NEW YORK — Amtrak is making “service adjustments” today (Sunday, Feb. 22) and Monday, Feb. 23, because of dangerous weather conditions, the passenger railroad said on Saturday.
New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority, NJ Transit, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and CTRail’s Hartford Line and Shore Line East have also announced service changes.
More than 50 million people in the Northeast are under a blizzard or winter storm warning, according to the National Weather Service. Snowfall along the I-95 corridor north of Washington, D.C., will surpass 2 to 3 inches per hour at times, the Weather Service says, with snow total of 1 to 2 feet. According to Accuweather, the heaviest snow will arrive in the New York City area about 7 p.m.
Amtrak’s advisory says it is making changes “out of an abundance of caution and in consultation with our contract meteorologists.” The changes were not announced, with Amtrak saying it would contact passengers directly.
But as of 8 a.m., the train status feature on the Amtrak website shows just three cancellations today on the Northeast Corridor, all for Northeast Regional trains: southbound No. 165 (Boston-Washington), a 3:10 p.m. departure; No. 169 (Boston-Philadelphia), a 7:55 p.m. departure; and northbound No. 168 (Washington-Boston), a 3:25 p.m. departure. All are attributed to “equipment unavailability.” Also canceled, as of 11 a.m. CT, are Northeast Regionals Nos. 66 (Philadelphia-Boston) and 67 (Boston-Newport News, Va.)
As of 5 p.m. CT on Sunday, corridor cancellations for Monday have expanded to include southbound Northeast Regional train 195 and 163 from Boston to Washington, and the Boston-New York segment of trains 99, 161, and 87. Southbound departures from New York that have been canceled are trains 89, 101, 153, 103, 155, and 153. Northbound cancellations from Washington are Northeast Regionals Nos. 162, 152, 82, 140, 126, 146, and 66, as well as Acela No. 2248; northbound cancellations from New York are Northeast Regionals 150 and 160.
Keystone Service cancellations include trains 661 (New York-Harrisburg); 605, 607, 643, and 609 (Philadelphia-Harrisburg); 648 (Harrisburg-New York), and 642, 600, 644, and 646 (Harrisburgh-Philadelphia).
Also canceled on Monday are Downeasters Nos. 680 and 681; Vermonters No. 54 and 57; and No. 79, the southbound Carolinian. The northbound Carolinian will only operate between Charlotte, N.C., and Raleigh, N.C.
Because of the frequent changes in Amtrak operations — and the difficulty in tracking down information on all trains — check Amtrak’s website or app to confirm travel plans.
NJ Transit said in an updated customer alert at midday that its light rail, bus, and Access Link paratransit operations would halt at 6 p.m. today, and in a subsequent update at 5 p.m. ET said commuter rail will be suspended as of 9 p.m. It will . The agency recommends monitoring the NJ Transit website, its app, and its social media channels for updates.
Updated plans from the MTA call for the Long Island Rail Road to suspend operations this evening, as early as 7 p.m. on some lines and by 1 a.m. on all routes. Operations will resume “when it is safe to do so,” the MTA says. Metro-North Railroad has announced no changes today except for its West of Hudson service operated in conjunction with NJ Transit; those routes are shutting down this evening. On Monday, Metro-North on Monday will operate on an hourly schedule, with weekend schedules on branch lines. Most subways will operate local; equipment will be deployed to address the system’s 220 miles of outdoor trackage. The Staten Island Railroad will operate every half hour, with no express service.
CTrail’s Hartford Line has canceled two round trips today, according to a customer advisory. On Monday, all CTrail Hartford Line trains are canceled, along with Amtrak trains 490, 470, 143, 495, 147, and 471. Three Shore Line East round trips have been canceled today, along with all trains on Monday.
An MBTA advisory says subways and buses will operate on reduced schedules on Monday similar to weekend frequencies, while commuter rail will follow storm schedules available on each line’s webpage. An advisory from the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority says it will run regular schedules as long as possible today but may suspend operations as conditions dictate. As of 6:40 p.m. CT, no specific changes had been announced.
— Updated at 8:20 a.m. CT with Amtrak cancellation information; updated at 8:30 a.m. with MTA information. Updated at 11:50 a.m. CT with NJ Transit plans to halt some operations, and with plans for LIRR operation on Monday. Updated at 11:55 a.m. with additional Amtrak cancellations. Updated at 5 p.m. CT with NJ Transit and CTrail commuter service plans. Updated at 5:25 p.m. with additional Amtrak cancellations and at 5:342 p.m. with additional MTA information, as well as MBTA and SEPTA updates. To report news or errors, contact trainsnewswire@firecrown.com.
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