St. Paul-to-Chicago Amtrak Borealis sidelined by corrosion
Amtrak officials issued a statement Wednesday indicating they worked with the manufacturer of the Horizon railcars and 'decided to remove the equipment from service after learning of additional areas of concern from intensive inspections of multiple cars.'
The decision impacts service on multiple Amtrak lines to varying degrees, including the Downeaster, Hiawatha, Borealis and Amtrak Cascades. Some trains, such as the Downeaster, will operate with fewer cars, while 'other services will be provided substitute transportation until a long-term plan is developed,' reads the statement.
The Borealis runs round-trips daily between Chicago and St. Paul through Milwaukee, and Hiawatha operates daily with multiple trips between Chicago and Milwaukee. On Wednesday, about half of the Hiawatha departures were replaced by chartered buses as substitute transportation, as were departures in both directions for the Borealis.
The Empire Builder service that stops in St. Paul as its travels from Seattle or Portland, Ore. to Chicago was not impacted. An Amtrak spokesperson on Wednesday said no other information was available.
After years of clamoring for a second daily round-trip from Minnesota's capital city to Chicago, the Borealis launched last May.
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