A bipartisan group of senators recently urged Amtrak to uphold a public-private partnership continuing operation of the Southwest Chief passenger train and long-distance passenger service.
Officials said the Southwest Chief runs daily between Chicago and Los Angeles and connects towns and cities in Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, but Amtrak is considering suspending operation of the train and focusing on a plan to replace long-distance train service along the route with bus service.
Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Martin Heinrich (D-NM) joined Senate colleagues Tom Udall (D-NM), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Michael F. Bennet (D-CO), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) in forwarding correspondence to Amtrak President and CEO Richard H. Anderson expressing concerns about the potential change.
“Long-distance passenger rail routes provide much-needed transportation access for over four million riders in 325 communities in 40 States,” the senators wrote. “Replacing train service through rural communities with buses is troubling, particularly for a quasi-governmental entity entrusted with an important public transportation mission. The suspension of rail service along the Southwest Chief route raises serious questions as to whether passenger rail service will be eliminated in rural communities across the country.”
Officials noted, in many cases, the Southwest Chief line is the only affordable alternative transportation option to the highways and serves a critical link to public and private services in larger cities along the route for rural residents.