(The following article by Eric Anderson was posted on the Albany Times-Union website on February 16.)
RENSSELAER, N.Y. — For the second time in a week, Amtrak on Thursday canceled rail service west of Albany because of severe winter weather.
Further cancellations were expected today, although the overnight train to Chicago, the Lake Shore Limited, was scheduled to operate tonight, Amtrak spokesman Cliff Cole said.
The frequency of cancellations has surprised and troubled some people, who think of trains as a dependable mode of transport in winter weather.
“They used to have special engines with a plow on them,” recalled Carl Mitchell of Currier Travel in Colonie, who has been in the travel business for more than 50 years. “They would clean the tracks.”
Mitchell said safety concerns must have been an issue to lead Amtrak to cancel operations.
“Trains were made to go through the snow,” Amtrak’s Cole agreed. “But the inordinate amount of snow, combined with the wind, blew more snow onto the tracks.”
Switches froze, making train operations difficult.
Rail advocates wonder if more could be done.
“The Empire State Passengers Association is concerned with the number of recent cancellations,” said Bruce Becker, the organization’s president. “And while we recognize there’s been severe weather, we certainly urge Amtrak and CSX to do everything possible to make sure that in future storms, service can continue.”
During the last storm, icy rails and backed-up freight trains led to Amtrak’s decision to cancel service. But Cole said freight congestion wasn’t an issue Thursday. It wasn’t clear whether CSX Transportation, which owns much of the track over which Amtrak’s Empire Corridor trains operate, was forced to cancel or delay its freight trains. A call to CSX wasn’t returned.
But U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer questioned whether enough has been invested to keep the trains running dependably.
“As always, safety must come first and Amtrak should never run trains in conditions that would endanger its passengers,” Schumer said. “However, these two most recent shutdowns again shed light on how we desperately need to upgrade Amtrak’s infrastructure in the Capital Region and across the country, and how this administration’s budget cuts have crippled the entire system.”
Another travel agent, Jean Gagnon of Plaza Travel in Latham, said train service cancellation wasn’t all that unusual.
“I think people would be surprised … at how many times Amtrak ends up busing people,” she said.
Thursday’s cancellations also included Amtrak’s Adirondack services between Albany and Montreal, and all Ethan Allen Express services between New York City and Rutland.