(The following appeared on the Kansas City Star website on June 17.)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Flooding has forced Amtrak to substitute buses for the Southwest Chief between Kansas City and Chicago.
Amtrak announced today that buses would run from Kansas City to Galesburg, Ill., because of flooding on tracks owned by BNSF Railway.
A train will run the rest of the route. Motor coach buses also will replace trains running the other direction from Galesburg to Kansas City.
The Southwest Chief departs Kansas City’s Union Station daily at 7:30 a.m. for Chicago. The Southwest Chief is a cross-country route that starts in Los Angeles and makes stops in Lawrence and Topeka.
The Chief is one of three Amtrak routes that have been disrupted because of extensive spring flooding.
Amtrak will continue to run buses for part of the route until at least Friday, a spokesman said. Passengers booked for trips on the Southwest Chief are encouraged to call 1-800-USA-RAIL for updates or go to www.amtrak.com.