I just sent letters to Durbin, Duckworth, and IDOT regarding the cancelations.
This is the letter I sent to all three.
Greetings, I am a frequent traveler on Amtrak. I am dissatisfied with the way Amtrak has not handled normally cold winter weather. The Charger locomotives and Venture cars were purchased and have been in service for several months now. This new equipment was supposed to have been designed to withstand winter conditions and improve reliability. It has been known for years that the maintenance yard in Chicago has not performed up to standard. Instead of improving, it has gotten worse. There were several days when long-distance trains to the West Coast were canceled. Then within a day or so of resumed service, trains were again canceled due to lack of engines. What were the people in the Chicago Yard doing when these trains were not operating? There are buildings that allow employees to work on equipment indoors. Couldn't they have been servicing the engines so that some would be available? The airlines are running, and the people are driving. A reliable train system would take some of the strain off of roadways and airlines. The United States, and Illinois specifically, is rapidly declining into third-world conditions because of issues such as the lack of production at Amtrak's Chicago operations center that have gone on year after year after year. This type of indolence, incompetence, and laziness cannot be tolerated. There is no time for finger-pointing and blaming, it is time to problem-solve. Thank you (removed my name)
I know this is a rant, but IMHO this whole thing is ridiculous. I tried to email Pete Buttieg but I could not find a way to email the US DOT of transportation.
This is the letter I sent to all three.
Greetings, I am a frequent traveler on Amtrak. I am dissatisfied with the way Amtrak has not handled normally cold winter weather. The Charger locomotives and Venture cars were purchased and have been in service for several months now. This new equipment was supposed to have been designed to withstand winter conditions and improve reliability. It has been known for years that the maintenance yard in Chicago has not performed up to standard. Instead of improving, it has gotten worse. There were several days when long-distance trains to the West Coast were canceled. Then within a day or so of resumed service, trains were again canceled due to lack of engines. What were the people in the Chicago Yard doing when these trains were not operating? There are buildings that allow employees to work on equipment indoors. Couldn't they have been servicing the engines so that some would be available? The airlines are running, and the people are driving. A reliable train system would take some of the strain off of roadways and airlines. The United States, and Illinois specifically, is rapidly declining into third-world conditions because of issues such as the lack of production at Amtrak's Chicago operations center that have gone on year after year after year. This type of indolence, incompetence, and laziness cannot be tolerated. There is no time for finger-pointing and blaming, it is time to problem-solve. Thank you (removed my name)
I know this is a rant, but IMHO this whole thing is ridiculous. I tried to email Pete Buttieg but I could not find a way to email the US DOT of transportation.