There’s flood water on 20 different places on Amtrak’s River Route – that’s the path between Kansas City and Jefferson City. The transportation department rail administrator Rod Mastman says full service could be back late this weekend, though the projections change frequently.
Mastman says there are two sets of tracks, one near the river and one farther away. All the trips from the river route have been put on the route through Sedalia. He says that slows traffic on the Sedalia line, and causes lots of headaches for coal trains and Amtrak.
He says this causes a backup in traffic because freight trains filled with coal move slower than passenger trains. If passengers have their trip canceled, there are three options. Amtrak is providing busses, an alternate trip on a different line for a different day, or a full refund.
(AUDIO) Allison Blood reports on the train suspension. Mp3 1:00