Amtrak Could End Service on Big Stretch of the Southwest Chief

Congress and presidents have threatened Amtrak service on the Southwest Chief, connecting Los Angles to Chicago, in the past. This time the threat is coming from inside Amtrak.

1 minute read

June 27, 2018, 10:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Southwest Chief

=Michael Rosebrock /

Richard Anderson, president and chief executive officer of Amtrak, recently presented a plan to suspend rail service, and replace it with bus service, in the middle of the Southwest Chief route to members of congress. 

An article in The Kansan reports on what's known so far about the plan to replace Amtrak service with bus service.

"Towns that could lose train service initially include Garden City, Kansas; Lamar, Colorado; La Junta, Colorado; Trinidad, Colorado; Raton, New Mexico; Las Vegas, New Mexico; and Lamy, New Mexico," according to the article. "According to Amtrak, those towns would be served by charter buses to connect the two stubs of the current Southwest Chief train."

Additional reading from Planetizen:

Monday, June 25, 2018 in The Kansan

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