Durbin tells Amtrak CEO he’s frustrated, concerned as of one of two Quincy-to-Chicago trips is canceled for another week

QUINCY — U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said in a Wednesday letter to Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner that he is frustrated and concerned with how the suspension of one of two roundtrips between Chicago and Quincy has been handled.

Amtrak announced July 29 that Carl Sandburg Train 381, from Chicago to Quincy in the morning, and Carl Sandburg Train 382, from Quincy to Chicago in the evening, would be canceled from July 30 to Aug. 6. The trains were replaced with chartered buses.

Amtrak announced on its Twitter (or X) feed on Wednesday afternoon that the Carl Sandburg trains have been canceled from Aug. 7 to Aug. 14.

“Bus transportation will be provided,” the tweet read. “We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”

Illinois Zephyr Trains 380 and 383, which leave Quincy in the morning and Chicago in the early evening, have continued to operate.

“While it is understandable that locomotives occasionally require maintenance, the people of Quincy require more adequate notice and better alternatives from Amtrak,” Durbin said in his letter. “The temporary bus route Amtrak is providing between the two cities adds an hour of additional travel time. Such sudden notice of the suspension did not provide these residents enough time to adjust their travel plans accordingly.

“I respectfully request that, at a minimum, Amtrak instate a nonstop bus option between Quincy and Chicago to minimize disruptions to the residents’ travel time, and that Amtrak work to resolve this suspension as quickly as possible through whatever means are available, including replacement locomotives.”

So far, the only acknowledgment on Amtrak’s website is that the affected Carl Sandburg trains during the period are shown as “sold out.” 

Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari told Bob Johnston with Trains.com that alternate transportation is being provided for already-ticketed passengers and that the trains are not running due to a “high shop count.” 

In such extended busing situations, the company opts to restrict future sales rather than estimate motor coach capacity that will be needed. This practice also allows service to be restored if that becomes possible during the scheduled outage.

The decision to cancel the Carl Sandburg trains comes in the wake of terminal delays and maintenance issues that have continued since July. Trains.com listed five trains that arrived at destinations three hours or more late across the country in mid-to-late July.

Durbin wrote a similar letter to Amtrak leadership in November 2022 vocalizing his concern over Amtrak’s decision to suspend morning train service between Quincy and Chicago until mid-January 2023 and replace it with bus service.