ANN ARBOR, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Amtrak is temporarily canceling its Wolverine Service Trains 350 and 355 from Chicago to Pontiac until September 15.
Spokesman Marc Magliari says the pause is due to not having enough manpower to operate the trains or conduct maintenance. In addition, the company is experiencing a routine maintenance backlog and delays in new equipment delivery.
Amtrak has 4,000 unfilled staff jobs. The trains have stops in Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Ann Arbor, and Detroit.
Congress set aside $66 billion for the rail sector, a third of it specifically for Amtrak, as part of the $1 trillion infrastructure bill passed in November. Amtrak has never made money or broken even since it was createdmore than a half-century ago.
Only five of Amtrak’s close to 50 lines in the U.S. cover their operating costs thus far in 2022, according to an Amtrak performance report from June. No lines in Michigan are among them.
