Additional Amtrak service reductions have been announced and Florida intercity rail passenger operator Brightline has suspended all service.
The latest Amtrak cancellations include reducing the level of service of Missouri River Runner service effective March 30
The two daily roundtrips between St. Louis and Kansas City will be cut to one with trains leaving Kansas City at 8:15 a.m. and St. Louis at 4 p.m.
The St. Louis-Kansas City corridor was the last in the Midwest to be unaffected by the COVID pandemic-induced service reductions.
Effective today Vermont Gov. Phil Scott has ordered all Amtrak in that state to be suspended.
The Vermonter, which normally operates between Washington and St. Albans, Vermont, will not operate north of New Haven, Connecticut.
On its reduced schedule, the Vermonter will not operate on Sundays.
The Ethan Allen Express, which normally operates between New York and Rutland, Vermont, will not operate north of Albany-Rensselaer, New York.
Scott said he took the action after consulting with Amtrak. He also issued a stay-at-home order for residents of his state and directed the closure of in-person, nonessential businesses in order to minimize unnecessary activities outside of homes.
In Florida, Brightline, which is owned by Virgin Trains USA, laid off 250 of its more than 300 South Florida workers this week.
Brightline said on Wednesday that it was suspending all service in the wake of the pandemic.
The layoffs included Bob O’Malley, vice president of corporate development.
In a statement, Brightline said it hoped to rehire most of its workers once service resumes, but said it could not say when that might be.
A report in the Miami Herald said more than 700 construction workers on a project to extend Brightline track to Orlando remain employed.
Tags: Amtrak, Amtrak in the Midwest, Amtrak Midwest corridor trains, Amtrak Midwest Trains, Amtrak service cancelations, Amtrak service disruptions, Amtrak service suspensions, Amtrak's Ethan Allen Express, Amtrak's Vermonter, Brightline, Missouri River Runners
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