66-572: The Southwest Chief (formerly the Southwest Limited and Super Chief ) is a long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak on a 2,265-mile (3,645 km) route between Chicago and Los Angeles through the Midwest and Southwest via Kansas City , Albuquerque , and Flagstaff mostly on the BNSF's Southern Transcon , but branches off between Albuquerque and Kansas City via
132-631: A 3.8% decrease from FY 2017. The Southwest Chief is the successor to the Super Chief , which was inaugurated in 1936 as the flagship train of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway . For most of its existence, it was "all- Pullman ", carrying sleeping cars only. The Santa Fe merged the Super Chief with its all-coach counterpart, the El Capitan , in 1958. The merged train was known as
198-463: A fee. However, baggage and bikes cannot be checked at certain unstaffed stations. Small dogs and cats in carriers are allowed on trips shorter than seven hours for an additional fee. Service animals are exempt from pet restrictions. All long-distance routes have café car service offering takeaway meals, snacks, drinks, and alcohol. As of 2023 , sleeping car passengers also have access to one of two types of restaurant-style dining. Traditional Dining
264-519: A fourth coach is added between Chicago and Kansas City. Private cars or deadhead cars also sometimes ride along. As is already happening on all its long-distance routes, Amtrak will replace the P42DCs with modern Siemens ALC-42 locomotives by 2027, and the Superliner cars with new long-distance cars by 2032. The portion of the route between La Junta and Albuquerque (Raton and Glorieta Subs)
330-523: A funding bill. Per a press release from the office of co-sponsor Senator Jerry Moran , "This amendment would provide resources for maintenance and safety improvements along the Southwest Chief route and would compel Amtrak to fulfill its promise of matching funding for the successful TIGER IX discretionary grant ... In addition, this amendment would effectively reverse Amtrak’s decision to substitute rail service with bus service over large segments of
396-506: A hill and struck the tracks after its owners failed to secure the parking brake. On June 27, 2022, the eastbound Southwest Chief derailed after striking a dump truck at a level crossing near Mendon, Missouri . Of 12 crew and 275 passengers, 3 deaths and 150 injuries have been reported; the driver of the truck also died. The Southwest Chief runs up to 90 mph (145 km/h) along a significant portion of its route, made possible by automatic train stop systems originally installed by
462-566: A solution, Congress created Amtrak, a government-owned company, to operate intercity rail as a public service. Most railroads opted-in and transferred their passenger rail operations to Amtrak on May 1, 1971. After the Southern Railway opted-in to Amtrak in 1979, and the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad in 1983, Amtrak was left as the sole long-distance train operator in the US. In
528-831: A terminus and an intermediate stop. In FY2023, Amtrak's long-distance trains carried 3,944,124 riders, around 14% of the company's total. However, the routes account for about 42% of passenger miles traveled. Amtrak operates two types of long-distance trains: single-level and bi-level. Due to height restrictions on the Northeast Corridor , all six routes that terminate at New York Penn Station operate as single-level trains with Amfleet coaches and Viewliner sleeping cars. The remaining nine long-distance routes operate as bi-level trains with Superliner coaches and sleeping cars. Both single-level and bi-level trains are equipped with Viewliner baggage cars . Amtrak plans to replace all of its long-distance rail cars by 2032, except for
594-525: Is available on eight routes and consists of full table service in a dining car . Six routes instead feature Flexible Dining, where passengers may order hot meals to be delivered to their room or lounge. Passengers may also bring their own food and drink. Amtrak provides free basic Wi-Fi on seven of its long-distance routes: the Auto Train , Cardinal , Crescent , Lake Shore Limited , Palmetto , Silver Meteor , and Floridian . The service
660-678: Is distinct from its Northeast Corridor and state-supported services. All trains except the Palmetto involve at least one night of travel, and so are outfitted with sleeping and dining cars . Routes depart once daily in each direction, at most, so some stops are served only at night. Delays are commonplace on long-distance trains, as the tracks are generally controlled by freight railroad companies. While anchored by major cities, long-distance trains also serve many rural communities en route (unlike commercial flights). A minority of passengers ride an entire route at once, with most traveling between
726-579: Is intended to support low-bandwidth uses only. Onboard internet is dependent on cell towers along the route of the train, so speed and availability correspond to regional cell coverage. Amtrak's long-distance network is a legacy of the railroad age , when trains operated by private railroad companies were the fastest and sometimes only mode of intercity transportation. The mid-20th century saw steep disinvestment in passenger rail relative to air and highway travel. Passenger trains became financial burdens for railroad companies, who sought to discontinue them. As
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#1732766246902792-585: Is known for having some of the last active semaphores on a Class I railroad mainline, dating back to the ATSF era. Little and/or no freight traffic on those portions of the Chief's route is what caused the semaphores to last until the present day, although over time many were removed by both BNSF and NMDOT . In August 2024, the last semaphores located on the NMDOT (former 4th Santa Fe District / Glorieta Sub) section of
858-558: Is the battleground whose outcome will determine the fate of American’s national interconnected rail passenger network". In June 2018, Amtrak announced that it was considering the replacement of rail service along the Kansas portion of the Southwest Chief with Amtrak Thruway buses between Albuquerque and Dodge City, where train service east to Chicago would resume. Senators in the affected area succeeded in offering an amendment to
924-699: Is the division of Amtrak responsible for operating all intercity passenger train services in the United States longer than 750 miles (1,210 km). There are fourteen such routes as of 2024 , serving over 300 stations in 39 states. Amtrak's long-distance routes form the backbone of the US national rail network, providing an alternative to intercity drives or flights. They are also noted for their scenery, and are popular as vacations and experiential travel. A few routes provide direct service to National Parks , with Amtrak Thruway buses reaching many more. The rider experience of Amtrak's long-distance trains
990-713: The City of San Francisco was renamed the San Francisco Zephyr and the Lake Shore was discontinued. The Inter-American entered service in 1973 as short-distance train between Laredo and Fort Worth . It was extended north to St. Louis in 1974 and further to Chicago in 1976. In 1974 Amtrak renamed the Super Chief to the Southwest Limited and the Texas Chief to the Lone Star following
1056-612: The Empire Builder became the first route to receive the new locomotives. In FY2022, Amtrak's long-distance trains averaged 48 mph (77 km/h) between stations. Dwell time at stations averaged four minutes each, while dwell time at stations with crew changes or enroute servicing averaged 20 minutes each. Trains operating on the Northeast Corridor reach top speeds of 125 mph (201 km/h) in some stretches. The top speed for long-distance trains outside
1122-588: The Empire Builder divides at Spokane , with sections to Seattle and Portland . Eastbound from Chicago the Lake Shore Limited divides at Albany–Rensselaer , with sections to New York and Boston . The Texas Eagle and Sunset Limited are combined between Los Angeles and San Antonio , where the Texas Eagle continues to Chicago and the Sunset Limited to New Orleans . On
1188-653: The Empire Builder was rerouted to St. Cloud . Meanwhile, the Southern Railway transferred its last remaining passenger route, the Southern Crescent , to Amtrak, who renamed it the Crescent . The Desert Wind also entered service in 1979. In 1981 the Capitol Limited began service, while the Inter-American was truncated to San Antonio, stripped of its Houston section, and renamed
1254-583: The Lone Star in 1974. The train was discontinued in 1979. The Santa Fe introduced the Texas Chief on April 3, 1948. The train competed with the Texas Eagle ( Missouri Pacific Railroad ) and the Texas Special ( Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad / St. Louis–San Francisco Railway ). The journey from Chicago to Galveston took 26 hours 15 minutes, ten hours faster the previous service on
1320-472: The San Francisco Chief . To avoid a reroute, Amtrak sought help from the affected states—Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico. The states eventually contributed money toward rebuilding and rehabilitating the tracks—much of it obtained from federal transportation grants—and the route was not changed. However, this same part of the Southwest Chief's route was threatened again in 2018 when it became
1386-585: The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway revoking permission to use the "Chief" names. The Mountaineer and Lake Shore Limited began service in 1975, and the Palmetto in 1976. The Mountaineer lasted only until 1977, at which point it was replaced by the Hilltopper . The Pioneer also entered service in 1977, and the James Whitcomb Riley was renamed the Cardinal . 1979
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#17327662469021452-714: The Capitol Limited , creating a single Chicago–Washington–Miami route: the Floridian . This was the first direct train service between the Midwest and Florida since the 1979 discontinuance of the original Floridian , albeit following a longer route. St. Petersburg, FL Miami, FL Miami, FL In 2017, North Carolina and Connecticut were in talks to extend the Carolinian from New York to New Haven . The resultant 779-mile (1,254 km) route would cross
1518-755: The D&;RGW's Rio Grande Zephyr between Denver and Salt Lake City , renaming the train the California Zephyr . Amtrak also began operating the Auto Train in 1983. In 1984 Amtrak renamed the Southwest Limited to the Southwest Chief alongside the deployment of Superliner equipment, and also initiated the River Cities as a section of the City of New Orleans . In 1988
1584-790: The Eagle was renamed the Texas Eagle , and in 1989 Amtrak began the Gulf Breeze as a section of the Crescent . In 1990 the Capitol Limited and Broadway Limited were rerouted between Pittsburgh and Chicago, bypassing Fort Wayne . The Capitol Limited was moved to serve Cleveland and South Bend , the Broadway Limited to Youngstown and Akron . Amtrak extended the Sunset Limited east to Florida in 1993, creating its only coast-to-coast route. The River Cities
1650-475: The Eagle . The Empire Builder was rerouted to Wenatchee , bypassing the Yakima Valley , while a Portland section was added. The Panama Limited was renamed back to the City of New Orleans in hopes of capitalizing on the song of the same name . The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad opted-in to Amtrak in 1983. As a result, Amtrak rerouted its San Francisco Zephyr over the former route of
1716-459: The Hector Mine earthquake . All the cars stayed upright and four passengers were injured. On March 14, 2016, the Southwest Chief derailed 3 miles (4.8 km) from Cimarron, Kansas . Of 14 crew and 128 passengers, 20 were injured. Investigators determined the train derailed after the tracks were knocked out of alignment by a runaway truck from a nearby farm operation that had rolled down
1782-605: The Pasadena Subdivision was converted to the Gold Line in the 1990s, requiring the Southwest Chief to be rerouted to the San Bernardino Subdivision between Los Angeles and San Bernardino. Eastbound service was rerouted on November 28, 1993, replacing the stops at Pasadena and Pomona with Fullerton . Westbound service was rerouted on January 15, 1994. An additional stop at Riverside
1848-566: The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA), Congress divided Amtrak's routes into three strictly-defined service lines: Northeast Corridor routes, short distance corridors (less than 750 mi (1,210 km)), and long-distance routes of more than 750 mi (1,210 km). Unlike short distance "state-supported" corridors, long-distance routes could continue to receive full federal funding. In Amtrak's first year, 1971, it significantly overhauled
1914-812: The Santa Fe Third District via Fullerton and Riverside. Previously, it served Pasadena and Pomona via the Santa Fe Pasadena Subdivision , which was closed to all through traffic following damage to a bridge over the eastbound lanes of Interstate 210 in Arcadia during the Northridge Earthquake . Between 1997 and 1998, Amtrak operated the Southwest Chief in conjunction with the Washington–Chicago Capitol Limited . The two trains used
1980-603: The Southern Pacific between Dallas and Houston. Opposition from the SP killed the plan. In 1974 the Santa Fe withdrew permission to use the name due to a perceived decline in service, so Amtrak renamed it the Lone Star . The Texas Chief debuted with new equipment, including coaches, Pullman sleeping cars , a dining car , and a lounge. In 1966 the Santa Fe assigned its 10 new GE U28CG diesel locomotives to
2046-486: The Southwest Chief is used by Scouts traveling to and from Philmont Scout Ranch via the Raton station . During those months, Raton station is staffed by Amtrak employees and handles checked baggage. The Southwest Chief runs Superliner train sets. Trains typically consist of two P40 or P42 locomotives , a baggage car, three or four sleeper cars, a dining car, sightseer lounge and three coach cars. If demand warrants,
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2112-437: The Southwest Chief's route in western Kansas, southeastern Colorado, and northeastern New Mexico faced uncertainty throughout the 2010s. In 2010, BNSF said that Amtrak would have to pay for all track maintenance on the portion of the Southwest Chief ' route between La Junta and Lamy (Raton and Glorieta Subdivisions), because BNSF does not run any freight trains over this segment. BNSF also said that they would be lowering
2178-539: The Super Chief/El Capitan , but retained the train numbers used by the Super Chief , 17 westbound and 18 eastbound. Amtrak retained the Super Chief/El Capitan after taking over passenger rail service on May 1, 1971. Initially retained the Super Chief / El Capitan names with Santa Fe's permission. From June 11 to September 10, 1972, Amtrak operated the Chief , a second Chicago–Los Angeles train along
2244-523: The Texas Chief . After 1968 excess Hi-Level coaches from the El Capitan and San Francisco Chief could be found on the Texas Chief , along with Big Dome full-length dome lounges from the discontinued Chief . The Texas Chief featured a wide variety of equipment during its short Amtrak tenure. In addition to ex-Santa Fe equipment such as Hi-Level coaches and Big Domes, Amtrak assigned Vista-Dome dormitory-buffet-lounge-observation cars from
2310-474: The Viewliner II fleet. Long-distance trains are typically hauled by GE Genesis diesel locomotives. Trains which traverse the Northeast Corridor use Siemens ACS-64 electric locomotives for that segment of their routes, switching engines at Washington Union Station . Amtrak is in the process of replacing all of its long-distance locomotives with diesel-electric Siemens Charger units by 2032. In 2022
2376-419: The track class on the portion of the Southwest Chief's route between Hutchinson and La Junta from Class IV to Class III and decreasing the passenger train speed limit from 79 mph (127 km/h) to 60 mph (97 km/h). In return, BNSF proposed rerouting the Southwest Chief from the affected sections of track to its Southern Transcon via Wichita, Amarillo, and Clovis—the same route once used by
2442-464: The 1960s led to cutbacks on the Texas Chief . Service south of Houston , Texas, ended in April 1967. The Dallas section ended on August 4, 1968. Amtrak retained the Texas Chief between Chicago and Houston. Santa Fe was planning to discontinue the service unless it was included in the new national system. In 1973 Amtrak proposed re-routing the Texas Chief to serve Dallas. This new route would use
2508-711: The 750-mile (1,210 km) threshold required to categorize the Carolinian as a long-distance train, thus freeing North Carolina of its funding obligations. In November 2021, Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act . Section 22214 of the law orders the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to study the restoration of all long-distance Amtrak routes that had been discontinued, daily service on non-daily trains (the Cardinal and Sunset Limited ), and
2574-565: The BN Mendota Subdivision and the Chillicothe Subdivision. The Chief was rerouted on the old Burlington Northern (former Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad - CB&Q ) through Naperville , Princeton , and Mendota to Galesburg, a route shared with the California Zephyr , Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg . Southwest Chief service to Joliet, Streator and Chillicothe was dropped as part of
2640-473: The FRA released its preferred draft network of fifteen new long-distance routes. The plan would increase the coverage of the long-distance Amtrak network by 23,200 route miles, reaching an additional 45 million population, 61 metropolitan statistical areas, 24 congressional districts, twelve National Park Service sites , and two states ( Wyoming and South Dakota ). Another round of public input will take place before
2706-638: The Missouri General Assembly approved $ 1 million of state funds to establish a Southwest Chief infill station in Carrollton , between the Kansas City and La Plata stations. If approved by the governor, the state funds would have to be matched by local agencies. On October 2, 1979, the Southwest Limited derailed at Lawrence, Kansas . Of the 30 crew and 147 passengers on board, two were killed and 69 were injured. The cause
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2772-785: The Santa Fe Railway. Of Amtrak's long-distance routes, only the Texas Eagle runs faster (with a maximum speed of 100 mph (161 km/h) through much of Illinois). During the spring and summer, volunteer rangers with the Trails and Rails program from the National Park Service travel on board and provide a narrative between La Junta, Colorado , and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Beginning in May 2013, Trails and Rails volunteers also boarded to provide narration between Chicago and La Plata, Missouri . From June through August,
2838-522: The Santa Fe directed Amtrak to stop using the Super Chief and Texas Chief (another notable service originally operated by Santa Fe and which between Chicago and Emporia, Kansas shared route with the Super Chief/El Capitan . Amtrak also took over that service in 1971) names due to a perceived reduction in the quality of services, after the Amtrak takeover. In October 1980 the Limited began running with
2904-751: The Topeka, La Junta , Raton , and Glorieta Subdivision . Amtrak bills the route as one of its most scenic, with views of the Painted Desert and the Red Cliffs of Sedona , as well as the plains of Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and Colorado. During fiscal year 2023, the Southwest Chief carried 253,838 passengers, a 13.5% increase from FY2022. However, this is a 25% decrease from its pre-COVID-19 pandemic ridership of 338,180 passengers in FY2019. The route grossed US$ 43,184,176 in revenue during FY 2016,
2970-467: The final set of routes are recommended to Congress in spring 2024. Texas Chief The Texas Chief was a passenger train operated by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway between Chicago , Illinois and Galveston , Texas . It was the first Santa Fe "Chief" outside the Chicago– Los Angeles routes. The Santa Fe conveyed the Texas Chief to Amtrak in 1971, which renamed it
3036-486: The focal point of a struggle to determine whether to continue Amtrak as a national network or to operate regional stand-alone networks. The issue arose when Amtrak introduced new requirements for the third renewal grant and raised previously undiscussed technical issues. A letter dated May 31, 2018, co-signed by 11 Senators, condemned the action and urged providing the match. In an open letter, former Amtrak President and CEO Joseph H. Boardman said, "The Southwest Chief issue
3102-593: The line, between WSS Lamy and Waldo Siding near Cerrillos were replaced, leaving only 11 blades currently in operation between Wagon Mound and Colmor, in the BNSF Raton Sub. [REDACTED] Media related to Southwest Chief at Wikimedia Commons For 150 mph (241 km/h) or more in the US, see High-speed rail in the United States Amtrak Long Distance [REDACTED] The Long Distance Service Line
3168-429: The long-distance rail network in the United States. In addition to selecting which existing routes to retain, Amtrak created several new routes: the Coast Starlight , North Coast Hiawatha , and Lake Shore . It also renamed several routes: the Spirit of St. Louis became the National Limited , the City of New Orleans the Panama Limited , and the South Wind the Floridian . The following year, 1972,
3234-468: The new Superliner II sleeping coaches built by Bombardier Transportation . In 1979, the Southwest Chief route between Kansas City and Emporia was shifted in order to maintain service to Topeka and Lawrence, which would otherwise have lost service when the Texas Chief was discontinued. Until the 1979 realignment via Topeka, service operated via the direct route between Kansas City and Emporia, via Olathe , Gardner and Ottawa . The western portion of
3300-418: The new coaches Superliner I built by Pullman-Standard , being the fourth of Amtrak's western long-distance trains to be equipped with the new coaches (already running with such cars were the San Francisco Zephyr , Desert Wind and Empire Builder ). On November 30, 1981, Amtrak replaced the ex- Super Chief "Pleasure Dome" and " Hi-Level " cars on the Southwest Limited with new superliners, completing
3366-403: The northeast is 100 mph (160 km/h), reached by the Texas Eagle between Chicago and St. Louis . In a practice not seen elsewhere in the Amtrak network, four long-distance trains divide partway along their routes. This allows trains to serve multiple endpoints without requiring passengers to transfer, and provides efficiency over the shared route segments. Westbound from Chicago
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#17327662469023432-479: The possibility of new long-distance routes—particularly those that were discontinued upon the formation of Amtrak. Work on the Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study began in September 2022. Materials published in February 2023 indicated that the FRA was studying 18 discontinued long-distance Amtrak routes, as well as four that were discontinued in 1971: the City of Miami , George Washington , Pan-American , and San Francisco Chief . In February 2024,
3498-425: The rail network. The Silver Palm was renamed to Palmetto in 2002, restoring the route's former name. In 2005 the Three Rivers was discontinued following the cancellation of a related Postal Service contract. That same year, the Sunset Limited was suspended east of New Orleans due to track damage from Hurricane Katrina . In November 2024 Amtrak truncated the Silver Star at Washington and merged it with
3564-439: The realignment, although Joliet continues to see Amtrak service from other trains. The Chief realignment through the Cameron Connector to the Mendota Sub tracks caused Amtrak to concentrate all of its Galesburg operations in the present station , and the station building along the former Santa Fe line was closed and later demolished. In January 1994, the Southwest Chief was rerouted between San Bernardino and Los Angeles onto
3630-456: The replacement of the original old Super Chief cars with the new cars. The old Hi-Level coaches used on the El Capitan inspired the design for the Superliners. Santa Fe managers, impressed by the design of the new Superliners, permitted Amtrak to restore the name Chief to the train, and Amtrak renamed it the Southwest Chief on October 28, 1984. In September 1993, the Chief was the first of Amtrak's western long-distance trains to receive
3696-402: The reverse trips the trains are coupled at these stations. All long-distance Amtrak trains have checked baggage service, save for the Auto Train , which instead allows passengers to transport items in their vehicles. On every other route, passengers are allowed two personal items, two carry-on bags, and two free checked bags. Two additional bags, oversized bags, and bicycles may be checked for
3762-483: The route through FY2019". In February 2020, USDOT granted $ 225,000 toward studying a Southwest Chief spur train service that would run to Colorado Springs, Colorado , via Pueblo. This follows prior plans to add service to Pueblo and connect with the proposed Front Range Passenger Rail service between Denver and Pueblo. It would have also run along former Colorado & Southern tracks through Walsenburg, reconnecting with its current alignment at Trinidad. In May 2022,
3828-406: The route. Service to Dallas, Texas , began on December 5, 1955. Patronage was strong; historian Keith L. Bryant Jr. credited the Texas Chief with causing the withdrawal of the Texas Special . The Texas Chief was the first major train outside the Chicago–Los Angeles route to carry the "Chief" moniker popularized by the Chief and Super Chief . The general decline in passenger traffic in
3894-485: The same Superliner equipment sets and passengers traveling on both trains could remain aboard during the layover in Chicago. Originally announced in 1996, Amtrak planned to call this through service National Chief and assign it its own numbers (15/16), but the name and numbers were never used. Amtrak dropped the practice with its May 1998 timetable. The Southwest Chief was one of five routes studied for possible performance improvements by Amtrak in FY 2012. The part of
3960-401: The same route, reviving the name of another notable Chicago–Los Angeles sleeper train operated by the Santa Fe. This was the only occasion on which Amtrak ran a second train to duplicate a long-distance service along its entire route outside the New York–Florida corridor. Amtrak dropped the El Capitan designation on April 19, 1973, truncating only the name to Super Chief , and on March 7, 1974,
4026-401: Was a year of major restructuring. Six long-distance routes were discontinued by the Carter Administration for not meeting a minimum farebox recovery ratio: the Lone Star , Champion , North Coast Hiawatha , National Limited , Floridian , and Hilltopper . As limited compensation, a Houston section was added to the Inter-American , a St. Petersburg section to the Silver Meteor , and
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#17327662469024092-414: Was added on April 29, 2002. Prior to 1996, the Southwest Chief operated in Illinois between Chicago and Galesburg via the ATSF's Chillicothe Subdivision, stopping at Joliet , Streator , and Chillicothe . Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Santa Fe in 1996, BNSF constructed a connector track at Cameron, Illinois , which allowed freight and passenger trains to transfer between
4158-398: Was discontinued the same year. Amtrak discontinued the Tampa section of the Silver Meteor in 1994. In 1995 Amtrak discontinued the Gulf Breeze , Palmetto , and Broadway Limited , the latter being partially replaced with the short-distance Three Rivers . Meanwhile, the City of New Orleans was rerouted west to Greenwood between Memphis and Jackson . In 1996 the Three Rivers
4224-400: Was excessive speed on a curve. Underlying causes included the engineer's unfamiliarity with the route and speed restriction signage having been removed during track repairs. On August 9, 1997, the eastbound Southwest Chief derailed about 5 miles northeast of Kingman, Arizona , when a bridge whose undergirding had been washed out by a flash flood collapsed under the weight of the train, which
4290-414: Was extended to Chicago and the Silver Palm was introduced, essentially restoring service on the routes of the Broadway Limited and Palmetto that had ended the prior year. The Sunset Limited was rerouted to bypass Phoenix at the request of Union Pacific . In 1997, funding issues forced Amtrak to discontinue the Desert Wind and Pioneer , severing Las Vegas , Wyoming , and Southern Idaho from
4356-411: Was traveling close to 90 mph (145 km/h). While the lead locomotive stayed on the track, the three trailing locomotives, nine passenger cars, and seven baggage and mail cars derailed. All stayed upright. Of the 325 passengers and crew aboard, 154 were injured and none were killed. On October 16, 1999, the westbound Southwest Chief suffered a minor derailment near Ludlow, California , following
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