As a cold blast of Arctic air looms next week, Amtrak has canceled multiple trains either originating or ending in Chicago.
According to the agency, Monday’s Empire Builder train, scheduled to depart Chicago on a journey across the northern United States to the Pacific Northwest, will not operate due to the expected cold conditions.
In addition, the Empire Builder train set to depart Spokane on a trip to Chicago will also not run, according to officials.
The Empire Builder line originates in Chicago, heading northward through Wisconsin before stopping in St. Paul, Minnesota. From there, it traverses the state of Minnesota, then travels through North Dakota, Montana and Idaho before branching in eastern Washington, allowing passengers to either travel to Seattle or Portland.
Cold temperatures forecasted for Sunday through Tuesday could end up impacting the northern United States, including Chicago.
Monday is expected to see the worst of the conditions, with wind chills in the Chicago area dropping to as low as minus-30 degrees overnight, according to the National Weather Service. Low temperatures will fall below zero on both Sunday and Monday nights, officials warn.
Things will be even colder along the train’s route, including in Fargo, North Dakota, where overnight lows Sunday and into Monday could drop to minus-20 degrees, with wind chills of 40-to-50 degrees below zero.
Local
As a result, Amtrak is canceling the two Empire Builder trains through the area, as cold weather can have significant impacts on switches allowing trains to move between lines on their journey.
Fortunately for riders only needing to travel to Minneapolis, the Borealis train between Chicago and Minneapolis is still scheduled to run on Monday, according to Amtrak.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
Trains on other lines servicing Chicago, including the City of New Orleans, the Saluki, the Illini, the Lincoln service and the Texas Eagle are all still scheduled to operate as of Thursday night.
