Thursday 15 September 2022 03:26 AM National rail strike could 'cripple the US economy' and spark commuter chaos ... trends now
The impending US railroad strike could cost the nation $2 billion a day and spark chaos for hundreds of thousands of travelers as regional agencies plan for stoppages while Amtrak cancels all long-distance trains.
Railroads in Chicago, South California, and Virginia are preparing for service stoppages as early as Thursday evening ahead of the midnight shutdown on Friday spurred by a planned freight workers' strike.
It comes after Amtrak, the nation's cross-country railway system, canceled all planned trips, including those from Washington DC to Sanford, Florida, and the Silver Star from New York City to Miami.
The company had previously said it was canceling several of its routes as two labor unions representing 60,000 engineers and conductors threatened to walk out of their jobs on Friday if their demands for safer working conditions are not met.
Karen Finucan Clarkson, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Railway Express (VRE), said it was imperative that a deal be reached by Friday to avoid the disruption to the thousands who depend on the nation's railway system.
'We are truly hoping that we can run a service on Friday,' she told the Washington Post. 'That would be the best for the region.'
Amtrak, the nation's cross-country railway system, canceled all planned trips, including those from Washington DC to Sanford, Florida, and the Silver Star from New York City to Miami. It comes as an impending strike is predicted to affect hundreds of thousands of travelers
Metrolink, which services the Southern California area, warned that disruptions were expected due to the strike. About 70 percent of its customers could be affected
Metra, which services Chicago, issued a similar warning ahead of Friday's deadline
After one of the 10 other labor groups that had already reached a tentative deal with the rail companies voted Wednesday to reject the offer, Amtrak officials announced it was now canceling all of its long-distance trains — issuing a serious blow to commuters and travelers.
As of Wednesday, the passenger rail agency suspended service on three cross-country routes out of Chicago, going to San Francisco, the Pacific Northwest, and Los Angeles, Amtrak said in a statement Monday evening.
Service would also be disrupted for a route along a portion of one of those routes, the company said at the time - between Los Angeles and San Antonio.
Amtrack added that a walkout would 'significantly impact' the more than 21,000 route miles it operates outside the Northeast.
Chicago's Metra service and Southern California's Metrolink have been encouraging passengers to seek other modes of transportation as they predicted service disruptions would begin on Thursday night.
'We are coordinating with our rail partners to provide as much alternative service as possible, but there may be complete service cancellations on some lines,' Metrolink said in a service update.
Chicago's stoppage would see four lines affected, while Metrolink would see five of its seven lines downed, affecting as many as 70 percent of customers.
In Virginia, the stoppage of the VRE's service would affect about 10,000 daily commuters.
If there is a rail strike, it means for those Blue and Yellow line riders as well as VRE riders, there will be no rail service as an option into the District,' Clarkson told the Post.
Many took to social media to post about their regrets in purchasing Amtrak tickets
Some Amtrak customers are already scrambling to try and get refunds as they pray for the unions and companies to reach a conclusion quickly to restore services.
One Twitter user with the name Max bemoaned the fact that he got a nonrefundable ticket, but he still said he supported the workers' right to strike.
'Guys i just booked a nonrefundable ticket for amtrak on october 4 without thinking about the upcoming rail strike so i really hope that gets resolved quickly (with a win for the workers obviously! solidarity forever),' he wrote.
Another Twitter user with the handle Hopesterrr seemed less optimistic, writing: 'refreshing my emails like a madwoman to see if amtrak has refunded my ticket.'
Corey Jacob, another Twitter user, mused that his decision to buy a one-way ticket would leave him stranded in Washington D.C.
'Going to DC on a one way ticket tomorrow and with all of this Amtrak mess who knows if I'll ever get to come back,' he joked.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers announced on Wednesday that its 4,900 members voted to reject a deal its leaders reached with freight railroad companies
Two other unions, representing 60,000 engineers and conductors, that are set to go on strike Friday as the Biden administration scrambles to reach a deal in a desperate attempt to prevent economic turmoil leading up to the midterm elections
The move to cancel all of its trips comes as President Joe Biden struggles to prevent a shutdown of the freight train system.
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