Amtrak Faces Severe Delays and Cancellations Across Long-Distance Routes

Amtrak passengers continue experiencing major travel delays as multiple long-distance routes suffer operational issues. A canceled Empire Builder trip and other disruptions leave travelers stranded across key rail corridors. This was reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Empire Builder Faces Amtrak Delays and Equipment Shortages

The Empire Builder’s Chicago-Seattle/Portland route encountered severe delays, forcing a canceled round trip. Mechanical failures, crew shortages, and locomotive swaps extended travel times, frustrating passengers and disrupting schedules.

Other key Amtrak services, including the Southwest Chief and Lake Shore Limited, also reported significant delays. A snow-covered, frozen switch without heaters halted VIA Rail Canada’s westbound Canadian service for six hours in Saskatchewan.

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Friday’s eastbound Empire Builder from Seattle and Portland was canceled following extreme delays on the westbound trip. A five-hour stop at Whitefish, Montana, left the crew waiting for rested replacements after a locomotive swap near Stanley, North Dakota.

The westbound train’s segments reached their destinations nearly 20 hours late on Saturday morning. Due to limited spare equipment in Chicago, Amtrak canceled Monday’s westbound departure, further straining schedules.

Amtrak cited “engine issues with the trainset” for Friday’s westbound Empire Builder from Chicago. A BNSF Railway freight locomotive was coupled with three Siemens ALC42s after the train experienced difficulties near St. Cloud, Minnesota.

By its latest stop in Stanley, North Dakota, the train was running seven hours, 48 minutes behind schedule. Amtrak planned to terminate it early in Spokane, Washington, using buses to reach Seattle and Portland, Oregon.

With no corresponding eastbound service across Montana, crew rotations became complicated. This disruption may cause further scheduling issues for long-distance passengers.

Southwest Chief and Lake Shore Limited Among Amtrak’s Most Delayed Trains

Several other Amtrak routes experienced severe delays, frustrating passengers across multiple states. Mechanical failures and unavailable backup locomotives further extended travel times.

Thursday’s eastbound Southwest Chief, departing Los Angeles, faced engine issues between Fullerton and Riverside, California. Amtrak lacked an available replacement locomotive at Redondo Junction, turning a five-hour delay into ten hours before reaching Kansas City, Missouri.

Friday’s westbound Lake Shore Limited endured a seven-hour stop between Utica and Syracuse, New York. It finally arrived in Chicago on Saturday afternoon, six hours, 39 minutes behind schedule.

On Saturday, the Floridian lost four hours between Toledo and Elkhart, Indiana. The train reached Chicago at 3:11 p.m., running six hours, 26 minutes late, just two hours before the delayed Lake Shore Limited.

The California Zephyr encountered a six-hour delay in Truckee, California, due to Union Pacific repairing broken rails. The train regained some lost time, reaching Chicago at 7:05 p.m., four hours, 26 minutes behind schedule.

These extensive delays prevented most passengers from making scheduled long-distance connections at Chicago’s station. The westbound Cardinal was one of the few trains arriving close to its expected time.

Saturday evening’s eastbound Floridian faced a one-hour delay due to inbound equipment arriving late. Amtrak estimated that the eastbound Lake Shore Limited would depart at midnight, two hours, 30 minutes late.

However, Amtrak’s website warned that actual delays could extend to three hours, further disrupting schedules. These ongoing setbacks continue to frustrate long-distance rail passengers nationwide.

VIA Rail Canada’s Westbound Canadian Suffers Long Delays

VIA Rail Canada’s westbound Canadian also faced severe service interruptions on its route from Toronto. Frozen, unheated switches on Canadian National’s 247-mile Watrous Subdivision caused a six-hour delay in Saskatchewan.

Despite having extra recovery time built into its schedule, the Canadian remained six hours late arriving at Jasper, Alberta, on Saturday. This flagship service recently suffered inconsistent arrival times in Toronto and Vancouver.

Freight congestion and mechanical issues created significant travel disruptions throughout January, with some westbound trains running up to 18 hours late. These compounding delays continue affecting rail passengers nationwide.

Source: www.trains.com

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