(The following story by Jane Engle appeared on the Los Angeles Times website on February 18.)
LOS ANGELES — Amtrak continues to restore more of its Coast Starlight route, which normally runs between Los Angeles and Seattle, after shutting it down because of a Jan. 19 mudslide that still covers Union Pacific tracks in western Oregon.
On Feb. 6, Amtrak restored Coast Starlight rail service between Los Angeles and Sacramento. Tuesday afternoon, officials said they will provide coach (bus) service between Sacramento and Portland, Ore., starting Feb. 29. From Portland, riders can connect with the Cascades rail line to Seattle and Vancouver, Canada, or take the Empire Builder to Chicago, said Vernae Graham, Amtrak’s Oakland-based spokeswoman.
Only coach-class rail service is available, so forget about sleeping cars. Formal dining service is suspended; food will be served in a lounge car.
As for when the full route and service will be restored, that’s anyone’s guess. Amtrak officials don’t expect it to happen before April — the mudslide is massive. So far, workers have removed more than 800 carloads of logs and dirt, but more remains to be done, said Union Pacific spokeswoman Zoe Richmond.