The New York Times has published an interesting piece about extreme heat induced Amtrak train delays that includes some cool facts. This caught my eye because I will take a train from Boston to Manhattan next Friday.
Here are the interesting data that I discuss in this podcast.
A FINAL THOUGHT: I recognize that I didn’t discuss in my podcast the economic losses for people who have a tight deadline in another city and expected that Amtrak would get them there on time (just in time) for this crucial meeting.
While these cases exist, it is unrealistic to expect that this public provider will be perfect. On Planet Earth, people who face a tight deadline build fat into their schedule to plan for worst case scenarios. By boarding an earlier train, they lower the chance of a disaster and they can have a backup plan for how to protect themselves from the ugly scenario where they are late to something crucial.
I also didn’t discuss that our Cell Phones allow us to entertain ourselves as we wait for the delayed train to leave. This lowers the pain of being late!!
Adapting to Amtrak Travel Delays