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5/21/2021
Amtrak and transit-rail agencies are rolling out schedules for relaunching passenger service after closing or restricting routes over the past year due to the pandemic.
Earlier this week, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced that Amtrak will resume full passenger-rail service across the state, as the number of positive COVID-19 cases continues to decrease and the demand for public transportation increases.
A full long-distance interstate schedule will restore four state-sponsored lines, according to a press release issued by Pritzker’s office.
The Chicago-Milwaukee partnership with Wisconsin will resume next week. The three state sponsored routes connecting Chicago and Quincy, Chicago and Carbondale, and Chicago and St. Louis, will run at full capacity by mid-July. Passengers can reserve tickets for travel starting the week of July 19th on Amtrak.com beginning this week.
Amtrak previously announced a return to normal operations for the Hiawatha Service on May 23, a partnership of Illinois and Wisconsin departments of transportation that runs between Chicago and Milwaukee with a stop in Glenview, Illinois.
Also in the Chicago area, commuter-rail service Metra announced it will restore Saturday schedules to seven lines beginning May 29.
Metra’s Saturday service will return to pre-pandemic levels on the BNSF, Milwaukee District North, Milwaukee District West, Rock Island, Union Pacific North, Union Pacific Northwest and Union Pacific West lines on Saturday, May 29. The new Saturday schedules are posted on Metra’s website.
Meanwhile, Amtrak and the Vermont Agency of Transportation this week announced that service on state-supported rail services will begin July 19. Those services include the Vermonter, which provides daily service between Washington, D.C., and St. Albans, Vermont, and the Ethan Allen Express, which offers daily service between New York City and Rutland, Vermont, with connecting service to Washington, D.C.
Amtrak officials reminded travelers that federal law requires all riders and employees to wear a mask at all times while onboard trains and in stations, regardless of vaccination status or state or local laws.