Amtrak Cancels Midwest Trains During Christmas Travel Period Due to Pending Winter Storm

Just in time for Christmas Amtrak is curtailing service in the Midwest in advance of a winter storm that will bring subzero temperatures and heavy snow in some places.

The cancellations affect corridor service from Chicago to Milwaukee, St. Louis and Detroit (Pontiac). Also affected is the route between St. Louis and Kansas City and the Chicago-Seattle/Portland Empire Builder.

The cancellations are in effect on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

Cancelled are Wolverine Service Trains 352 and 353 between Chicago and Pontiac; Lincoln Service Trains 300, 301, 305 and 306 between Chicago and St. Louis; and Hiawatha Service Trains 329, 332, 333, 336, 337 and 340.

On the Missouri River Runner route trains will not operate on Saturday or Sunday between St. Louis and Kansas City, which means there will be no Amtrak service on those dates.

The Empire Builder will not depart Chicago or from the West Coast on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Lincoln Service Roundtrip to be Restored

Amtrak was expected to restore this week one Lincoln Service roundtrip that had been suspended since mid-September.

No. 300 departs St. Louis at 4:30 a.m. and is scheduled to arrive at Chicago Union Station at 9:39 a.m. No. 305 departs Chicago at 5:20 p.m. and is scheduled to arrive in St. Louis at 10:36 p.m.

Both trains were suspended on Sept. 17. No. 305 was to return today (Nov. 17) while No. 300 would make its first trip on Friday from St. Louis.

At the time of their suspension, Amtrak has cited equipment shortages.

The Chicago-St. Louis corridor was the first Midwest route to be assigned new Venture coaches back in February.

But those assignments proved to be short lived due to a series of mechanical issues involving the cars.

Those issues are slowly being resolved and Venture cars have returned to revenue service on various routes, including the Chicago-Grand Rapids Pere Marquette, where two of the three cars assigned to the train are Venture coaches.

Lincoln Service Trains Won’t Resume Until November

Two Lincoln Service trains between Chicago and St. Louis that were suspended in September due to equipment shortages will not resume operation until mid-November.

The suspensions affect Trains 300 and 305. They have been suspended since Sept. 17.

In a service advisory, Amtrak said no alternative transportation is being provided for those trains although passengers may ride other trains in the corridor that continue to operate.

The advisory said Train 305 is planned to resume operations on Nov, 17 while Train 300 is planned to resume operating on Nov. 18.

Clear Block in Springfield

With its station work complete in Springfield, Illinois, Amtrak’s Chicago-bound Texas Eagle is leaving the former Gulf Mobile & Ohio station in the capital city. The image was made on March 1. At one time the signal showing the clear indication was a home signal for an at-grade crossing of a Baltimore & Ohio branch line to Beardstown, Illinois. But the ex-B&O line is long gone so the signal is now just an intermediate signal.

Track Project Completed in Illinois

The Illinois Department of Transportation recently said work has been completed reconfiguring the Lenox interlocking plant northeast of St. Louis that is used by Amtrak.

The $10.1 million project was a joint endeavor by IDOT and the federal government.

Amtrak’s Chicago-St. Louis Lincoln Service trains as well as the Chicago-San Antonio Texas Eagle pass through the interlocking.

The work involved razing the 97-year-old Lenox Tower, realigning four rail lines, increasing train speeds through the project area, decreasing passenger train travel times, and reducing time lost to blocked grade crossings.

Funding of the work included a $5.1 million federal Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant, $2 million from Union Pacific, $1.3 million from IDOT, $1 million from Amtrak, $440,000 from BNSF, and $300,000 from Kansas City Southern.

Robbing Peter to Pay Paul?

When it comes to Midwest corridor trains, Amtrak appears to be robbing Peter to pay Paul.

The passenger carrier said this week that Missouri River Runner Trains 311 and 316 between St. Louis and Kansas City will be suspended between Oct. 24 and Nov. 16 due to an equipment shortage.

On the same date those trains are being suspended, Amtrak plans to restore service on two Chicago-Detroit (Pontiac) and Chicago-St. Louis trains that had been suspended since late summer for equipment shortages.

Amtrak has said it lacks enough mechanical workers to keep enough equipment in service to cover all of its trains.

The service advisory about suspension of the Missouri River Runner trains said no alternative transportation will be provided for those who had tickets to ride Nos. 311 and 316 during the affected time period.

Amtrak will operate Missouri River Runner Nos. 318 and 319 as scheduled during the time period when Nos. 311 and 316 are suspended.

Midwest Corridor Suspensions Extended

Amtrak has extended the suspension of two Wolverine Service trains until Oct. 24.

In announcing the suspensions earlier this month, the passenger carrier had said that Nos. 350 and 355 were being suspended due to lack of crews and equipment.

At the time, the trains were to have been reinstated on Sept. 17.

No. 350 is the early morning departure from Chicago while No. 355 departs Pontiac, Michigan, in suburban Detroit in late afternoon.

Two other Wolverine Service roundtrips are unaffected by the service suspensions.

Service suspensions also remain in effect on two other Midwest corridor routes.

Lincoln Service Trains 300 and 305 remain suspended through at least Oct. 23.

No. 300 is scheduled to depart St. Louis at 4:35 a.m. while No. 304 is scheduled to depart Chicago at 5:20 p.m.

The Chicago-St. Louis route continues to field three other Lincoln Service roundtrips plus the Chicago-San Antonio Texas Eagle.

Suspended until at least Dec. 5 is the Saluki from Chicago to Carbondale, Illinois, and the Illini from Carbondale to Chicago.

The former departs Chicago in the morning while the latter leaves Carbondale in late afternoon.

The trains were suspended last January due to shortages of operating crews and equipment.

One factor keeping the trains sidelined is the insistence of host railroad Canadian National that all trains on the Chicago-Carbondale route use Superliner equipment.

Until about two years ago, the State of Illinois-sponsored Chicago-Carbondale trains used Horizon and Amfleet equipment.

Other trains in the Chicago-Carbondale corridor include the northbound Saluki, which departs Carbondale in the morning, and the southbound Illini, which departs Chicago in late afternoon.

The City of New Orleans between Chicago and New Orleans also covers the corridor but is operating just five days a week. Nos. 58 and 59 are slated to resume daily operation on Oct. 8.

Lincoln Service RT Suspended Until Aug. 24

Amtrak has temporarily reduced Lincoln Service between Chicago and St. Louis by one daily roundtrip.

Suspended through Aug. 23, is Train 300, which departs St. Louis at 4:30 a.m. and Train 305, which departs Chicago at 5:20 p.m.

The corridor still has three Lincoln Service roundtrips plus the Chicago-San Antonio Texas Eagle.

The passenger carrier cited equipment availability issues for the service cuts.

Earlier this month Amtrak suspended for a week the Chicago-Quincy Carl Sandburg for the same reason.

Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari told Trains magazine that the suspended Lincoln Service trains will resume Aug. 24.

Magliari said the Illinois Department of Transportation, which funds the Lincoln Service trains, has asked the passenger carrier to offer substitute bus service for the suspended trains.

On its Way to the Station

Amtrak’s Chicago-bound Lincoln Service No. 302 is just moments away from making its station stop in Springfield, Illinois, as it rolls along down South Third Street. No. 302 is the second northbound of the day out of St. Louis for Chicago. Today’s consist is a pure Horizon Fleet offering. The photo was made on March 1, 2022.

Letter Boards are (Sort of) Back

For decades railroads placed their names in the letter boards of passenger cars. Amtrak has never adopted this practice. It has had an on again, off again practice of even naming passenger cars.

The new Venture cars that entered revenue service on Feb. 1 in the Chicago-St. Louis corridor have sort of brought back the practice of letter board names.

Shown are two Siemens-built Venture coaches in the consist of Lincoln Service No. 301 in Springfield, Illinois, on March 1. Note that the Amtrak herald and the name “Amtrak Midwest” have been applied to the letter board area of the car.

Now the question is how long this practice will continue. Although the traditional Amtrak colors of red, white and blue have been incorporated into the car’s design, the dominant color is gray.