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Fortunately, my region built a series of train overpasses that allowed me to stop being late for work every time a long train passed through town.

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In your post’s opening sentence, you mentioned that the Amtrak train you were a passenger on in Delaware was delayed a couple of hours. However, you did not explain the reason for that. For all I know this could have been due to a mechanical or electrical issue. I wish you would have clarified.

Next, you stated something to the effect that these long freight trains are often too long to fit into passing sidings and, I presume Amtrak trains due to their being shorter then would be required to occupy the siding and conditioned upon the Amtrak trains in question being fully in the clear within said siding (their ends clear of the respective foul point, in other words), the long freight occupying the main line can then be on its merry way again. If this is the case, then I would agree that this could cause affected Amtrak trains to be delayed.

However, should an affected Amtrak train enter said siding before the arrival of an opposite-moving long freight at these locations, the long trains can proceed moving past on the mainline at these locations without they, themselves, having to stop. And once the long freights are in the clear, the said Amtrak trains can exit said sidings and be on their merry way.

You also mentioned Precision Scheduled Railroading. The idea with Precision Scheduled Railroading as I understand it is railroads that have put this approach into practice, have implemented this as a means to make operations more efficient. All well and good.

Now, should two of these especially long trains moving in opposite directions on single track require moving past one another, neither able to fit into a passing siding because both are too long, they can get past each other but, in railroad jargon this necessitates what is referred to as a “saw-by.” It’s a very lengthy process - it’s very time consuming. (Full disclosure: I don’t know how it is performed exactly, but I have read about it once. If I recall correctly, “saw-bys” were once relied upon to get long trains moving in opposite directions on single track sections of railroad track where passing sidings were located on the Kansas City Southern).

The answer to Amtrak delays, as I see it, is to bar them from freight railroad lines and place them on their own lines. Barring this, double track the freight railroad lines that host Amtrak. Neither seems very realistic though.

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