Hoosier State Transitions to Amtrak Equipment on March 1
The Hoosier State passenger
train, which operates four days per week between Indianapolis and Chicago, will
transition to railcars, locomotives and on-board services supplied by Amtrak
beginning Wednesday, March 1. No action is required from ticketed passengers as
Amtrak will continue to provide ticketing and reservations.
The Hoosier
State operates between Indianapolis and Chicago with intermediate
stops in Crawfordsville, Dyer, Lafayette and Rensselaer. Train 851 runs north
on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday mornings and Train 850 runs south on
Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings. The other days each week these
communities are served by the Amtrak Cardinal train, which operates
between New York City and Chicago.
The Indiana Department of Transportation
and on-line communities plan to make certain on-board amenities available
including Wi-Fi and business class seating. Levels of on-board services will be
finalized and communicated to booked passengers after contracts with Amtrak are
amended.
Amtrak will also continue to provide
train crews and coordinate with private railroads that own the track. Indiana
and 17 other states contract with Amtrak to provide short-distance, intercity
passenger rail services.
The Hoosier State and the Cardinal are important for the flow of
railcars and locomotives between Chicago and the Amtrak heavy maintenance
facility in Beech Grove. More than 500 highly-skilled Amtrak employees rebuild
and overhaul railcars and locomotives at the workshops southeast of
Indianapolis for use across the nation.
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