Amtrak riders in Illinois were hit with a slew of cancellations this weekend, with equipment woes causing disruptions across several routes. The rail agency has been forced to cancel a number of trains departing from or heading to Chicago due to "equipment issues," leaving passengers scrambling to find alternative modes of transportation, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

The affected services include several Amtrak Midwest network trains, encompassing Friday and Saturday schedules. Problems with the supply chain have bottlenecked the availability of replacement parts needed for routine maintenance checks. An Amtrak spokesperson detailed, "A supply chain backlog from key vendors has delayed replacement parts needed to support required routine maintenance inspections." Consequently, some travelers were rerouted to chartered buses, while others may just have to accept refunds, the spokesperson added in statements obtained by both Chicago Business and the Chicago Sun-Times.

Key routes suffering cancellations are the lines running between Chicago and St. Louis, Chicago and Quincy, and Chicago and Port Huron, Michigan. At least two trains to St. Louis slated for Friday and a Saturday service from St. Louis to Chicago have been affected. Other cancellations include the Illinois Zephyr and the Blue Water routes, with one service on each route for Friday and Saturday called off.

As travelers contend with these disruptions, Amtrak has not yet announced any additional cancellations beyond this weekend, nor have they provided a clear timeline on when normal services are expected to resume. Services including routes from Bloomington-Normal to Chicago, and from Springfield to Chicago have also been put on hold, due to the inconvenience of passengers. Despite this, Amtrak assures that it is working to alleviate the situation and keep affected passengers informed and, in some instances, transported by alternative methods, an Amtrak Midwest Service statement relayed to Chicago Business confirmed.