NEWARK, N.J. — A former Amtrak employee has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from fraudently obtaining dozens of chainsaw and hundreds of chainsaw parts over an eight-year period. A press release from Amtrak’s Office of Inspector General says Jose Rodriguez, 49, of Brick, N.J., obtained 114 chainsaws, 112 chainsaw replacement bars, and 222 replacement chains […]
Railroad: Amtrak
Amtrak service in Fort Madison, Iowa, to move to restored 1910 Santa Fe station
FORT MADISON, Iowa — The City of Fort Madison celebrated completion of an almost 14-year effort to restore its downtown passenger station on Friday, Dec. 10, with Southwest Chief service to and from the station to begin this Wednesday, Dec. 15. Work at the downtown facility, built by Santa Fe in 1910, required raising the […]
Amtrak HR department too understaffed to handle planned hiring, report says
WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s Human Resources department does not have sufficient staff to handle the company’s plans to add up to 3,500 employees this fiscal year, the Amtrak Office of the Inspector General says in a report issued Thursday. In another report, the Office of Inspector General said Amtrak should become more involved in local efforts […]
Amtrak sticks to employee vaccine mandate, prepares to announce reductions
WASHINGTON — Amtrak President Stephen Gardner’s presentation Thursday at a House committee hearing included justification for potential service cuts, related to the passenger railroad’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement, that may be announced next week. Gardner was taking part in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Rail Subcommittee hearing, “Leveraging Infrastructure and Jobs Act: Plans for Expanding […]
News Photos: Amtrak heritage electric debuts (updated)
Shades of the AEM7: Amtrak’s newest heritage locomotive, ACS64 No. 662, made its debut on Thursday, handling Northeast Regional train No. 176 from Washington to Boston. The first trip came shortly after Amtrak released photos on Twitter of the Siemens locomotive wrapped in a recreation of the paint scheme worn by the earlier electric locomotives […]
Back to business travel aboard Amtrak
Travel aboard a long-distance train for business? Before you set your time machine back to 1951, you might want to consider the perks of booking an overnight trip on a present-day Amtrak train! That’s precisely what Trains.com staffers did when they needed to get themselves, plus all their photography and video gear, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, […]
Back to business travel aboard Amtrak
Travel aboard a long-distance train for business? Before you set your time machine back to 1951, you might want to consider the perks of booking an overnight trip on a present-day Amtrak train! That’s precisely what Trains.com staffers did when they needed to get themselves, plus all their photography and video gear, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, […]
Hudson Tunnel project gets federal permit
The much-discussed project to build new Northeast Corridor tunnels between New York and New Jersey has received the permit allowing construction to begin once funding is secured. NJ.com reports the permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would allow construction of the Hudson River Tunnel to begin in summer 2023. Once the two new […]
STB grants Amtrak access to CSX yard in Mobile, Ala.
WASHINGTON — Score one small win for Amtrak in its ongoing effort to launch service along the Gulf Coast. The Surface Transportation Board on Monday issued a decision honoring Amtrak’s request for an order allowing it access to CSX Transportation’s Choctaw Yard in Mobile, Ala., to conduct a survey to determine a possible site for […]
Amtrak limits ‘Track Friday’ sale; service reductions possible in January as unions file suit
WASHINGTON — In a departure from the post-Thanksgiving “Track Friday” sale that Amtrak has staged since 2016, this year’s version is only available from Maine to Virginia in the Northeast instead of on most routes nationwide. Through today (Monday, Nov. 29) the company is offering “Buy One, Get One Free” companion fares between Jan. 4 […]
Woman receives $6.9 million in Amtrak derailment lawsuit
SEATTLE — In the latest in a series of lawsuits stemming from the fatal 2017 derailment of an Amtrak Cascades train, a 28-year-old Seattle woman has received $6.9 million in damages for injuries she suffered in the accident at DuPont, Wash. Kylie Steele, who was 24 at the time of the accident, had “a life […]
San Diego transit district to revive STB petition
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The North County Transit District plans to revive its regulatory efforts to build a safety fence along its rail line through Del Mar, Calif., saying it has been unable to reach agreement with the city, which opposes the fencing. The San Diego Union Tribune reports the district board of directors, at […]
