Coinciding perfectly with my move into a new house, which requires a different route to work, the train system begins it’s once-every-decade track upgrades. Perfect. Primarily, this has meant that the train proceeds slower than normal, without actual stops between stations. It’s a little frustrating, but I always have a book or a movie, so the annoyance factor is low.
Wednesday, this was not the case. The train stopped once for a signal problem. The delay lasted nearly 30 minutes. But I semi-expect that right now because of the track work. We stopped again a few minutes after the train journeyed past the signal delay. The conductor announced this:
Please do not laugh when I tell you this, but we’re being stopped for a mandatory Federal Railroad Administration efficiency test.
The efficiency test delayed us an additional 20 minutes. Thank you, Uncle Sam.
At least the conductor had the good sense to preface the statement.