Per Amtrak trainmaster a couple of years ago, Amtrak shuts down passenger trains in bad weather to avoid getting sued. Doesn't have anything to do with fewer section crews and etc that used to be in the good old days that was mentioned in an earlier thread. BNSF also holds back passenger trains in slide areas for extended periods of time for similar reasons. If the train is running in adverse conditions and something happens -- lawsuit city!! I talked with a UP trainmaster yesterday, and the freight railroads are going to change policies on running trains too when the new rail safety laws fully take effect and the fines for not getting crews off trains in a timely manner increase. It will become cheaper to not run trains in severe winter weather rather that risk not getting a crew off their train on their hours. Heck, even the postal service doen't run in bad winter weather anymore.