CHICAGO — The Southwest Chief that departed Los Angeles Tuesday evening and its westbound counterpart leaving Chicago today (Thursday, June 30) are the first Chiefs to operate over the train’s full route, passing the scene of the fatal derailment in Mendon, Mo., since that accident on Monday.
Monday’s westbound Southwest Chief was cancelled, and the eastbound Chief equipment scheduled to arrive on Tuesday and Wednesday only operated as far as Kansas City, Mo., before flipping back west on those days. Passengers continuing east were given the option to ride the combined Missouri River Runner/Lincoln Service train No. 318 or chartered buses to Chicago.
Monday’s accident exacerbated an existing equipment shortage, sidelining eight more cars in addition to those already out of service at the Beech Grove, Ind., shops. Amtrak did not have enough equipment in Los Angeles for an eastbound departure on Wednesday, June 29, because Monday’s train out of Chicago had been cancelled, so there will be no Chicago arrival on Friday. That day’s No. 318 is sold out from Kansas City to Chicago at the beginning of the holiday weekend.
Shop forces assembled three coaches, a Sightseer Lounge, a dining car, two sleeping cars, a transition sleeper, and baggage car from available Superliner equipment in Chicago for the Thursday westbound train. That train departed Chicago on time, and the first eastbound train into the Windy City was running three hours late
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