Amtrak's Hoosier State, train 317 operating from Indianapolis, Ind., to Chicago, Ill., on the four days per week the New York-Washington-Indianapolis-Chicago Cardinal doesn't operate, ran without a serviceable passenger car last Friday, forcing riders to be bused instead. The Train, which usually carries at least one coach, still had to run to Chicago because the equipment was needed for that evening's train 318 back to Indianapolis, Amtrak said. Equipment on Friday's run included a box car and a coach that was out-of-service ("deadhead")because of wheels with flat spots.

The Train is operated primarily to ferry cars back and forth between Amtrak's big car shop at Beech Grove, near Indianapolis, and Chicago, its Midwest operating hub. the Train is scheduled to take almost five hours to cover the 196-mile journey, including four intermediate stops, an average of under 45 mph, so end-point competition vs. the direct highway, Interstate 65, is not serious.

Secondly, I note that it is likely the locomotive and crew was needed was needed to handle the return train; to run light engines, there are numerous speed restrictions (owing to activating signals) that must be observed. Therefore a car, although obviously not a passenger car, was secured so that the movement would be considered a train (as defined by both CSX and Amtrak's Rulebooks) and accordingly did not have any light engine speed restrictions placed on it.

I'm surprised they couldn't find *any* spare cars. Does the train still run with a bi-level car on the days the Cardinal does not run?