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Rail Travel News is a twice-monthly print publication, published since Dec 10, 1970.
Publisher: Message Media Company,
PO Box 9007,
Berkeley CA 94709.
Website copyright © 1997-2005 by Message Media Co.

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Severe weather conditions have been experienced in Southern California that resulted in several sinkholes and washouts reported on the Union Pacific Railroad.  Union Pacific forces report a significant amount of track and right of way work needs to be accomplished on the Coast route between Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo, including tie replacement, ditching, track undercutting, and surfacing. 

The following is the latest update resulting from the Amtrak/Union Pacific conference call as of 10:00 a.m. (PT) Jan. 20, 2005.  All dates are contingent upon no further weather-related problems:

Coast Starlight
· Regular service expected to resume between Los Angeles and Oakland on Feb. 28, 2005.,

Pacific Surfliner
· Regular service expected to resume between Los Angeles and Goleta on Feb. 8, 2005.
· Regular service expected to resume between Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo on Feb. 28, 2005.

AMTRAK STATEMENT ON THE CALIFORNIA ZEPHYR
Trains 5 & 6, /California Zephyr/ route
Denver-Salt Lake City-Reno-Auburn/Sacramento, Calif.

Amtrak plans to restore full /California Zephyr/ service later this
month.  Effective with the westbound departure from Chicago on Jan. 28
and the eastbound departure from Emeryville, Calif., on Jan. 29, the
/California Zephyr/ will operate over its full route between Chicago and
Emeryville, via Omaha, Denver, Salt Lake City and Reno.

Until those dates, the /California Zephyr/ will operate between Chicago
and Denver only.  This temporary service suspension was first announced
Jan. 13.

Passengers ticketed to western Colorado, Utah and eastern Nevada will be
offered refunds.  Passengers ticketed between Northern California and
Chicago can be accommodated on the /Empire Builder/ and /Coast
Starlight/, via Portland, Ore., as available.

OMAHA, Neb.-- Union Pacific Railroad expects to reopen its California
"Coast Line" and a rugged desert canyon line northeast of Las Vegas,
Nev., for partial service as soon as Jan. 24. The two line segments are
the last of five rail lines severely damaged by a record winter storm
earlier this month.

An embargo on traffic into California and Southern Nevada remains in
place to control traffic into the region. Outbound trains from the
region are moving to work off the backlog of trains delayed by the storm.

The Coast Line was closed when the storm, along with torrential rain and
heavy surf along the line triggered washouts, coastal sinkholes and
covered the track with mud over a 139-mile stretch that runs next to the
Pacific Ocean between Guadalupe and Moorpark, Calif.

The Coast Line links Los Angeles with the San Francisco Bay Area and is
an important passenger and commuter route. Even after the route is
reopened to trains, there will be a slow start-up to finalize repair
work for normal operations.

A work force of 150 people with 40 pieces of heavy earth-moving
equipment has been deployed to the area working daylight to dark. Dozens
of trucks worked overnight Monday night to repair the biggest washout.
Most of the initial clean-up on the tracks has been completed with slope
and embankment work underway. Two work trains with specialized equipment to clear mud from the line along with other mechanized work "gangs" are being moved into the area to repair tracks.

In Nevada, Union Pacific has mobilized 200 personnel who are working
around the clock to repair storm damage over an 80-mile stretch in a
remote canyon south of Caliente, Nev. They have 60 pieces of heavy
equipment to restore the damaged roadbed. Work also is underway to build a new bridge to replace the Cottonwood Wash Bridge buried under up to six feet of mud and rock. The track will be raised ten feet in this area.

The narrow canyon channeled floodwaters that washed the roadbed out from under the tracks in numerous locations and damaged bridges and signals.UP crews have had to rebuild washed-out roads in order to reach portions of the track. Seven work trains are hauling rock to fill the washouts
from both ends of the canyon.

Caliente is about 130 miles northeast of Las Vegas, near the Utah state
line. The route is an important freight link between Los Angeles, Salt
Lake City and the Midwest.

Union Pacific crews repaired other storm damage in Southern California
last week, reopening critical rail links to the Los Angeles Basin.

Summary of major Nov 1 Amtrak timetable changes.
Empire Builder 50th and 75th anniversaries.
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