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Freight railroads and Amtrak prepare for Isidore
Railroads serving New Orleans are bracing for the arrival of Hurricane Isidore, which was projected to come ashore in Louisiana sometime Thursday.
Floodgates around New Orleans – which sits below sea level – were closed early this morning, cutting off rail access to the city. As a major gateway between the big Eastern and Western railroads, more than 100 trains operate in and out of New Orleans daily.
Some of the traffic is being diverted via Memphis and St. Louis, while other traffic is being held until the hurricane passes, projected flooding recedes, and any damage is repaired.
Amtrak’s City of New Orleans, Crescent, and Sunset Limited stopped serving New Orleans today, spokesman Howard Riefs said.
The Crescent will not operate between New Orleans and Meridian, Miss., for the duration of the storm. The City of New Orleans will not run between New Orleans and Hammond, La. And the Sunset Limited will run only between Los Angeles and San Antonio, Texas, until the storm passes.