Amtrak has been notified by BNSF Railway it has restored service through the affected areas on the Los Angeles-Chicago route of the Amtrak Southwest Chief, effective June 24. However, BNSF and Canadian Pacific (CP) railways are still working to restore passenger train service on two other routes disrupted due to flooding on the Mississippi River and its tributaries in Iowa and Wisconsin.
BNSF and CP host these trains on tracks they own, maintain and dispatch. Amtrak is planning to operate limited alternate transportation through the affected areas for these trains until further notice, while hoping to restore rail service soon.
Through June 27, passengers are urged to call Amtrak at 800-USA-RAIL if they have travel plans through the affected areas of the San Francisco Bay-Chicago route of the Amtrak California Zephyr and the Seattle/Portland-Chicago route of the Amtrak Empire Builder.
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 Chicago, suspended since June 17 due to flooding on the BNSF Railway route in Iowa, is restored, with the exception of the Fort Madison, Iowa, station.
Passengers ticketed at that stop are being offered travel at other Amtrak stations in LaPlata, Mo., or Galesburg, Ill., or on other Amtrak trains, until the station can reopen following the flooding.
California Zephyr, Trains 5 & 6
Service by the California Zephyr between Chicago and Denver has been temporarily suspended since June 13 due to flooding on the BNSF Railway route in Iowa.
Alternate transportation by chartered motorcoaches will be provided between Denver and points in Nebraska, including Omaha. 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 has been temporarily suspended since June 10 due to flooding on the CP Railway in Wisconsin and the closing of a BNSF Railway detour route for passenger trains since June 15.
Alternate transportation by chartered motorcoaches will be provided between St. Paul and Chicago, with the exception of Glenview, Ill., where passengers are being offered travel on Amtrak Hiawatha Service trains as alternate transportation between Glenview and Chicago.
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.
