CHICAGO — Amtrak has cancelled one of two daily round trips between Chicago and Quincy, Ill., as of today (Thursday, July 30) and at least through Wednesday, Aug. 7.
So far, the only acknowledgement on Amtrak’s website is that the affected Carl Sandburg trains during the period are shown as “sold out.” Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari tells Trains News Wire that alternate transportation is being provided for already-ticketed passengers, and that the trains are not running due to a “high shop count.” In such extended busing situations, the company opts to restrict future sales rather estimate motor coach capacity that will be needed. This practice also allows service to be restored if that becomes possible during the scheduled outage.
The cancelled morning outbound and evening inbound trains to and from Quincy, Nos. 381 and 382, are some of the most lightly patronized of all the Chicago-based state-sponsored frequencies.
The move follows initial terminal delays and maintenance issues that have continued through the month [see “Significant delays, cancellations disrupt Amtrak’s network,” News Wire, July 12, 2024, and “Lack of equipment leads to cancellation …,” News Wire, July 16, 2024].
The most recent examples of departure issues include:
— Lincoln Service No. 307 on July 16 from Chicago left at 10:05 p.m., 2 hours, 55 minutes late. Its 3-hours-plus late arrival caused a 1-hour tardy departure of the first train out of St. Louis the following morning
— Wolverine No. 355, cancelled from Pontiac, Mich., on July 16. No. 351 departed 3 hours, 37 minutes late for Chicago the following morning after a minor derailment while switching the cars from 355.
— Empire Builder from Chicago on July 25 returned to Union Station after departure due to “mechanical issues involving the toilets” and left 3 hours late. Meanwhile, the train departing two days earlier did fine until it ran into heat restrictions and freight congestion across Montana. It then lost more time at Spokane due to mechanical problems and later mandatory crew rest west of the Cascade Tunnel. The train’s termination more than 10 hours late at Everett, Wash., caused the belated cancellation of the eastbound Builder on July 25. This cancellation became official — rather than just a delayed departure — more than 5 hours after the Builder was supposed to leave Seattle. In turn, the westbound train from Chicago on Sunday, July 28, did not operate. The last annulment was attributed to “the severe lateness of inbound equipment.”
— Silver Meteor was more than an hour late departing New York’s Penn Station and Moynihan Train Hall on July 16, 18, and 20. The Miami-bound train on July 21 left at 7:27 p.m., 4 hours, 12 minutes late.
— Acelas departing Washington, No. 2162 on July 19 and No. 2108 on July 21, both left more than 1 hour, 15 minutes late.
Other trains such as the Southwest Chief, California Zephyr, and Texas Eagle all suffered periodic mid-route delays of 4 hours or more during the last two weeks of July, increasing the strain on Amtrak’s stretched-thin fleet and the personnel charged with maintaining it.
Amtrak has generally improved timely text message and email outreach to ticketed passengers while seldom explaining the precise reason for extended tardiness. However, travelers who have been substantially inconvenienced by unforeseen last-minute delays may take that experience into consideration when weighing their options for the next trip.
Haven’t heard anything more about progress with choosing a builder/design for the supposed Superliner equipment replacement at this rate the current cars won’t last until they arrive if they ever do arrive.
Why on earth did Amtrak sell off a bunch of serviceable Amfleet cars a few years ago that are now running in Mexico?