HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Ridership aboard Amtrak's Southwest Chief fell sharply as the rail carrier continues to suffer from worker and crew shortages.
After averaging around 18,000 passengers before going to a limited schedule, the “Chief” saw ridership fall to 12,500 passengers in January and just 9,400 in February.
Amtrak dropped service on the “Chief” to five days per week when it could not find enough crews to man long-distance routes. Plans were to restore full service in late March, but officials then decided against that as staffing problems continued. Now the rail carrier says it will announce a summer schedule for the “Chief” at a later date.
While that date was not given, Amtrak is taking daily reservations starting Memorial Day weekend although that doesn’t necessarily mean trains will be running full-time again.
CLICK HERE to download the Hutch Post mobile app.
CLICK HERE to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.