Four Amtrak Cascades trains cancelled today; systemwide mechanical issues continue

SEATTLE — Evidence that Amtrak is literally running the wheels off of its available equipment became apparent today (Sunday, Aug. 3) when both Oregon-owned Series 8 Talgo trainsets in Amtrak Cascades service were sidelined because of condemned wheels. The setback follows a week in which passengers on many routes across the country encountered significant equipment breakdowns and delays.

Constricted Cascades

The sudden withdrawal of all Horizon coaches and cafes in March left Amtrak scrambling to find rolling stock to fulfill the seven daily round trips on the Eugene, Ore.-Vancouver, British Columbia, corridor [see “Amtrak continues effort to cover …,” Trains.com, March 29, 2025]. In addition to some “protect” rolling stock, 12 active Amfleet I coaches and 6 cafe/business class cars were split into six trainsets, plus the two Talgos, which have been rotating through the schedule. . One of the Series 8 sets, Mount Bachelor, underwent repairs after its cab car was impaled by a tree and didn’t reenter service until May [see “Amtrak returns Talgo set …,” Trains.com, May 8, 2025].

As of Friday, Aug. 1, one of the Amfleet sets was in the Seattle shop for maintenance at least through the weekend. But inspections of both Talgo sets Saturday revealed worn wheels on both the Bachelor and Mt. Jefferson, which had each been assigned round trips every day during the previous week. Because the trainsets consist of permanently coupled cars, both had to be taken out of service. As a result, morning departures No. 503 for Eugene and No. 516 for Vancouver, B.C., were cancelled along with their afternoon returns, Nos. 508 and 519, respectively. A bus substitution was made for at least one of the trains, No. 516, according to the Amtrak Alerts social media feed. Other Cascades trips were sold out.

Amtrak had a set of Coast Starlight equipment available in Seattle because Sunday morning’s southbound departure, and northbound Monday afternoon arrival, were cancelled “due to trackwork in the Sacramento area,” but it was not shuffled into the mix. As of late Sunday, repairs to the both the Bachelor and sidelined Amfleet set 5 were to have been completed to allow a full Monday schedule, with the Talgo assigned to on train no. 505 to Portland, Ore., returning to Vancouver B.C. on No. 518; the Jefferson returns Tuesday assigned to those trains.

Midwest and long-distance woes

Meanwhile, locomotive failures were responsible for significant disruptions over the last week.

— On Friday, Aug 1, the last westbound Wolverine from Pontiac, Mich., turned into an overnighter after it departed more than five and a half hours late at 11:09 p.m., then waited nearly three and a half hours waiting for a recrew at Battle Creek, Mich. This is where Amtrak and the state DOT’s Rail Division eliminated a crew base as a cost-cutting measure, exacerbating delays for already-tardy trains because Chicago and Pontiac-based operating personnel are scheduled to double back to their terminals. Friday’s No. 355 arrived into Chicago at 7:46 a.m. Saturday morning. Beginning Monday Aug. 4, morning eastbound and westbound Wolverines 350 and 353 will resume their Monday-through-Thursday hiatus through Oct. 30 while trackwork between Battle Creek and Dearborn, Mich., continues.

— Suspension of morning Lincoln Service train No. 301 from Chicago and afternoon No. 306 from St. Louis, scheduled to end July 29, has been extended through August 4.

— July 31 was a bad day for late Chicago departures due to mechanical issues. The California Zephyr left more than four hours late at 6:13 p.m.; the Southwest Chief departed almost one and a half hours late, with the delay ballooning to 10 hours across New Mexico and Arizona from “freight interference and mandatory crew rest.” The Floridian’s departure was near midnight — 5 hours late — after arriving from the east more than four hours late earlier in the day.

— No power was available in Miami for the July 25 northbound Silver Meteor, so it and the southbound Meteor from New York on July 27 were cancelled.

— “Delay to connect a freight engine,” according to an Amtrak advisory, was partly responsible for the eastbound Empire Builder due into Chicago July 27, for arriving more than 13 hours late, at 6:26 a.m. on July 28. The problems cascaded from a five-hour-late departure for the Portland section from its point of origin.  The Builder did much better the rest of the week.

— Cardinal service saw cancellation in both directions between Huntington, W.Va., and New York today because of a coal-train derailment in St. Albans, W.Va. [see “CSX derailment …,” Trains.com, Aug. 3, 2025].

It isn’t yet clear what practical effect last week’s Amtrak-Union Pacific settlement of the multi-year Surface Transportation Board case addressing passenger train priority will have on reducing host-railroad delays [see “Amtrak, Union Pacific reach settlement …,” Trains.com, July 31, 2025]. Delays of that nature were as contributing to the tardiness of the eastbound California Zephyr scheduled to arrive route to Chicago today about nine hours late. Headed for a midnight arrival in a city whose hotels were totally booked with Lollapalooza concert attendees, the train departed Denver at 4:56 a.m. Sunday after losing time to “earlier freight interference, speed restrictions, and mechanical assessments.” Half of the delay occurred between Emeryville and Roseville, Calif., and the other half between there and Salt Lake City.