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Amtrak cancels morning trains between Chicago and Quincy

Rich Egger
/
Tri States Public Radio

Amtrak trains 381 leaving Chicago at 7:35 a.m. and 380 leaving Quincy at 6:12 a.m. are cancelled until mid-January.

Amtrak is notifying customers with tickets for those trains that dedicated coach buses will be used for those routes instead.

That includes college students heading home for breaks and other holiday travelers.

Amtrak spokesperson Marc Magliari said the cancellations are due to staffing concerns.

Per Amtrak employees’ collective bargaining agreement, employees can use seniority to choose what shifts and routes they want to work.

“On the Quincy, Macomb, Galesburg route, enough of the engineers have decided to work other routes that it’s put us in this deficit,” Magliari said. “We don’t have enough staff in terms of engineers to operate both of the round trips.”

The evening trains along the route will continue as scheduled.

Tri States Public Radio produced this story.  TSPR relies on financial support from our readers and listeners in order to provide coverage of the issues that matter to west central Illinois, southeast Iowa, and northeast Missouri. As someone who values the content created by TSPR's news department please consider making a financial contribution.

Jane Carlson is TSPR's regional reporter.