Chicago Weather

Amtrak cancels Chicago-area trains ahead of cold blast of Arctic air

Multiple trains on the Empire Builder line will not operate Monday, with wind chills potentially dropping 15-to-25 degrees below zero

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Multiple trains on the Empire Builder line will not operate Monday, with wind chills potentially dropping 15-to-25 degrees below zero

With the coldest air of the season expected to blanket the Chicago area in coming days, Amtrak has preemptively canceled multiple trains.

According to the agency, the Empire Builder train set to run between Chicago and Seattle on Monday, Jan. 20 will not operate due to expected frigid conditions.

The Empire Builder train that will leave Seattle on that same date bound for Chicago will only operate between Seattle and Spokane, according to officials.

Other train lines also operate out of Chicago and could be impacted by the frigid temperatures, but announcements have not yet been made on the Carl Sandburg, Illini and other routes.

After temperatures climb into the low-40s on Friday, readings are expected to plummet over the weekend, according to forecast models. Overnight temperatures Saturday and into Sunday could drop into the single-digits, but things will get even colder Monday, with highs in the single-digits and overnight wind chills dropping to 15-to-25 degrees below zero, according to forecast models.

Cold temperatures can have significant impacts on switches, preventing trains from moving from one line to another. In the Chicago area, Metra and CTA workers famously "light switches on fire" (they actually light gas-powered heaters on fire) to help prevent that from occurring, but with the lengthy run between the Pacific Northwest and the city of Chicago, it is more difficult to keep rails properly maintained in the frigid conditions, officials warn.

Metra and CTA could also run into service interruptions due to the freezing cold, but no announcements have yet been made.

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