U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) on Wednesday sent a letter to Stephen Gardner, CEO of Amtrak, to express his frustration at the suspension of one of two Amtrak round trips between Quincy, Illinois, and Chicago as a result of equipment shortages, according to a news release from Durbin’s office.
In the letter, Durbin called on Amtrak to resolve the suspension, which could last up to Aug. 27, as quickly as possible. The affected stops along the partly suspended Chicago-Quincy Carl Sandburg Amtrak route includes Macomb, Galesburg, Kewanee, Princeton, Mendota, Plano, Naperville, and La Grange, Illinois.
“I am writing to express my frustration and concern with the way the suspension of one of two round trips between Quincy, Illinois, and Chicago, Illinois, has been handled,” Durbin wrote.
As the train service is suspended, Amtrak has offered a bus route as a substitute for riders; however, the bus service adds an hour to riders’ trips.
“While it is understandable that locomotives occasionally require maintenance, the people of Quincy require more adequate notice and better alternatives from Amtrak. 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,” Durbin wrote.
Durbin concluded the letter by urging Amtrak to provide a nonstop bus option for riders and to quickly resolve the suspension.
“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,” Durbin wrote.
Here is the letter:
August 7, 2024
Dear Mr. Gardner:
I am writing to express my frustration and concern with the way the suspension of one of two round trips between Quincy, Illinois, and Chicago, Illinois, has been handled.
While it is understandable that locomotives occasionally require maintenance, the people of Quincy require more adequate notice and better alternatives from Amtrak. 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.