SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Two of 11 weekday Amtrak round trips between Sacramento and Oakland’s Jack London Square station will be suspended beginning Aug. 15 by the operating agency, the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority.
The suspensions are scheduled to last through Oct. 2.
An announcement to riders says the “service reduction is necessary due to workforce shortages that make it challenging for us to offer our full schedule at this time.”
The westbound trains cancelled, Nos. 543 and 549, depart Sacramento at 1:55 p.m. and 5:55 p.m. The eastbounds, Nos. 540 and 548, leave Oakland at 4:42 p.m. and 8:12 p.m. No weekend service or through trains between San Jose and either Sacramento or Auburn, Calif., are affected.
“We’ve been running pretty tight on staff — some of that is COVID-related and issues where people have time off,” Capitol Corridor Managing Director Rob Padgette tells Trains News Wire. The move is meant to avoid last-minute, unexpected cancellations if extra-board crews suddenly become unavailable. He says factors that led to these particular trains being cancelled include “spacing on the schedule, ridership, and what would actually give us some help on the staff side.”
Padgette says training and qualification of additional conductors is underway: “We really do expect to be back to the regular schedule on Oct. 3.”
Not enough rplacements since Oct 1 2021.
What is causing Amtrak to have crew shortages? They have defined work schedules. Is their pay lower than the C1’s? Are they also waiting for a new contract? Or has Amtrak just not hired enough replacements?
It’s also California. A number of Amtrak personnel have left the state for greener pastures.
Roger that, Mr. Shoemaker. Too many raging, out of control fires in California. Turns everything black and brown. CA is the state to flee, not to migrate to.
Mark, how does it feel it live in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the home town of one of the greatest ball players, the late Mark Henry Belanger.
Something about western Massachusetts. Mark Belanger, Mark Chmura, Mark Fidrych, Mark Shapp ……..
Oh and by the way, how’s that NYP – Pittsfield train doing? Anyone bought a ticket yet?
Any one surprized? It is not the NEC. No bonus for keeping all these trains running.