stokebailey

Thanks, simpson. We're mulling it over. If it were the long-haul Texas Eagle I'd definitely not take the chance, but the IL-only Lincoln has been reliable for us.

I have to work the day before we leave, so not all that easy to take the cautious route as recommended above. Another possibility will be to leave our car at a nephew's house on the North Side, but that opens up a whole nother range of The Unexpected.

exiledprincess

"Another possibility will be to leave our car at a nephew's house on the North Side,..." You mean the North Side of Chicago?

Have you ever parked there before this? In case you haven't...Huge swaths of the most populous neighborhoods on the North Side require parking permits for residents only. Even their guests have to get permits through the City of Chicago - which takes a little time. In addition, those who park on the street have to be cognizant of street cleaning days when they have to move their cars or have them towed and impounded.

You shouldn't leave that decision to the last moment, just in case additional time is need to iron out the details.

So I guess that my next question is: If you are going to drive all the way to the North Side of Chicago, why don't you just park at O'Hare?

exiledprincess

Oh, wait...Are you renting "our car" per your initial inquiry - to drive from St. Louis area to O'Hare? If so, why don't you just return it to O'Hare?

You don't have the same time restraints on the return leg, do you?

stokebailey

HI, thanks, princess. Yes, another option was visiting nephew on North Side coming and going, and leaving our own car there. No problem with permits, but he'd have to move it for street sweepers as you say. Depending upon a carefree 20-something would be one of the variables I'd rather avoid.

We don't have such a tight schedule coming home, but the five-hour drive plus post trip letdown is not so appealing.

Traveling by myself or with one of our easy-to-please daughters is so much simpler: you buy the tickets and you go. High maintenance spouses should make their own arrangements.

We appreciate your thoughts on this.

exiledprincess

He must live pretty north and very far out from the lakeshore on the North Side, if his street doesn't have permit parking by resident only. Most of the areas in the Near North, Lincoln Park and Lakeview neighborhoods require this.

You can always check online to confirm that there isn't required permit parking in his area: chicityclerk.com/city-stickers-parking/about-residential-parking/

stokebailey

Hi, Princess. Thanks. That's a good link.

I've been researching the odds on Amtrak, came across this article from the Tribune 3 years ago: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2...k-records-show

IL and Amtrak pay freight train companies a lot of money to use those tracks, just as MO pays between STL and KC. I still hope for the Someday higher-speed train STL - CHI.

exiledprincess

Unfortunately, this wasn't even new news back three years ago when that article was published.

If Amtrak actually owned all those tracks upon which they run and had to bear the cost of maintaining them (including the equipment), what do you think would happen to the cost of the fares they'd have to charge? How much more do you think your ticket would be then?

stokebailey

Hmm. well, obviously it isn't news as such. Forgive me if I've posted a redundant link.

While we're asking theoretical questions: How do other countries manage to maintain and run affordable passenger train systems while still transporting goods from place to place?

SandyBrit

Stokebailey:

I am with those who suggest travel to Chicago the day before. I know you said you had to work but isn't there a late train you could take? I'd rather spend the night before in a airport hotel and no rush on the day of travel to London. The one time that I didn't do this connecting from St. Louis via JFK to London on different airlines was very nerve racking and I said never again.

I am sorry about the problem your DH has with his ears. Is there anything his doctor is able to give him to help with the pain? I know you are an experienced traveller and probably have already pursued this.

Let us know how it all works out.

Sandy

exiledprincess

???? I didn't think I was asking you any theoretical questions. I was just responding to your comments about the cost of Amtrak leasing those rails.

I'm sure that you must realize that any high-speed rail travel will be much more costly than what you would pay for a "slower" train.

You can easily Google and find out what has been happening in other countries which have high-speed trains (i.e., China and Europe). Some of those articles you find will explain the cost difference between the two, as well as what has happened to "traditional" train service.

stokebailey

Thanks, Sandybrit. He and his doctor have tried various things, with varying levels of success. He's like the babies who cry at takeoff and landing, except they recover quickly and his whimpers can last weeks.

Sorry for my goofy post above, princess, and I know none of our questions was theoretical. Mine was rhetorical. I want the US to have a reliable passenger rail system, as many other countries do, and get frustrated that trains full of coal or toothbrushes or whatever are allowed to zoom by sidetracked ones full of people who have connections or rendezvous to make.

It has been >10 years, and several train trips, since we were more than 30 minutes late in either direction between here and Chicago. I find that Amtrak posts the past month's on-time rates for a given train. A few days ago it said the early morning 300 train ranged from roughly 12 minutes early to 12 min late over preceding month, with one outlier of 71 minutes late. Closer to the time we can check for track repairs and so forth and weigh our options.

I don't expect any of you to solve this dilemma for us, of course! But we appreciate your feedback.

stokebailey

Just to follow up:

We ended up taking the 04h40 train the morning of our flight after monitoring disruptions for a few weeks in advance. Had a good ride on a train that filled up halfway across Illinois, and pulling into CHI Union Station pretty much on time. We had time to stash our bags in a jumbo locker and walk to Michigan Ave for al fresco lunch and a stroll around the park. The Blue Line got us to ORD in plenty of time.

Coming home was a somewhat different story, but then it didn't really matter. Union Station had an exhaust smell, even in the Great Hall, that made me hope they monitor the employees' carboxyhemoglobin levels. Then the conductor tried to herd us on very fast; we later learned the haste was in vain hopes of getting loaded before a much slower train that used the same track. We got into St. Louis maybe 1.5 hr late.

Much anticipated high speed tracks for that route should be ready in a year or two.

thursdaysd

Thanks for reporting back. Hope it was a good trip.

exiledprincess

Glad everything worked out for you in the end.

I'm sure that you realize the high speed route is going to be much more expensive than what you paid this time around. It is supposed to be priced comparable to non-discounted air fares for the same terminals. What it will actually cost is left to be seen.

Obviously, once they eliminate those interim station stops (necessary for high speed travel), you won't have as many fares on those trains.

I would also wager that the pricing of the regular service will increase somewhat to substantially. You put that much money into upgrading equipment and expanding service, you have to recoup your expenditures somehow.