Amtrak has been notified by BNSF and Canadian Pacific (CP) railways of efforts to restore passenger train service on three 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.While still hoping to restore rail service soon, Amtrak is planning to operate limited alternate transportation through the affected areas for each of these trains until further notice.
Through June 24, passengers are urged to call Amtrak at 800-USA-RAIL if they have travel plans through the affected areas on routes of the Los Angeles-Chicago route of the Amtrak Southwest Chief; Seattle/Portland-Chicago Amtrak Empire Builder and the San Francisco Bay-Chicago route of the Amtrak California Zephyr.
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 has been temporarily suspended since June 17 due to flooding on the BNSF Railway route in Iowa.
Alternate transportation by chartered motorcoaches will be provided between Kansas City and Galesburg or Chicago, with the exceptions of La Plata, Mo., Fort Madison, Iowa, and Mendota and Naperville, Ill. Passengers ticketed at those stops are being offered travel at other Amtrak stations or on 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 Canadian Pacific Railway in Wisconsin and the closing of a detour route 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 Hiawatha Service trains are available as alternate transportation between Glenview and Chicago.
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.
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.
