Amtrak’s Empire Builder back on schedule

Published 2:38 pm Tuesday, January 13, 2015

WHITEFISH, Mont. — Nine months after Amtrak’s Empire Builder adjusted its schedule to deal with freight congestion, the passenger rail service has returned the train to its original timetable.

Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari was in Whitefish on Tuesday morning when the eastbound Empire Builder rolled in to the station shortly after 7 a.m. — and 23 minutes early.

Now, Amtrak is working to win back passengers who sought other means of transportation because the trains faced delays caused by freight congestion and track work.

Magliari told the Flathead Beacon that he hopes the lengthy delays of up to 12 hours are a thing of the past.

The Empire Builder runs from Chicago to Seattle and Portland, Oregon.