Amtrak Locomotive Catches Fire In Milwaukee

No injuries were reported after an Amtrak train engine caught fire in Milwaukee on Thursday.

The Hiawatha Service train was headed north into downtown just after noon when a blaze broke out in the locomotive, and the train was halted.

“Passengers who were in the railcars closest to the locomotive were moved to railcars farther away from the locomotive. They eventually transferred to either private transportation that they arranged and Milwaukee public transit took the remaining passengers to the downtown station after a short delay,” said Marc Magliairi, an Amtrak spokesperson.

Magliari said the same train was not used on the next scheduled trip to Chicago. Instead, passengers were put on a chartered bus.

Magiliari said the normal Hiawatha schedule to and from Chicago has now resumed. He said Amtrak will investigate the cause of the fire.