Does anyone care to hazard a guess as to whether or not the CZ will resume service between Chi and Denver by Sat 21st? I called Amtrak but the agent said to call back thursday. I was hoping for a clearer idea. What do you think? Thanks
Posted by PullmanCo (Member # 1138) on :
I live in Kansas City.
It's been a wet spring, and the weather doesn't yet look to be dry and hot yet.
Is this 1993 over again? NO. There is localized 500 year flooding, but the whole bloody Mississippi/Missouri/Ohio basin was in trouble that time.
Does Amtrak have the ability to flex? Obviously not. When Plan B is an 800 mile bustitution, something is hosed. That hosing would be Amtrak's emergency essential service contracts with the railroads. (The last time I checked, UP's Kansas Division is OK, and hooks back into BNSF at Kansas City).
Wait and see is all I can offer
Posted by UncleBuck44 (Member # 2049) on :
They can send the California Zephyr through St. Louis and onto Kansas City then back up north if they want. Posted by PullmanCo (Member # 1138) on :
I've also posted this elsewhere here:
From the Amtrak website:
June 17, 2008 10 am CDT
Amtrak service is disrupted at Fort Madison and Burlington, Iowa, and south of St. Paul, Minn., due to flooding on the Mississippi River and its tributaries.
Affected are the Amtrak Southwest Chief route between Los Angeles and Chicago, via Kansas City; Amtrak California Zephyr route between the San Francisco Bay and Chicago, via Denver and Omaha; and the Amtrak Empire Builder route between Seattle/Portland and Chicago, via St. Paul.
In addition to closing railroad routes and stations, flooded highways are making the provision of alternate transportation by chartered motorcoach impossible in some cases.
Passengers are urged to call Amtrak at 800-USA-RAIL if they have travel plans on the three routes below, through June 20. Those passengers with telephone contact information in their reservations are being called by Amtrak and offered options including future travel dates.
Southwest Chief, Trains 3 & 4
Service by the Southwest Chief between Kansas City and Galesburg, Ill.,is temporarily suspended due to flooding on the BNSF Railway route in Iowa, effective June 17.
Alternate transportation by chartered motorcoaches will be provided between Kansas City and Galesburg, with the exceptions of La Plata, Mo., and Fort Madison. Passengers ticketed at those stops are being offered travel at other Amtrak stations in Illinois.
California Zephyr, Trains 5 & 6
Service by the California Zephyr between Chicago and Denver is temporarily suspended due to flooding on the BNSF Railway route in Iowa, effective June 13.
Alternate transportation will be provided between Denver and points in Nebraska, including Omaha, by chartered motorcoaches. No alternate transportation is available to or from points in Iowa. Alternate transportation between Chicago and other points in Illinois will be provided by other Amtrak trains.
Empire Builder, Trains 7/27/807 & 8/28/808
Service by the Empire Builder between St. Paul and Chicago is temporarily suspended due to flooding on the Canadian Pacific Railway route in Wisconsin, effective June 10, and the closing of a detour route on the BNSF Railway, effective June 15.
Alternate transportation by chartered motorcoach will be provided between St. Paul and Chicago, with the exceptions of Portage, Columbus and Milwaukee, Wisc., and Glenview, Ill. Passengers ticketed at those stops are being offered travel at other Amtrak stations. Amtrak Hiawatha Service trains are available as alternate transportation to and from Glenview and Milwaukee.
Amtrak regrets any inconvenience. This information is correct as of the above time and date. Information is subject to change as conditions warrant. Passengers are encouraged to call 800-USA-RAIL or visit Amtrak.com for schedule information and train status updates.
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