My "Train Trip to Nowhere" begins tomorrow. I fly from Seattle to Los Angeles at 9:10 a.m., and depart LA's Union Station on the Southwest Chief at 5:55 p.m. I'm scheduled to arrive in Chicago two days later, on Wednesday at 2:50 p.m. (Refer back to my February 12 post.)
I emphasize "scheduled" because the Chief has been arriving late in Chicago almost uniformly the past few weeks, during the time I've kept my eye on it. It arrives anywhere from a negligible 20 minutes late, to -- on one occasion -- almost 24 hours late. The cause has been primarily the unusual weather most of the nation has experienced this winter, but also the difficulty many of Amtrak's passenger trains always have in competing with freight trains for passage on tracks owned by the freight railways.
I was perhaps too trusting when I booked a flight back to Seattle from Chicago's O'Hare Airport at 6:55 p.m. -- a mere four hours after my train's scheduled arrival. The CTA ride from Chicago's Union Station to O'Hare will itself take an hour, plus time devoted to walking to the transit station and waiting for the next train. I calculate that I can make my flight if the Southwest Chief arrives in Chicago no more than 90 minutes late.
Most arrivals have fit within that tolerance, but many have not.
I refuse to worry. I've tipped off my cat care lady that she may need to add another day of cat care if I miss my connection. I've booked an inexpensive but convenient hotel near the airport for Wednesday night. Beyond those precautions, I refuse to worry.
Except to notice that the airlines charge quite a premium on bookings made less than 24 hours before departure. Oh well. Some unimaginative members of my reading audience might argue that even ten bucks is too much to pay for a "Train Trip to Nowhere."
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