CHICAGO — With daytime Midwest temperatures expected to push above zero beginning Wednesday, Amtrak today (Tuesday, Jan. 16) began resuming departures on some long-distance routes west of Chicago, although trains serving western New York and the Pacific Northwest were cancelled today and Wednesday, Jan. 17.
A cancellation advisory posted this afternoon indicated alternate bus transportation would be arranged for some Chicago-Pontiac, Mich., and Chicago-St. Louis trains today and Wednesday. Presumably this would accommodate passengers who were already ticketed.
Among the Midwest routes where buses won’t substitute Tuesday and Wednesday are seven Chicago-Milwaukee departures each day and one Chicago-Quincy, Ill., round trip.
The Empire Builder is now canceled in both directions through Friday, Jan. 19, which means it will not have operated over even a portion of its route for 9 days.
The Maple Leaf to and from Toronto, all Empire Service trains operating west of Albany-Rensselaer, and the Chicago-New York/Boston Lake Shore Limited were canceled Wednesday as frigid temperatures moved east.
Another winter storm that began pounding the Pacific Northwest forced cancellation today and Wednesday of all Amtrak Cascades south of Portland, Ore., and north of Seattle, as well as several round trips between those two cities. The southbound Coast Starlight was expected to make its first trip in a week from Seattle to Los Angeles on Wednesday.
Back in Chicago, virtually all scheduled Amtrak trains wound up departing late this afternoon and evening, or passengers were being told to expect delays. These included:
Train Scheduled Departed
Texas Eagle 1:55 p.m 4:24 p.m.
California Zephyr 2:00 p.m. 5:05 p.m.
Southwest Chief 2:50 p.m. 3:25 p.m.
Lincoln Service 319 9:50 a.m. 11:05 a.m
Blue Water 4:00 p.m. 4:39 p.m
This story was updated Wednesday afternoon with additional information from Amtrak.
Share this article
