SEATTLE — Amtrak maintenance issues that caused cancellation of Sounder commuter service spilled over into Cascades intercity departures, with buses substituting for Seattle-Eugene, Ore., service because of a shortage of serviceable equipment.
Meanwhile, Amtrak’s eastbound California Zephyr tried to fight its way through a dangerous Nebraska blizzard — and lost.
Those were among the operational issues testing the company during a week that also saw the ouster of its CEO [see “Amtrak CEO Gardner resigns,” Trains News Wire, March 19, 2025].
Four Cascades runs cancelled
In the Pacific Northwest, Amtrak was forced to substitute buses for Seattle-Eugene trains Nos. 503 (departing Seattle at 7:10 a.m.) and 508 (departing Eugene at 5:08 p.m.) on both Monday, March 17, and Wednesday, March 19. The remaining active Talgo trainset, the Mount Jefferson (or its assigned Charger locomotive), was not available for service.
A minimum of seven trainsets are required to protect two Cascades daily round trips north of Seattle to Vancouver, B.C., six between Seattle and Portland, Ore., and two continuing south of Portland to Eugene, Ore. Maintenance cycles were taxed when one of the two Oregon-owned Talgos was removed from service after its cab car was impaled by a tree in a severe storm last November [see “Engineer injured …,” News Wire Nov. 21, 2024]. Repairs have not yet been completed.
Beyond the Talgo trainset, the route now relies on Horizon coaches and Business class/cafe cars that date from 1989. Those were the remaining rolling-stock option following Washington State Department of Transportation’s decision to end its maintenance contract with Talgo in 2020, scrap the Series VI trainsets operating since 1999, and not acquire surplus Wisconsin Series 8 equipment compatible with the Oregon pair. The current situation will continue until new Siemens Aero trains arrive, currently projected for 2026.
When Talgo had the maintenance contract (utilizing Amtrak labor), its permanently-coupled trainsets rotated intact through Amtrak’s Seattle facility in a sequence that ensured periodic maintenance. Now Horizons that encounter problems are routinely swapped out. But the Seattle facility has been further taxed while dealing with questions over documentation of scheduled maintenance that led Sound Transit to pull its Sounder equipment from service [see “Equipment issues improve for Sounder …,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 20, 2025]. Addressing that problem required Amtrak to bring in maintenance workers from as far away as Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, consist information obtained by News Wire show 29 coaches and cafe cars available across seven Horizon sets as of Feb. 23. By March 20 the number was down to 25 cars and six sets.
California Zephyr stymied
Winter managed to exert a final burst of wrath last week in eastern Nebraska when high-wind warning precautions and more than a foot of blowing, heavy snow early on the morning of March 19 stopped the eastbound Zephyr at Exeter, Neb., about 50 miles east of Hastings. Highways were impassable, and BNSF reportedly sent out a rotary plow from Lincoln, Neb., to clear tracks. Rescue locomotives followed. The train was towed later that day back to Hastings, where passengers were given the option to check in to a hotel or ride the train back to Denver. At the Mile High City for a second time, that train was then coupled on to the following day’s eastbound Zephyr, which had been held for clear track from its arrival at about 7 p.m. on the 19th to mid-afternoon of March 20.
The two consists, coupled back-to-back with all four P42s leading elephant style, then departed for Chicago, where the combined train arrived about noon on Friday, March 21. The westbound Zephyr of March 19 and the eastbound March 20 train leaving Emeryville, Calif., were both cancelled, but service on the route is now back to normal.
Another joint operation occurred over the weekend when the northbound City of New Orleans and Saluki, due to arrive into Chicago separately on Sunday morning, arrived together late that afternoon. The City lost two hours between Marks, Miss., and Memphis Saturday night, was delayed another hour at Memphis, then spent five hours waiting at Carbondale, Ill., until 12:20 p.m. That’s when the City and the Carbondale-Chicago Saluki (scheduled out at 7:30 a.m.) departed coupled together. The reasons for the trains’ delays of more than eight and five hours, respectively, were not immediately available.
These are difficult times for Amtrak indeed, which is struggling with various problems. Fortunately, the deadline for the savior, modern Siemens Airo trains to enter service is getting closer.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
How did BNSF get a rotary into operation so quick. ? Did it anticipate that high winds would jam up the cuts so to position a rotary in place??
I really liked the Talgo Trainsets/ They were very comfortable riding equipment and no problems in over 20 years of operations. Why WashDot decided to part with them and not pickup the Wisconsin spare sets, I do not understand. There was nothing unsafe about them. If you take a 30mph curve at 78 mph even a tank is going to derail. The Heritage cars are lousy riding cars and not enough business class seating. Nothing new till 2026 per the article.
Let’s hope that the Siemens Charger fleet will not cause serious disruptions in the leading of the new Amtrak Cascades trainsets starting in 2026.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
This goes beyond Covid and is all on the lack of competent management, Amtrak did get Covid money. Our crew base all jobs were abolished and everyone put on an extra board. It kept T&E on the payroll though the more senior folks took a hit on pay.
The same mechanical theme song plays over and over and has been for decades. And now you have new equipment that consistently has problems. There needs to be a complete revamping of Amtrak.
I rather set on a delayed train for eight hours than having to sleep in the Atlanta airport for over twelve hours due to cancellations and weather issues. All hotel vouchers had been gobbled up before they cancelled our flight. The Atlanta floors and seats not as comfortable as Amtrak seats.
I might be misremembering, but didn’t Oregon buy a spare cab car, and a couple other cars, with their order? If so, why hasn’t that been swapped in for the broken one yet? I know either Oregon or Wisconsin ordered a spare cab, I just don’t remember which (if the latter, then it’s probably in Nigeria with the Wisconsin sets).
Daniel,
Wisconsin did order a spare cab car and the plan Amtrak was working on before WSDOT nixed it was to create three trainsets out of the two Wisconsin Series 8s.
I remember that plan, would have made five 11 car trains total instead of the two 14’s and two 13’s. I just didn’t remember which state had the spare car. Thanks for the note.
I heard that the CONO delays were due to failure of HEP.
Trump and Musk will be blamed for Amtrak falling apart for four years under Corrupt Potato Brain and Mayor Self-Righteous Pete.
Who wants to sit on a train delayed for eight hours?
Charles,
I would like to remind you that CEO Bill Flynn and COO Gardner under Trump I offered buyouts to reduce expenses during COVID when there was not an airline-style bailout for Amtrak. That certainly contributes to today’s problems.
Charles, Amtrak has been falling apart since its creation in 1971, no matter which political party is in office. It was a failed concept from the start. So Trump and Musk may kill Amtrak. Then what?