US rail company Amtrak said that it will be cancelling all long-distance passenger trains from Thursday due to a possible work stoppage affecting the railroads it uses.
This news came as two unions and the rail freight industry reached an impasse in contract negotiations. Strikes and lockouts may now commence at 12:01 am on Friday after a 30-day “cooling off” period ends.
Amtrak said that outside the Northeast Corridor, which connects Boston, New York and Washington, most of its trains run on “track owned, maintained, and dispatched by freight railroads.” This meant that only trains that can reach their destination before the period ended can continue to operate.
Trains running in the Northeast Corridor and on related lines to Albany, NY; Harrisburg, Pa; and Springfield, Mass, would not be impacted by the stoppage, according to Amtrak.
The rail company said that passengers can change their reservations to another date without any difference in fare through to 31 October, or receive a refund without cancellation fees.
Officials from the Biden administration are looking to establish an agreement between the unions and rail industry to prevent a work stoppage. The unions represent half of the 115,000 workers covered by negotiations.
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