Amtrak train disabled near Chicago strands 253 passengers

An Amtrak train disabled near Chicago disrupted one of the busiest holiday travel days of the year when a St. Louis to Chicago Amtrak train left the tracks on Sunday, forcing 253 passengers to finish their trip by bus, as local outlet 25News Now reported.

Amtrak train disabled near Chicago during holiday travel

The service, operating as Train 22 on its daily San Antonio–Chicago route with a scheduled stop in St. Louis, left St. Louis around 8 a.m. and later ran into trouble just outside the Chicago area, when some of its wheels went off the tracks.

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Before the incident, the train had passed through Bloomington-Normal, where it stopped at Uptown Station. Amtrak says the cause of what happened is still under investigation and stresses that no injuries were reported.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Passengers bused to destination after wheels leave CN tracks

In a statement provided to KMOV’s First Alert 4 in St. Louis, an Amtrak spokesperson said that, at approximately 1:35 p.m. CT on November 30, two sets of wheels on the locomotive leading Train 22 and a set of wheels on one railcar lost contact with CN tracks at low speed about 15 miles southwest of Chicago. The locomotive continued to supply power to comfort systems on all seven railcars while crews distributed complimentary food and beverages and kept the 253 passengers as comfortable as possible.

According to the same statement, passengers continued on to their destination in Chicago by riding chartered buses from a nearby commuter rail station. Amtrak thanked CN, Metra Commuter Rail and local authorities for their assistance, noting that the incident on this busy holiday travel day will be investigated.

The strong Thanksgiving-period holiday travel demand on Amtrak’s Midwestern routes has also been discussed in Railway Supply’s coverage of Amtrak Thanksgiving storm disruptions and travel demand.

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