Amtrak cancels all long-distance routes amid looming rail strike
CBSN
Amtrak said it is canceling all long-distance trips starting on Thursday amid a looming railway strike that could disrupt the U.S. economy, resulting in lost productivity of $2 billion a day.
The potential work stoppage stems from a labor dispute between railroad companies and their unionized workforces. If the two sides aren't able to come to an agreement this week, the strike could begin Friday.
While Amtrak is not involved in the ongoing negotiations between the two sides, a work stoppage would impact its passenger service because almost all of its routes outside the Northeast corridor operate on tracks maintained and dispatched by freight railroads. The announcement comes after the passenger train service canceled three long-distance routes earlier this week in anticipation of the strike.
An American Airlines jet with 60 passengers and four crew members aboard collided with an Army helicopter Wednesday night while coming in for a landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington. The Black Hawk helicopter was carrying a crew of three. Officials said early Thursday that everyone on board both aircraft is believed dead, which would make it the deadliest U.S. air crash in nearly a quarter century.