily run?

Also between Orlando and Kissimmee there is only a single track for Amtrak to use. They will hold the northbound Meteor until the southbound Star clears the track. I don't know if they will hold the Meteor if the Star is very late. I know they held the Meteor while the Star was less then a hour late.

Bruce-SSR

jis said:

Not enough equipment.

Click to expand...

With more, new equipment coming online by next year, will there be enough to lengthen the trains consist?

Bruce-SSR

Yes. That is the reason that the 25 additional Sleepers are being purchased. There is no plan at present to introduce any serious new trains, except....

1. The overnight 66/67 on the NEC may get a Sleeper.

2. The through cars from Pennsylvanian to the Cap, if it happens will include at least one Sleeper.

All this will likely happen after the Cardinal and every other current LD Sleeper train gets at least one additional Sleeper.

And the old equipment retired? or still used??

Bruce-SSR

Will the refurbishments keep the bathroom facilities in the Roomette??

Bruce

frugalist said:

Just changed our reservation to today's 98 (leaving from SBG). Couldn't chance tomorrow's 98 being cancelled because even if there's a room on Sunday's train, it's an AGR blackout date. Gotta run. Thanks to everyone for their help.

Click to expand...

Your original reservation would have been honored if Saturdays train was cancelled. It's not your fault that they didn't run the train (if that's what happens).

I was due to leave Saturday on a southbound Star. That Friday I was monitoring Amtrak's website because a hurricane was heading north while I wanted to head south. I was checking it every 10 minutes. It helps when one's job has them working on the Internet When I saw service was canceled, I was on the phone to Amtrak to change my departure 24 hours to leave Sunday. I felt I was lucky to only be delayed 24 hours. I figured some people may not have been as lucky as they would run out of available roomettes.

Since I was booked in a sleeper, I don't think you can just show up and expect to be accommodated, especially for roomettes. I was told that I should have gotten a call, since I was called in the past when things changed. But I guess I called them before they went through the list of people to call to notify them of the cancelation.

I was called one time because they changed service to bus connection from Orlando to Jacksonville. So instead of leaving on a Sunday, I left the next day, Monday. Being in Disneyworld for a extra day isn't bad. And with the money I saved because a Monday departure was cheaper on the roomette upgrade, it only cost me $50 more to stay at Disney one extra day. That included room, meals, park entrances.

Bruce-SSR

jis said:

91 turns to 92 and 97 turns to 98. No extra train sets. If incoming is very late, outgoing leaves late.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum

Click to expand...

I thought there were indeed extra train sets. Specially, two full sets.

For example, if you check the status maps, you can see (if you time it correctly), a 91, 92, 97, and a 98 all in transit/motion at the same time.

That's why it would take two additional Viewliners to add just one sleeper to the Star; one for each Star train set.

Guest said:

jis said:

91 turns to 92 and 97 turns to 98. No extra train sets. If incoming is very late, outgoing leaves late.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum

Click to expand...

I thought there were indeed extra train sets. Specially, two full sets.

For example, if you check the status maps, you can see (if you time it correctly), a 91, 92, 97, and a 98 all in transit/motion at the same time.

That's why it would take two additional Viewliners to add just one sleeper to the Star; one for each Star train set.

Click to expand...

Seeing 2 or three trains on the map doesn't mean there are EXTRA trains. Each route has as many trains as needed to depart from origination station each day the train runs.So 91 would show twice on the map. One having left Monday, but not having arrived at terminus & one having left Tuesday.

So if a train is turned around at JAX, they are short one train set leaving MIA ?

But there is extra equipment, locomotive power? I definitely know coach cars, yes common equipment you can find along the route.

Bruce-SSR

Guest said:

jis said:

91 turns to 92 and 97 turns to 98. No extra train sets. If incoming is very late, outgoing leaves late.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum

Click to expand...

I thought there were indeed extra train sets. Specially, two full sets.

For example, if you check the status maps, you can see (if you time it correctly), a 91, 92, 97, and a 98 all in transit/motion at the same time.

That's why it would take two additional Viewliners to add just one sleeper to the Star; one for each Star train set.

Click to expand...

There are four sets for each Silver. Two running north and two running south at any given time.