Amtrak Using Stopgap Equipment To Restore Train Service to Chicago

Passengers board Amtrak Superliner cars at the Milwaukee Intermodal Station in 2024. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

It won’t be a bus, but your next Amtrak train to Chicago could still look and feel different.

On March 26, Amtrak pulled many of the passenger cars used on the Amtrak Hiawatha Service and Borealis lines out of service because of corrosion issues.

Bus substitutions were temporarily used. But as of Friday, both the Hiawatha and Borealis, and a similarly impacted Pacific Northwest line, had been restored to full train service.

The railroad is substituting its bi-level Superliner cars, commonly used on its long-distance routes, for the single-level Horizon coaches on the Hiawatha and Borealis lines.

“In less than two weeks, all Amtrak trains on the Borealis, Hiawatha, and Amtrak Cascades routes have been restored and operating on schedule. Each replacement train is operating with a limited number of cars. For a guaranteed seat, Amtrak encourages customers to book early,” said Amtrak in a statement Sunday.

The single-level Horizon passenger railcars, now out of service, were built for Amtrak by Bombardier Transportation between 1988 and 1990. There are approximately 70 in use.

“In compliance with federal requirements and its ongoing commitment to safety, Amtrak routinely inspects its railcars and locomotives. We discovered corrosion in several Horizon railcars and, while working with the manufacturer, decided to remove the equipment from service after learning of additional areas of concern from intensive inspections of multiple cars,” said the railroad when it removed the Horizon coaches from service.

The Superliners were built in two batches, from 1975 to 1981 and 1991 to 1996. Their configurations include sleeping, dining and lounge areas in addition to large seats.

Amtrak, which has faced equipment shortages in recent years, was able to dedicate the Superliners as a result of the seasonal end of Colorado’s Winter Park Express service that caters to skiers.

In 2023, Amtrak began using new Venture passenger cars made by Siemens on some of the Hiawatha trips. But issues with a multi-state order have slowed delivery of more Venture cars into the Midwest pool, which Wisconsin initially opted out of, and delayed a Wisconsin Department of Transportation order for equipment it would own outright.

There are six daily Hiawatha roundtrips and one daily Borealis roundtrip.

In December, fiscal year 2024 ridership statistics showed that Wisconsin passenger rail trips climbed by 17% for the year.