Amtrak has completed a transfer of locomotives from within its network to work towards the complete service restoration to the twice-daily corridor between the cities of Quincy and Chicago, Ill., operated by Amtrak under a contract with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT).
The changes went into effect Aug. 10, with Amtrak Carl Sandburg Trains 381 and 382 taking over operations of the full route. Amtrak has had chartered buses along the route the week prior.
“While ensuring locomotives can receive proper, routine maintenance is essential, I’m relieved that Amtrak answered my call and is swiftly restoring full service for the Quincy-Chicago corridor,” said U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL).
“We always appreciate the senator’s strong interest in the performance of all our services in Illinois, said Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner. “Amtrak will augment the locomotive pool for this service from our fleet to supplement the state-owned locomotives usually assigned to this route.”
The temporary service suspension is the result of a shortage of available state-owned locomotives. Amtrak is working closely with IDOT and the manufacturer to encourage streamlining of the process for making repairs to bring more of that fleet back into service.
Part of the Amtrak Midwest network, Train 381, is the morning departure from Chicago and Train 382 is the evening departure from Quincy. Amtrak Illinois Zephyr Trains 380 and 383 continue to operate on the route and serve the same communities. Train 380 departs from Quincy in the morning and Train 383 departs from Chicago in the evening.
