Texas Eagle Delayed 10 Hours En route to St. Louis

A detouring Texas Eagle this week got stuck behind a disabled freight train on Monday in Tuscola, Illinois, and wound up being delayed 10 hours.

The westbound Eagle had departed Chicago on time and was detouring over the former Chicago & Eastern Illinois route of Union Pacific due to track work being done on its regular route via Springfield, Illinois.

No. 21 did not arrive in St. Louis until 3:30 a.m. An Amtrak spokesperson said that a two-hour delay was expected, but not a 10-hour one.

“We were alerted by Amtrak that there might be some delays because apparently there is work on the track,” said passenger Janelle Jones. “Our first delay was about a three-hour standstill. They kept us pretty apprised of what was going on, they let people off the train for a smoke break and what not.

“Then we traveled for about an hour and then we stopped for another three hours. There was a lot of communication at that point that we were gonna get started as soon as possible. We rolled for about five minutes and then the communication stopped and we were at a standstill for another three hours. No one would tell us why we weren’t moving. Apparently, the crew had to switch out because they had been on board for 12 hours, so they were tired.”

Amtrak officials could not say when crew change occurred.

Jones said the café car was open until about 10 p.m.. “There were some hungry people on the train,” Jones said.

 

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Texas Eagle to Detour in Texas May 24-June 21

The detours just keep coming for Amtrak’s Texas Eagle. Nos. 21 and 22 will detour in in Texas between Longview and Taylor starting May 24 and extending through June 21.

Passengers at intermediate stations will begin or end their journey on a chartered bus.

The buses will travel southbound from Longview and northbound from Austin.

The Eagle will not be serving Dallas or Fort Worth, but will be using a freight-only route that will be faster than the train’s normal route.

No. 21 will use a former Cotton Belt route between Big Sandy and Tyler, then a former Southern Pacific route to Corsicana, then the former Texas & New Orleans to Hearne, Texas, before getting on the former Missouri Pacific west to Taylor.

No. 22 will use the ex-MoPac from Taylor to Longview via Hearne, Buffalo, Palestine and Jacksonville.

“This detour will provide the opportunity for some unusual mileage for rare mileage fans,” Amtrak said in an email sent to ticketed passengers affected by the Texas detour.

No. 21 will depart all stations between Chicago and Longview one hour later than scheduled, but is expected to resume its regular schedule at Taylor.

No. 22 will operate on its regular schedule from San Antonio to Taylor, but run an hour earlier from Longview to Chicago.

The detour has been prompted by extensive track work by Union Pacific between Longview and Dallas.

The Texas detour will come on the heels of a detour between Chicago and St. Louis between May 16 and May 23, although No. 22 will use the detour route through May 24.

That rerouting involves the former Chicago & Eastern Illinois passenger route via Pana and Villa Grove, Illinois.

Chicago-St. Louis Corridor Disruptions Set

Amtrak has announced a series of service disruptions and detours on its Chicago-St. Louis corridor between May 15 and 24 due to track work being undertaken to bring higher train speeds to the route.

Lincoln Service trains 305 and 307 on May 15 will operate from Chicago to Springfield, Illinois, with bus service between Springfield and Carlinville, Alton and St. Louis.

Between May 16 and 23 all Lincoln Service trains will operate between Chicago and Springfield only with buses replacing all trains except No. 300 between Springfield and St. Louis.

On May 24, Nos. 300 and 302 will operate between Springfield and Chicago only. Bus service will be provided for No. 302 from St. Louis to Alton, Carlinville and Springfield.

In a service advisory, Amtrak said that the charter bus service replacing Nos. 302, 304 and 306 will depart earlier than their respective trains. Passengers are advised to pay close attention to the bus departure time on your ticket.

The westbound Texas Eagle will depart Chicago two hours early at 11:45 a.m. between May 16 and May 23 and detour via the former Chicago & Eastern Illinois route of UP between Chicago and St. Louis.

No. 21 is scheduled to depart St. Louis westbound at its regularly scheduled time of 7:55 p.m.

The detour route will miss the scheduled intermediate stops in Illinois of Joliet, Pontiac, Bloomington-Normal, Lincoln, Springfield, Carlinville and Alton.

Texas Eagle passengers are advised to travel instead on Lincoln Service trains or buses.

The eastbound Texas Eagle will operate as scheduled from St. Louis to Chicago between May 16 and 23, but will be detouring over the same route as its westbound counterpart.

No. 22 will miss its scheduled stops at Alton, Carlinville, Springfield, Lincoln, Bloomington-Normal, Pontiac and Joliet.

Passengers on No. 22 traveling to Chicago from point south of St. Louis will remain on the train.

Those traveling to the missed intermediate point on No. 22 will instead be transported by bus.

Amtrak said Nos. 21 and 22 may encounter delays of up to 45 minutes while traveling on the detour in addition to the two hours of time added to the train’s timetable in each direction.

Operating Issues Plague Amtrak Trains

Amtrak long distance trains serving the Midwest have been hit with a long list of woes that have caused service disruptions, detours and cancellations.

The Texas Eagle was forced to detour in southern Missouri after a washout on its route via the Union Pacific’s Iron Mountain Subdivision prompted a detour on the former Cotton Belt route between St. Louis and Polar Bluff, Missouri.

Consequently Nos. 21 and 22 missed the scheduled stop at Arcadia Valley, Missouri, and ran late, arriving in Chicago 11 hours late on Sunday.

The Southwest Chief was delayed by a spring snowstorm between Dodge City, Kansas, and Lamar, Colorado, on Sunday that led to No. 3 being more than 15 hours late arriving in Los Angeles.

BNSF personnel provided grade crossing protecting during whiteout conditions.

A head-on collision of two Canadian National trains at Money, Mississippi, on Sunday caused the City of New Orleans to be terminated en route.

Passengers were taken from bus from Memphis to New Orleans on Sunday and Monday.

Northbound passengers rode a bus from Jackson, Mississippi, to Memphis on both days.

A BNSF derailment on Monday led to the Empire Builder being detoured in both directions. Nos. 7 and 8 were expected to detour on Tuesday over a Union Pacific route between Spokane, Washington, and Sandpoint, Idaho.

Texas Eagle to Leave Chicago 2 Hours Earlier

Amtrak’s westbound Texas Eagle will depart Chicago two hours earlier on May 16-23 as it detours over the former Chicago & Eastern Illinois route between Chicago and St. Louis.

The train’s regular route will have a curfew for track work south of Springfield, Illinois.

Amtrak is operating the train earlier to absorb the expected delays caused by Union Pacific freight traffic so as to ensure an on-time departure from St. Louis.

Westbound Texas Eagle to Detour in Texas May 1-8

Amtrak’s westbound Texas Eagle is being detoured in Texas between May 1 and 8 due to track work being performed by Union Pacific.

The train will miss its scheduled stops at Marshall and Longview, Texas.

In a service advisory, Amtrak said passengers boarding at Shreveport, Louisiana; Marshall, Texas; and Longview, Texas, will board Thruway bus 6421 to Mineola, Texas, where they will board Train 21/421.

Passengers on Nos. 21/421 who are traveling to Shreveport, Marshall and Longview will detrain at Mineola and ride Thruway bus 6121 to their destination. Bus 6121 will originate at Mineola instead of Longview.

Those on Nos. 21/421 who are scheduled to make connections with Thruway bus 6021 at Longview will also detrain at Mineola and take Thruway Bus 6021 to their destination. Bus 6021 will originate in Mineola instead of Longview.

During this period, Amtrak personnel will be available at Mineola to assist customers.

Some Lincoln Service Canceled on April 3. Texas Eagle to Detour Between Chicago and St. Louis

Track work being performed on Monday, April 3 will result in cancellations and detours in the Chicago-St. Louis corridor.

Amtrak said in a service advisory that Lincoln Service trains 300, 301, 302 and 303 will be canceled. All except No. 300 will be replaced by charter bus service at each station on the route.

The buses will depart earlier than the scheduled departure show in the Amtrak timetable.

Lincoln Service trains 304, 305, 306 and 307 will run on their normal schedules.

The Texas Eagle in both directions will detour and bypass the stations of Joliet, Pontiac, Bloomington-Normal, Lincoln, Springfield, Carlinville and Alton.

Amtrak said passengers ticketed to travel on Nos. 21 and 22 to or from these stations are advised to instead travel on Lincoln Service trains or buses.

Operations of the Texas Eagle will not be affected south of St. Louis. Amtrak said the detour may delay the Eagle by up to 45 minutes.

Service Disruptions Loom for Texas Eagle, Crescent

Service disruptions will affect the Texas Eagle and Crescent in early 2017.

Between Jan. 9 and 15, the Chicago-San Antonio train will not stop at Arcadia, Missouri. It will detour on those dates between St. Louis and Poplar Bluff, Missouri, due to Union Pacific track work.

Track work being done by Norfolk Southern will result in passengers ticketed aboard the New York-New Orleans Crescent riding buses between Atlanta and New Orleans.

In a service advisory, Amtrak said Nos. 19 and 20 will not operate on the following days south of Atlanta:

Southbound Train 19: Sunday through Wednesday on Jan. 8-11, 15-18, 22-25; Jan. 29-Feb. 1; and Feb. 5-8, 12-15 and 19-22.

Northbound Train 20: Monday through Thursday on Jan. 9-12, 16-19, 34-26; Jan. 30-Feb. 2; and Feb. 6-9, 13-16 and 20-23.

Intermediate stations affected are Anniston, Birmingham and Tuscaloosa in Alabama; Meridian, Laurel, Hattiesburg and Picayune in Mississippi, and Slidell, Louisiana.

On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays No. 19 will operate normally at all intermediate stations between Atlanta and New Orleans. Train No. 20 will have normal operations at those stations on  Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Some Lincoln Service Trains, Texas Eagle to be Disrupted on Dec. 12 by Track Work

Amtrak’s Lincoln Service and Texas Eagle will be disrupted on Dec. 12, 2016, due to track work.

Some Lincoln Service passengers will ride chartered buses while the Eagle will be detoured.

The track work is related to the program to upgrade the Chicago-St. Louis route to allow a top speed of 110 miles per hour in some places.

In a service advisory, Amtrak said that Trains 300, 301, 302 and 303 will be canceled with bus service replacing all trains (except Train 300) at all stations on the route.

The buses will depart earlier than their respective trains. Trains 304, 305, 306 and 307 will run on their normal schedules.

Passengers ticketed on the Texas Eagle to all intermediate stops between Chicago and St. Louis will have the option of riding on a Lincoln Service train or a chartered bus.

This affects passengers at the Illinois cities of Joliet, Pontiac, Bloomington-Normal, Lincoln, Springfield, Carlinville and Alton.

Texas Eagle passengers bound for Chicago or St. Louis will remain aboard the train. Amtrak advises that the Eagle might encounter delays of up to 45 minutes traveling on the detour route.

Texas Eagle to Detour, Lincoln Service Trains to be Replaced by Charter Buses in November

The Texas Eagle will detour and some Lincoln Service trains will be replaced with chartered buses on Nov. 17, 18 and 19 due to track work being conducted between Chicago and St. Louis.

Train 307 will operate only between Chicago and Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, on Nov. 17 and 18. Bus service will be provided to and all stations south of Normal.

On Nov. 18 and 19, trains 300, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305 and 306 will operate only between Chicago and Normal.

Bus service will replace all trains (except Train 300) at stations between Normal and St. Louis. Buses replacing Trains 302, 304 and 306 will depart early.

Chicago to San Antonio No. 21 will detour between Chicago and St. Louis on Nov. 18 and 19, missing all stops between those cities.

San Antonio to Chicago No. 22 will detour on the same dates. Passengers on No. 22 ticketed to Chicago will remain aboard the train.

Those originally scheduled to travel on No. 21 between Joliet and St. Louis will be provided replacement bus transportation.

Those who had been scheduled to travel on No. 22 between St. Louis and Chicago will have the option of taking one of the replacement buses for the Lincoln Service trains.

Amtrak said No. 21 and 22 will be subject to delays of up to 45 minutes while traveling on the detour route via Union Pacific via Pana, Sullivan and Tuscola, Illinois.