Amtrak restored the complete service to the twice-daily Quincy-Chicago rail corridor operated by the US long distance operator under a contract with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). The restoration is due to a transfer of locomotives from within the Amtrak network.
Amtrak Carl Sandburg Trains 381 & 382 started operation on the full route from August 10, 2024.
“Amtrak will augment the locomotive fleet for this service from our rolling stock to supplement the state-owned locomotives usually assigned to this route,” the CEO of Amtrak Stephen Gardner said.
The temporary service suspension is the result of a shortage of available state-owned locomotives. Amtrak is working closely with the Illinois Department of Transportation 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 this route and serve the same communities. Train 380 departs from Quincy in the morning, and Train 383 departs from Chicago in the evening.
In addition to Quincy-Chicago rail corridor, other Illinois communities along this route are Macomb, Galesburg, Kewanee, Princeton, Mendota, Plano, Naperville and La Grange. Additional Amtrak trains serve Galesburg, Princeton, Mendota and Naperville.
“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,” Senator Dick Durbin said who had reached out to Amtrak to accelerate service restoration.
The route is operated by Charger diesel-electric locomotives manufactured by Siemens Mobility at the manufacturing hub in Sacramento, California. In June 2022, Amtrak ordered 50 additional Charge locomotives which together with the initial order of 75 locomotives in 2018, the 125 diesel-electric units are an important part of Amtrak’s sustainability initiative. The total contract value of up to USD 2 billion includes the original contract for USD 850 million and incorporates both the manufacturing as well as the long-term service agreement for technical support, spare parts, and material supply.
They operate the Midwest rail connections between eastern and western cross country trains in Chicago, the centre of country’s system, with frequent daily departures between Chicago and key cities in the five-state area, including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri and Wisconsin.
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