Amtrak Plans Major Service Revamp

Concluding that less-than-daily service doesn’t work, Amtrak plans to close down four routes, including one involving Los Angeles, and return to daily service on several others in an effort to save money and increase income.

Faced with a potential $258-million deficit for 1997, the national passenger railroad said Thursday that it will make sweeping changes in its service effective Nov. 10.

The changes will increase Amtrak service for 131 cities but eliminate it for 42 other communities, it said. The result is expected to save nearly $200 million.

That will still leave the railroad looking at a shortfall of nearly $60 million for 1997, a year in which Congress is moving to cut Amtrak’s requested subsidy by $50 million.

One new service was announced, the Silver Palm, which will provide a third daily train between New York and Miami.

The four lines to be eliminated are:

* Desert Wind--now three times weekly to Chicago, Denver, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and Los Angeles--will be discontinued between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. Other service continues to Chicago, Denver and Salt Lake City. Local service between Los Angeles and Las Vegas is being considered.

* Pioneer--three times weekly service to Chicago; Denver; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle--will be discontinued between Denver and Seattle. Other service continues between Portland and Seattle and Chicago and Denver.

* Texas Eagle--three times per week to Chicago, St. Louis and San Antonio--is being discontinued between St. Louis and San Antonio.

* Lake Shore Limited daily to Chicago, Boston and New York is being eliminated between Boston and Albany, N.Y. Boston travelers can take a special bus to Albany or another train to New York.

Amtrak said it plans to restore the former Broadway Limited service between New York and Chicago, though the run probably won’t have that name.

The railroad will run the current New York-Pittsburgh Three Rivers service through to Chicago. The current Capitol Limited between Washington and Chicago will also continue, but the former time-consuming connection in Pittsburgh will no longer be necessary for New York passengers.

Four routes in which part of the operation was cut back last year will be restored to daily service. They are the Empire Builder between Chicago and Seattle, California Zephyr between Chicago and San Francisco, Crescent between New York and New Orleans, and the City of New Orleans between Chicago and New Orleans.

Finally, the railroad said the Sunset Limited between Florida and Los Angeles will no longer serve Miami. Instead, the train will originate and terminate at Sanford, near Orlando.

Amtrak President Thomas Downs said the changes were being announced now to give people time to prepare. The cuts will mean the loss of about 400 jobs, he said.

The Amtrak board will meet to finalize the decision in September, Downs said. But he said the changes will occur “absent some miracle.”