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UPDATE: From Amtrak to Short Lines, a Class I Shutdown Will Impact Everyone

On Wednesday, Amtrak continued to suspend trains ahead of a possible strike or lockout on Friday. Photo by Justin Franz.

UPDATE: From Amtrak to Short Lines, a Class I Shutdown Will Impact Everyone

By Justin Franz 

WASHINGTON — While only six of North America’s seven Class I railroads are facing the prospect of a strike or lockout come Friday morning, any work stoppage would ripple throughout the industry, impacting passenger railroads and short lines as well. 

On Wednesday, two days after Amtrak announced it would begin suspending some long-distance services, the passenger railroad announced another round of cuts thus ending all long-distance trains by Friday. Starting today, the City of New Orleans, Coast Starlight, Crescent, Lake Shore Limited, Silver Star, Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle were all suspended. Starting Thursday, AutoTrain, Capitol Limited, Cardinal and Palmetto services will also be cut. The Southwest Chief, Empire Builder and California Zephyr were all canceled starting Tuesday. 

Commuter railroads were also preparing for a possible work stoppage. Metra in Chicago was warning customers that its BNSF, Union Pacific North, Union Pacific Northwest and Union Pacific West lines would all be impacted starting Friday. Operators like Sound Transit and MARC would also be impacted, but agencies that control their own tracks, like Metro-North, would not be. 

Depending on how long a strike or lockout lasts, other freight railroads may also be impacted, particularly short lines and regionals that interchange with BNSF Railway, Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern, CSX Transportation, Kansas City Southern or Canadian National. For example, roads like Montana Rail Link, which rely heavily on bridge traffic from BNSF, will likely see a slowdown if a strike lasts multiple days, although some locals may continue to operate. The one Class I not involved with labor negotiations is Canadian Pacific and it’s possible that its operations will continue as normal for a few days, although interchange points with other major railroads are sure to quickly become congested.

This article was posted on: September 14, 2022