(The following story by Jane Engle appeared on the Los Angeles Times website on February 4.)
LOS ANGELES — Blocked tracksReversing an earlier decision, Amtrak will restore partial service on its Coast Starlight train starting Wednesday.
Instead of covering the full route between Los Angeles and Seattle, the train will run only between Los Angeles and Sacramento. Only coach-class service will be provided; no sleeping cars will be available. Formal dining service will be suspended, although food and beverages will be served in a lounge car.
Amtrak last week had said it would suspend the entire Coach Starlight service for at least two more weeks because of a Jan. 19, 2008 mudslide that covered tracks in western Oregon.
The next day, it announced it would partially restore the service. Spokeswoman Vernae Graham said Amtrak made the decision when it became clear that the tracks, owned by Union Pacific, would be blocked for several more weeks, at the minimum.
Under the partial service, the Coast Starlight will make all the normal stops, including Emeryville (San Francisco) and Santa Barbara, between Los Angeles and Sacramento, Graham said.