Editor’s note: This article was written by Bob Johnston
CHICAGO — Late arrivals are, to a degree, preordained for Amtrak’s long-distance trains on the first weekend of Daylight Saving Time — but not to the extent experienced by the California Zephyr and Southwest Chief.
When clocks advance by one hour every spring (except in Arizona, which does not observe Daylight Savings Time), Amtrak trains that may be on time at 2 a.m. local time become one hour late, unless a special schedule is implemented, using a different train number, that accounts for the time change. In that case, times are adjusted by one hour at stations the train serves after 2 a.m. Sunday.
Service marginally impacted by last weekend’s hour loss includes eastbound of the Empire Builders arriving Tuesday, March 10, and today (March 11) in Chicago. Both had their already-short 5½-hour equipment turnarounds reduced by an hour, reflecting tardy westbound arrivals that dealt with high wind warnings and freight congestion. Both departed two hours behind schedule; Tuesday’s arrival in Chicago was at 8:14 p.m., 3 hours, 29 minutes late.
Chief hobbles west
Southwest Chief No. 1003 that departed Chicago on Saturday, March 7, was another story. The train was given an extra hour to get to Los Angeles, with a scheduled arrival of 8:57 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time on Monday, March 9. The fact that it arrived at 10:40 p.m., 13 hours, 43 minutes late, is symptomatic of increasing issues of breakdowns en route for the long-distance trains.
Troubles began at Albuquerque, N.M., according to alerts shared with passengers. The lengthy stop, a 1,500-mile inspection point, is where “equipment adjustment and removal” took place. The resulting 90-minute pause, however, was dwarfed by a five-hour, 15-minute stop at Gallup, N.M. Another two-hour delay came between Gallup and Winslow, Ariz., and three hours more were lost at Kingman, Ariz., while the train waited for an operating crew to relieve compatriots whose federally mandated hours-of-service limits had expired. “Mechanical assessments” at Albuquerque and subsequent crew transport had similarly combined for a six-hour delay to the westbound train the previous Thursday.
Zephyr delays
An Amtrak alert also revealed that an “ongoing mechanical concern” befell the westbound California Zephyr departing Chicago on March 6. The train was delayed four hours between Green River and Provo, Utah, “and will be met at Salt Lake City by the mechanical team who will further evaluate this concern,” according to the unusually candid alert. The train arrived Sunday morning at 4:55 a.m. and departed at 8:15 a.m., by then seven hours, 35 minutes late.
While the beleaguered westbound Zephyr was in the Salt Lake City station, its eastbound counterpart No. 1006 arrived early, but departed two hours, 20 minutes late, following “equipment adjustments and removal.”
Trains asked Amtrak for more specifics on the issues of both trains on Monday, March 9, but the railroad has yet to respond.
Such incidents are becoming a regular occurrence.
- On March 2, the eastbound Chief lost two hours setting out a sleeping car at Galesburg, Ill. With only one sleeper currently assigned [see “Amtrak adds train capacity …,” Trains.com, March 6, 2026], passengers moved to the Sightseer Lounge for the remainder of the trip into Chicago.
- The same day, the City of New Orleans departed the Windy City on time, but had to “revert back to Chicago due to mechanical assessments concerning the locomotive.” It departed again at 11:08 p.m. instead of 8:05 p.m.
- On March 3, an Empire Builder coach was bad-ordered after the westbound train’s equipment had moved to a Chicago Union Station platform; the subsequent swap resulted in an 8 p.m. departure, a nearly five-hour delay.
These problems are not limited to Superliner-equipped trains. On Monday, after leaving New York 32 minutes late, the southbound Silver Meteor lost an hour to “equipment servicing and adjustments” at Washington, D.C. It fell further behind after “equipment adjustments and removal” at Richmond, Va., as well as “signal outages, freight train interference, and crew conducting locomotive assessments” elsewhere, and arrived in Miami today (Wednesday, March 11) at 1:17 a.m., 6 hours, 18 minutes late.
The fact the vast majority of Amtrak trains leave their terminals in good shape and operate on time is a testament to mechanical forces that keep the company’s aging rolling stock in motion. But last weekend’s events show that an increasing number of significant breakdowns en route are disruptive on a far-flung network that has few current options for equipment substitution.
— To report news or errors, contact trainsnewswire@firecrown.com.
Share this article
