Stuck on an Amtrak Train? Enjoy the Journey. Long Trips Like the Coast Starlight Might Be Doomed.

A spokesperson says, “we are rethinking how we offer service on the national network.”

Amtrak engine pulling cars on a California route through Ventura (Public Domain Pictures)
By Elise Herron

News of the Amtrak train was stuck in Oregon for almost 40 hours earlier this week spread rapidly, with passengers recounting stories of two hellish nights snowed in on the tracks.

But long distance trains like the Coast Starlight, which runs from Seattle to Los Angeles, could soon be phased out, The Seattle Times reports.

Richard Anderson, Amtrak's CEO, who formerly helmed Delta Air Lines, wants to cut costs by eliminating the long-distance routes, and he may be forced to do so if President Donald Trump's proposed funding package for the coming fiscal year is approved.

This fiscal year, Amtrak received around $2 million in federal funds from Congress. In a budget released Monday, Fortune reports, Trump proposed cutting the Amtrak budget in half. The Trump Administration points out that short distance trips have increased, but longer routes, which serve a small number of people, cost the agency roughly $500 million annually.

Olivia Irvin, a spokesperson for Amtrak, says no decisions have been made to kill long distance trains like the Coast Starlight yet.

"With the continued growth of rail service and changing population and demographics, we are rethinking how we offer service on the national network," Irvin tells WW. "That study and planning isn't done yet, and we aren't prepared to announce any plans or recommendations yet."

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