Why Climate Change Is Keeping an Amtrak Train from Running On Time
Oct. 7—Two or three times a week for the last decade or so, Susan Forsburg, a molecular biologist at the University of Southern California, has taken the train from her home in San Diego to her lab in Los Angeles and back again. The line she rides is Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner. It's about a two-and-a-quarter-hour trip one way; it's comfortable; it has Wi-Fi so she can get work done during the commute; and "Oh my god, yes, it's better than driving," Forsburg says.
A self-professed nerd, she's spent so much time walking through Union Station, where she catches the train in L.A., that she can tell what model of locomotive is idling on the rails just by listening to it hum.
So it was stress-inducing but not entirely unexpected when Amtrak announced late last month that it was suspending service indefinitely on a portion of the Surfliner between San Diego and Irvine, Calif., because of some dangerous conditions on the tracks near San Clemente.
The issue isn't new. At several points along the Surfliner's route, the tracks run right up to the edge of the coastal cliffs, giving riders dramatic views of the Pacific Ocean, but leaving the tracks vulnerable to instability and slippage as the cliffs slowly erode. Service was disrupted for three weeks last September while the tracks were stabilized after heavy storms.
More intense storms are contributing to faster erosion at the cliffs' edges, and bigger waves on the rising seas are chipping away at them from below. Over the years, local authorities and rail-service operators have completed a series of projects meant to keep passenger and freight trains from slipping into the sea. ................(more)
https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/news/21283236/ca-why-climate-change-is-keeping-an-amtrak-train-from-running-on-time
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of planning a trip from the MidWest to Washington State. It's a once-in-a-lifetime trip for the two of us... just us; no kids, husbands, parents, etc. We had originally talked about driving the distance, but neither one of us has great backs for long-distance driving. I thought about taking Amtrak, and she enthusiastically agreed it'd be a great idea. Amtrak offers packages to different parts of the country, and we're eagerly looking at the Northwestern package.
Neither of us has been on a train of any kind since we were young kids... like 6 or 7 yo for me. We want to splurge on a sleeping car, and really do it up right for the two of us. First time we've ever done anything like this, especially together. Now that we're both bordering on or deep in the middle of our senior years, we figure it's now or never.
I'm looking forward to the train running the coastline, and all the sights (once we get out of flat-land Kansas!). Has anyone ever done one of these package tours? Anything we ought to know about them beforehand? And I agree... earthquakes along the coastal route would not be part of the "fun" package! (gryn)... we've also never felt the earth move in quite THAT way! 