Illinois

CHICAGO – Amtrak schedules on the Chicago-St. Louis corridor, served by Lincoln Service trains and the Texas Eagle, will undergo changes during the next several weeks, while Union Pacific Railroad makes track improvements at Springfield, Ill., through the end of June. During the first phase of the work, Train 301, the morning Lincoln Service departure from Chicago to St. Louis; and Train 306, the evening Lincoln Service departure from St. Louis to Chicago; are both canceled. Passengers are being directed to the four other round-trips on the corridor as alternate transportation from May 23 through May 31, including Train 300,

CHICAGO – Amtrak, in partnership with the Chicago-based A. Philip Randolph Museum, will host a ceremony during National Train Day this Saturday (May 10, 2008) to honor the contributions of the legendary Pullman Porters to the nation’s railroads. Amtrak employees will gather to give heartfelt thanks in person to six porters who proudly served as far back as the mid-1940s. Honored are Eugene Bowser of Chicago, Linus J. Scott of Gary, Ind., William Turner of Cincinnati and three men from Omaha, Neb.: Terry Edwards, Johnny Newsome and Raymond Willis (biographical information attached). “The celebration is an opportunity for Amtrak’s current

CHICAGO — The National Transportation Safety Board has dispatched a Go Team to investigate yesterday’s collision between an Amtrak passenger train and a Norfolk Southern freight train on NS tracks south of Chicago. NTSB Rail Investigator Ted Turpin will serve as Investigator-in-Charge and lead the 7-member team. Vice Chairman Robert Sumwalt will accompany the team and serve as spokesman for the on-scene investigation. At the time of the crash, there were 187 passengers and six employees on board the Amtrak train. Most passengers and crew members were unhurt and were later transported to Amtrak Chicago Union Station and on to