CHICAGO — Track work by host railroad Canadian National will lead to schedule changes for Amtrak’s City of New Orleans beginning today (Monday, Aug. 15) and continuing, with some breaks, though Friday, Oct. 14.
The changes, as outlined by Amtrak, include:
— Monday, Aug. 15 and Tuesday, Aug. 16: Northbound train No. 58 will depart Jackson, Miss., at 6:14 p.m., 30 minutes later than normal, and maintain this 30-minute-later departure time for all stations between Jackson and Chicago.
— Wednesday, Aug. 17, through Friday, Aug. 19: The northbound train, operating at train No. 1058, will depart New Orleans an hour later than usual, at 2:45 p.m. At Jackson, it will be held until 8:14 p.m., 2½ hours later than normal, and maintain that 2½-hour difference for all departures the remainder of the trip. Southbound train No. 59 will depart Chicago at 8:35 p.m. and operate 30 minutes later at all stations.
— Monday, Aug. 22, and Tuesday, Aug. 23: The southbound train, operating as No. 1059, will depart Chicago 90 minutes earlier than usual, at 6:35 p.m., and maintain 90-minute-earlier departures at all stations.
— Weekdays, Wednesday, Aug. 24, through Tuesday, Oct. 4: Northbound train No. 58 will depart Jackson 30 minutes later than normal, at 6:14 p.m., and maintain this later time the remainder of its route. The train will operate on a normal schedule on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5.
— Daily, Wednesday, Oct. 5, through Friday, Oct. 14: The northbound train, operating at train No. 1058, will depart New Orleans an hour later than usual, at 2:45 p.m. At Jackson, it will be held until 8:14 p.m., 2½ hours later than normal, and maintain that 2½-hour difference for all departures the remainder of the trip. Southbound No. 59 will depart Chicago at 8:35 p.m., 30 minutes later than usual, and maintain that 30-minute difference the remainder of the trip.
Trains News Wire has not received responses to inquiries to Amtrak and Canadian National seeking more information on the maintenance work involved.
Cut to the bone by taking out the double track, slow everything down, you get delays.
Meanwhile, the ‘City of New Orleans’ and the ‘Capitol Limited’ should be re-equiped with single-level passenger cars to make available Superliner cars for western trains, especially the scavenged ‘Texas Eagle’.