Amtrak cancels some long-distance trips as freight strike threat

On Sep 12, 2022

A possible strike by freight rail workers began to disrupt the nation’s passenger rail Monday, while potentially rattling commutes and cross-country travel for thousands of Americans if a strike isn’t averted.

Amtrak announced Monday that interruptions will begin Tuesday on its national network. The passenger railroad said it is pulling trains on three long-distance routes “to avoid possible passenger disruptions while on route.”

“These initial adjustments … could be followed by impacts to all Long Distance and most State-Supported routes,” Amtrak said in a statement. “These adjustments are necessary to ensure trains can reach their terminals prior to freight railroad service interruption if a resolution in negotiations is not reached.”

Amtrak owns and operates much of its own track in the busy Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston, but elsewhere it crosses the country on tracks owned by freight lines. Commuter lines that run between major cities and suburbs often operate on a similar model. Those freight tracks likely wouldn’t be available to passenger trains in the event of a widespread strike.

Any disruption would affect a passenger rail industry already weakened by 2 1/2 years of the pandemic, which has hit commuter rail lines especially hard.

Amtrak said it is closely monitoring the labor negotiations and is “hopeful that parties will reach a resolution,” citing potential effects on passenger operations. Amtrak said it has begun phased adjustments to service in preparation for a possible freight rail service interruption later this week, adding that “such an interruption could significantly impact intercity passenger rail service.”

Amtrak Monday announced cancellations on trains with Tuesday departures on the Empire Builder, the California Zephyr and the Southwest Chief routes.

Most travel within the Northeast Corridor would not be affected, Amtrak said. However, minor schedule changes are expected on a small number of Northeast Regional trains serving destinations from Virginia to Boston. The company will let passengers change their reservation for free for departures scheduled through Oct. 31

Jim Mathews, president and chief executive of the Rail Passengers Association, said canceling trains early in the week makes sense to avoid a scenario in which rail passengers could become stranded.

“It’s better to cancel some trains now than to send some people out onto the road and then have them stranded in the middle of nowhere because the strike has hit and the train can’t move anymore,” he said. “Meanwhile, we all keep our fingers crossed that finally [the railroads and labor unions] get to a settlement.”

Freight railroads and unions representing their workers have been locked in a lengthy dispute over pay and working conditions. After a presidential board recommended a compromise, 10 of 12 unions involved in the talks have signed on to the deal, but the two largest have not. A cooling-off period ends…