Amtrak weather-related cancellations extend on Midwest routes

Amtrak weather-related cancellations have been extended on multiple Midwestern routes after a stretch of ice storms and heavy snow, as reported by Trains.

The same conditions contributed to thousands of airline cancellations nationwide and kept the City of New Orleans and Texas Eagle suspended for days through the central U.S.

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Amtrak told employees that while the toughest weather triggered cancellations prior to last weekend, problems continued even as conditions improved on Monday. In an advisory, the railroad pointed to “ongoing cold temps/weather-related equipment issues” while outlining another round of Midwest Amtrak cancellations on state-supported services based in Chicago.

Amtrak weather-related cancellations on Midwest corridors

For the Chicago–Port Huron, Mich., Blue Water, Amtrak said eastbound train No. 364 would be canceled through Feb. 3, and westbound No. 365 through Feb. 4.

The Chicago–Pontiac, Mich., Wolverines are also affected. Eastbound trains Nos. 352 and 354 are canceled through Feb. 6, with westbound Nos. 351 and 353 canceled through Feb. 7. Other Michigan cancellations last week included one Pere Marquette round trip.

Illinois service changes cover the Chicago–Quincy, Ill., Illinois Zephyr, with westbound train No. 383 canceled through Feb. 6 and eastbound No. 380 through Feb. 7. On the Chicago–St. Louis Lincoln Service, Amtrak said southbound trains Nos. 305 and 307 are canceled through Feb. 6, and northbound trains Nos. 300 and 302 are canceled through Feb. 7.

Amtrak says it is providing substitute bus transportation for affected passengers. Still, Amtrak.com shows the impacted trips as “sold out,” suggesting the bus substitutes may only accommodate riders who already had bookings at the time of the cancellations; updates are posted through Amtrak Service Alerts and Notices.

Siemens Charger and Venture equipment issues

Across the extended cancellations, equipment rotation is a recurring theme. The affected trainsets generally spend the night away from Chicago and use state-owned Siemens Charger locomotives and Venture cars. Passengers have reported non-operable toilets, lack of heat, mid-route locomotive breakdowns, and repeated late departures on multiple routes.

Trains asked Amtrak to explain what operating hurdles are still driving the extended cancellations, but a spokesman said only that there were “several weather-related issues” responsible. Siemens, which provides on-site technical support to the states and Amtrak, has also been asked to comment on the specific issues being addressed.

Other cancellations, late departures, and storm impacts

Beyond the Midwest, Amtrak’s City of New Orleans was canceled over its entire route from Jan. 22 through Jan. 29. Ice storms in northern Mississippi and Kentucky caused widespread power outages that raised concerns about continued operation of highway warning devices and signal systems. Anticipating a possible repeat and reacting to local travel bans, Amtrak said it cut service during the past week in consultation with host railroads.

That included canceling two Floridian round trips departing Chicago and Miami on Jan. 30 and 31, along with some Charlotte–Raleigh Piedmonts. Heavy snows predicted through Raleigh, N.C., did not materialize, though high winds and blizzard conditions occurred farther east along the route of Auto Train, Palmetto, and Silver Meteor.

Those trains continued to operate, but Auto Train’s 1 departure from Lorton, Va., left 9½ hours late at 1:27 a.m. on Feb. 2 following an unexplained mechanical failure. The delayed trainset continued to play catch-up: Tuesday’s arrival in Lorton came after the southbound trip was scheduled to depart, pushing the departure for Florida back to midnight.

The Lake Shore Limited was canceled in both directions Feb. 2 after the Jan. 31 equipment apparently encountered problems getting through the only East River tunnel that directly connects to platform tracks leading to the Empire Connection. It departed six hours late. Its eastbound counterpart arrived in New York more than nine hours late after a Chicago departure delayed by four hours, and other Empire Service trains were also dropped.

The Cardinal did not depart on Tuesday, Jan. 27 out of Chicago or Jan. 28 from New York, with the impending winter storm cited as the reason. In addition, at least 24 Acela trips were canceled last Thursday through Saturday as snow covered the East Coast.

Also canceled through Feb. 6 is the Montreal–Albany, N.Y., portion of the Adirondack. No explanation was provided for that lengthy outage in an area that regularly sees heavy snow; a broader snapshot of storm-era disruption was also summarized by Railway Supply.

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