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today.reuters.com/investing/fina···RAK.XMLThey're back. In a replay of a 24-hour stranding of hundreds in the Georgia woods last December ( »
A Leisurely Train Ride ), Amtrak has closed the popular North/South DC to Florida corridor at the height of Spring Break travel.
Passenger rail service Amtrak said it was suspending service between Washington, D.C. and Florida on Wednesday and Thursday because of repairs being made to a bridge in North Carolina by CSX Corp. (CSX.N: Quote, Profile, Research), which owns the rail corridor.
CSX discovered some defects that needed to be repaired before rail traffic can proceed, Amtrak spokeswoman Vernae Graham said. Amtrak was turning around trains already in transit and would cancel almost a dozen trains on Thursday, she said.
That includes the auto train, which carries passengers and their vehicles between Lorton, Virginia, outside Washington and Sanford, Florida, Graham said.
"CSX is estimating the bridge will be back in operation by noon on Friday the 14th," she said, adding that a decision about Friday Amtrak service would likely be made on Thursday.
A representative for CSX was not immediately available for comment.
Amtrak is a for-profit federal corporation that relies on subsidies. In recent years, the U.S. Transportation Department has pushed for business reforms and Amtrak has been considering restructuring its long-distance train routes.