Amtrak is pulling all Horizon cars from service after a routine inspection this week revealed corrosion in several cars. The decision to park the cars will have a major impact on regional services across the country that rely on the equipment.

Amtrak released the following statement on Wednesday morning: “In compliance with federal requirements and its ongoing commitment to safety, Amtrak routinely inspects its railcars and locomotives. We discovered corrosion in several Horizon railcars and, while working with the manufacturer, decided to remove the equipment from service after learning of additional areas of concern from intensive inspections of multiple cars. The removal of this equipment from service will affect services on several routes: Downeaster, Hiawatha, Borealis, and Amtrak Cascades. Some trains, such as the Downeaster, will operate with fewer cars, while other services will be provided substitute transportation until a long-term plan is developed.”

The largest impact will be on the Cascades route, which has only one other alternative set of equipment. This means that most runs will need to be replaced with buses.

The Horizon cars were built by Bombardier between 1988 and 1990 to supplement the Amfleet I fleet. The cars were based on Comet commuter cars design.

This is a developing story and will be updated when additional information becomes available. —Justin Franz