Amtrak cancels trains in preparation for hurricane

With a wary eye on the hurricane forecast to make landfall in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast over the weekend, the national passenger rail service said Thursday it was canceling some of its trains south of Washington on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Amtrak said that trains 52 and 53 from Sanford, Fla., to Lorton, Va., and the portion of Sliver Star 91 and 92 from New York to Jacksonville, Fla., would be canceled. Additionally, trains 97 and 98 from New York to Miami and train 89 from New York to Savannah, Ga., would canceled.

Three additional trains, numbers 79 and 80 from New York to Charlotte, N.C., and train 90 from New York to Savannah will be canceled just on Saturday and Sunday, the agency said.

Currently a category 3 hurricane gathering strength near the Bahamas, Irene is expected to be the first major hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. since 2008.

The storm is forecast to possibly affect the East Coast as far north as New England. Officials in some coastal North Carolina regions have already begun evacuating residents.

Amtrak said Thursday it "regrets any inconvenience" from the cancellations, but the agency warned "additional cancellations may be necessary in the coming days as the major storm moves north."

Amtrak said it was not yet making any changes to its Northeast service, which is home to its most popular routes.

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