(The following story by Sarah Lemagie appeared on the Star Tribune website on January 10, 2010.)
ST. PAUL, Minn. — More than 130 train travelers were delayed in St. Paul on Friday after severe winter weather led Amtrak to suspend service on two of its four western routes.
High winds, drifting snow and bitter cold prompted Amtrak to suspend service through Sunday west of St. Paul on the Empire Builder, which usually runs daily between Chicago and Seattle/Portland.
Service was also suspended between Chicago and Denver on the California Zephyr, which goes to the San Francisco Bay area.
It’s unclear how many passengers have been affected by the delays, Amtrak national spokesman Marc Magliari said Saturday.
Amtrak offered two nights of meal vouchers and lodging in the Twin Cities to 132 travelers who left Chicago Thursday afternoon, before officials decided to suspend service beyond St. Paul, he said.
Those passengers got the news when they reached Milwaukee and were told they could get off their train to be rerouted, he said, but some either didn’t hear the announcements or chose to continue on to St. Paul. Amtrak gave them the choice of returning to Chicago on Saturday morning to be rerouted, getting a refund for the unused portion of their tickets, or staying in the Twin Cities at their own expense to catch the next train to the coast, which is scheduled for Monday, he said.
The worst spots on the routes are in Nebraska and North Dakota, he said. Temperatures as low as those in the Midwest this weekend can freeze a train’s water systems, and “we are not going to run a train out there without running water and toilets,” Magliari said. Cold weather can also increase the risk of moisture getting into a train’s compressed-air braking system, freezing, and disabling the brakes.
Amtrak officials will make a decision Sunday about whether trains on the suspended routes can run safely on Monday, Magliari said. Passengers can get updates at 1-800-USA-RAIL or Amtrak.com.