Amtrak cancels several Chicago-area trains Monday as city braces for first below-zero temperatures of year
Amtrak has canceled several Chicago-area trains ahead of a blast of bitterly cold air expected to plummet temperatures below zero over the weekend into early next week.
Empire Builder train 7/27, which was originally scheduled to depart from Union Station at 3:05 p.m. Monday, was canceled due to forecasted temperatures, Amtrak said on X, formally known as Twitter.
Two additional Empire Builder trains bound for Portland and Spokane were also canceled, as well as a Borealis train scheduled to arrive in St. Paul, according to Amtrak.
Empire Builder Train 8/28, scheduled to depart for Chicago on the same day, will only operate from Seattle to Spokane.
Temperatures were expected to plummet nearly 30 degrees from Friday to Sunday and wind chills are expected to be the coldest seen in the city in roughly a year by early next week.
Wind chills could possibly drop to 20 to 25 degrees below zero and lows were expected to be five to six degrees below zero Sunday and Monday night, according to the National Weather Service.
The cold snap was expected to last until the middle of the week when temperatures are expected to gradually climb back into the 20s and 30s, according to the weather service.
Metra officials weren’t anticipating any service disruptions due to the cold as of Thursday morning, and CTA officials advised passengers to check www.transitchicago.com for any possible delays due to the cold.