(The Associated Press circulated the following article on August 16.)
NEW ORLEANS — The effects of Hurricane Charley blocked Amtrak service for train passengers heading to and from Florida for a third day on Sunday.
Service on Sunset Limited trains between Los Angeles and Orlando was disrupted beginning Friday, the day Charley hit Florida’s coast, Amtrak spokeswoman Sarah Swain said. She said it was unclear how many passengers had been affected.
The storm forced Amtrak to stop Orlando-bound trains in New Orleans. Trains that normally travel west from Orlando will instead depart from New Orleans and terminate in Los Angeles, Swain said.
More disruptions were possible: delays related to Charley could continue and a new storm was building in the Gulf of Mexico.
“It all depends on the weather and the delays,” she said.
Amtrak does not own its tracks; resumption of service depends partly on discussions with the freight companies that own the rail lines, Swain said. Amtrak officials also planned to talk with the National Weather Service about Tropical Storm Earl, which grew stronger in the Gulf on Sunday.