Temporary cancellation of Southwest Chief between CHI and KCI?

[rspenmoll]

I noticed that due to track work, the Southwest Chief is not running between CUS and KCI due to track work on April 7 & 8. I am curious though. Why is the train terminating at Kansas City rather than detouring over the former Rock Island like how the Texas Eagle sometimes detours over the former C&EI? I'm pretty sure the line is still in place. In fact, before the Illinois budget crisis put a kibosh on it, weren't there plans to operate a Chicago-Quad Cities-Kansas City corridor train over that very route?

 

[greatcats]

Occasionally, and it happened to me once, the SWC is detoured via St. Louis, but it adds greatly to the travel time. The other route probably has too many complications and it is more efficient to bustitute.

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[Anderson]

This is the first that I recall hearing about a CHI-Quad Cities-Kansas City corridor train. There was a plan to operate CHI-Quad Cities[-Iowa City/Des Moines/Omaha] route, but I never heard of a plan to turn that train southwards.

 

[rspenmoll]

This is the first that I recall hearing about a CHI-Quad Cities-Kansas City corridor train. There was a plan to operate CHI-Quad Cities[-Iowa City/Des Moines/Omaha] route, but I never heard of a plan to turn that train southwards.

You are right. It was Omaha, not Kansas City. I was mistaken.

 

[railiner]

I wonder where this track work is? The BNSF, I believe still has two separate routes (former BN and ATSF) between CHI and KCY to choose from....

 

[brianpmcdonnell17]

The route via St. Louis appears to be nearly 4 hours longer, but I would still rather be on the train than bustituted. I wonder if passengers would be allowed to modify their reservations via the Missouri River Runner and Lincoln Service at no charge. This would change the Chicago arrival time from 3:15 PM to 8:40 PM and the departure time from 3:00 PM to 9:25 AM. If the entire Southwest Chief was rerouted the time lost wouldn't be quite as much as there wouldn't be time lost connecting between trains.

 

[RPC]

Didn't the Chief detour through Quincy earlier this year due to a derailment? I wonder why that's not an option.

 

[Agent]

Would this be for the bridge replacement at Media, Illinois? I think I heard the changeover was to be in early April.

 

[rspenmoll]

Didn't the Chief detour through Quincy earlier this year due to a derailment? I wonder why that's not an option.

I actually only mentioned the former Rock Island route because I didn't realize the route via Quincy was still intact. I was under the impression the bridge over the Mississippi River was never rebuilt after the 1993 flood. I guess i was mistaken about that too.

 

[PaulM]

Didn't the Chief detour through Quincy earlier this year due to a derailment? I wonder why that's not an option.

I actually only mentioned the former Rock Island route because I didn't realize the route via Quincy was still intact. I was under the impression the bridge over the Mississippi River was never rebuilt after the 1993 flood. I guess i was mistaken about that too.

The BNSF bridge at Quincy is high above a flood even of 93's magnitude. What did get washed away was the West Quincy station, so ever since the Illinois Zephyr's and later Carl Sandberg's final stop is Quincy, although the train sets do lay over in West Quincy where the station used to be.

Prior to that West Quincy would have been the answer to the trivia question: what is the smallest town with an Amtrak terminal station.

 

[GregL]

I believe the problem is the Mississippi bridge in Fort Madison.

That bridge is closed to both auto and rail this weekend for maintenance.

They are also replacing another bridge this weekend also, I think between FM and Chi.

BNSF is replacing bridges in Media, Il and over grand river in Missouri this weekend.