MILWAUKEE — Kathy James and her husband traveled by bus to Milwaukee from Chicago’s Union Station after their train was canceled due to safety issues.
“Exhausted. Exasperated,” said James about the trip. “They said they were working on the train lines, but we didn't know that until we got to Chicago.”
A spokesperson for Amtrak said in a statement to TMJ4 that they discovered corrosion in several Horizon railcars while working with manufacturers, which resulted in the removal of some equipment.
James and her husband were blindsided when they arrived in Chicago and found out their train to Milwaukee had been canceled, and they would instead have to board a bus.
“When we checked in, I said, ‘Let us know when our next train leaves,’ and they said, ‘There are no trains to Milwaukee.’ And it’s like, what? No trains to Milwaukee?” questioned James.
The couple was traveling back from Utah via Amtrak after a month-long trip. They left Union Station just after 5 p.m. on the bus and didn’t reach the stop at General Mitchell International Airport until just after 8 p.m. The trip normally takes an hour and a half.
Watch how commuters are reacting to Amtrak's sudden cancellations:
“It’s been a long, exhausting day, but it would’ve been nice to know about it a little bit ahead of time,” said James.
After three hours on the bus, they still had over two hours to drive back to their home near Green Bay.
Services were impacted on several routes, including Downeaster, Hiawatha, Borealis, and Amtrak Cascades, according to the statement.
Borealis operates daily round trips between Chicago and St. Paul via Milwaukee. Some of their trips were impacted as well.
The Hiawatha route travels between Milwaukee and Chicago daily. Amtrak said half of the Hiawatha trips had to be canceled, and chartered buses were substituted instead.
Anthony Wutkowski took the train to Chicago Wednesday morning for work and planned to return the same way in the afternoon.
“So apparently a bunch of our coworkers who were taking the train also got emails saying that the train is canceled due to car corrosion or something,” said Wutkowski.
He told TMJ4 he didn’t receive that update, leaving his travel plans uncertain.
“It’s always frustrating when you don't know how you’re getting home from Chicago back to Milwaukee,” said Wutkowski.
He opted to take an Uber with coworkers instead, arriving home later than expected.
“Just have a backup plan always,” said Wutkowski about the experience.
According to Amtrak, impacted Borealis routes should return to normal and be back on the tracks by Friday. As for the Hiawatha route, Amtrak said they will continue to use substitutes like buses until further notice. Other Amtrak Hiawatha frequencies use different rail cars and are unaffected.
Reservation and train status information is available on Amtrak.com, our free mobile app, or by calling or texting 800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245).
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