Amtrak working to resume service in NC after freight railroad strike averted
Amtrak says it is “working quickly” to restart service it canceled this week after freight railroad companies and their unions reached a contract agreement to head off a potential strike.
Amtrak canceled all of its long-distance trains, including four that make stops in North Carolina. Amtrak was not involved in the labor dispute, but most of its trains operate on tracks owned or controlled by freight railroads and rely on their dispatchers and other workers to keep moving.
Amtrak said it didn’t want any of its trains or passengers stranded should a potential strike take place Friday.
But early Thursday, President Biden announced a tentative contract agreement that prevents a shutdown. Amtrak said it is restarting the canceled service and reaching out to customers who had bought tickets.
The long-distance trains that had been canceled include the Crescent (New York-New Orleans), the Silver Star and Silver Meteor (New York-Miami) and the Palmetto (New York-Savannah), which each make several stops in North Carolina.
Two state-supported trains, the Piedmont and the Carolinian, were not affected, though Amtrak said it had planned to cancel the Piedmont starting Thursday evening if a deal had not been reached.
This story was originally published September 15, 2022 at 9:15 AM.
