CHICAGO — Amtrak continues to have difficulty operating its full slate of state-supported trains from its Chicago hub, although the reasons for the issues vary.
On Sunday, train No. 364, the Blue Water to Port Huron, Mich., and Chicago-Pontiac, Mich., Wolverine No. 354 were combined between Chicago and Battle Creek, Mich. The trains departed Chicago at 6:31 p.m. — 2 hours, 31 minutes late for the Blue Water and 41 minutes late for the Wolverine — and arrived at Battle Creek at 10:38 p.m., 3 hours, 5 minutes late for No. 364 and 1:09 late for No. 354. The Amtrak Alerts Twitter account cites delays for both trains because of mechanical issues; Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari says combining the trains “is an uncommon practice needed because of a personnel shortage.”
The Blue Water eventually arrived in Port Huron at 2:41 a.m., 3 hours, 10 minutes late; the Wolverine reached Pontiac at 2:36 a.m., 1 hour, 18 minutes late.
That move came after Illinois Zephyr trains to and from Quincy, Ill., were cancelled last week, beginning with the last-minute cancellation of Chicago-Quincy train No. 383 on Wednesday night, Aug. 17. Trains 380 (Quincy-Chicago) and 383 were both cancelled Thursday, Aug. 18, as was train No. 380 on Friday. Buses were substituted for those four trains.
Magliari told the Muddy River News website that those cancellations resulted after “we had an employee become unavailable about an hour before departure time on Wednesday.” He tells Trains News Wire that the Quincy situation “was similar, but not directly related” to the one involving the Michigan trains.
Magliari also says Amtrak continues to plan to restore as of this Wednesday, Aug. 24, the Chicago-St. Louis Lincoln Service round trip that has been suspended because of “insufficient rolling stock” [see “Equipment issues lead to reduction of Amtrak Chicago-St. Louis service,” News Wire, Aug. 17, 2022].
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