CHICAGO — After a much-delayed arrival in the city, Amtrak’s “Day One” Siemens ALC42 Charger locomotive continued toward its official handover to Amtrak on Tuesday evening, heading east on the Capitol Limited. Trailing P42 locomotive No. 142 were ALC42 No. 301 and a six-car consist including a dormitory car, sleeper, Cross-Country Café, baggage-coach, and full […]
FAIRPORT, N.Y. — A new train-watching platform has opened in this historic village east of Rochester in Upstate New York. Located at the junction of the CSX Rochester and West Shore Subdivisions, the three-track line sees 40-plus trains a day on the route linking the Midwest with the New England and the New York Metro […]
RALSTON, Neb. — “Day One” is on trip No. 1. Siemens Charger ALC42, No. 301 the second locomotive in Amtrak’s 75-unit order for new long-distance locomotives, is en route from the Siemens plant in Sacramento, Calif, to Wilmington, Del., where Amtrak will take delivery. The locomotive, wearing the one-of-a-kind “Day One” scheme to commemorate the […]
LOS ANGELES — Amtrak’s Coast Starlight began operating as Los Angeles-Sacramento, Calif., and Seattle-Klamath Falls, Ore., sections linked by an overnight bus ride as of Friday, July 16, but travelers haven’t been able to make new reservations, even on the unaffected parts of the route. The Seattle-Klamath Falls portion had been dropped after a wildfire […]
CUMBERLAND, Md. — As tourist railroads and museums emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, they are offering new experiences to attract the public. At the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, this effort has translated into the addition of Amtrak’s last dome car. The Ocean View, built in 1955 and retired by Amtrak in 2019, debuted earlier this […]
WASHINGTON — The commission that helps fund Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor operations today released a sweeping blueprint that sets goals for passenger rail service improvements over the next 15 years, and the infrastructure investments and funding it estimates will be necessary to implement them. On the surface, “Connect NEC 2035,” or “C35,” might be viewed as […]
WASHINGTON — A criminal investigation is underway of two Amtrak employees fired for accepting gifts from a construction contractor who received a $58 million contract, the New York Post reports. The gifts involved included three trips to Philadelphia, and drinks and entertainment at a strip club for a management official, and clothing and a furnace […]
WEED, Calif. — Union Pacific’s main line linking the Pacific Northwest and California — its Interstate 5 corridor — is likely to remain closed until at least Sept. 1 as a result of the wildfire that destroyed the massive Dry Canyon Bridge in Northern California along with 9 miles of right-of-way. The railroad informed customers […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak and shipper groups have welcomed the executive order from President Joe Biden which seeks to increase competition among railroads. Biden signed the order on Friday, drawing criticism from the Association of American Railroads and some individual Class 1 roads [see “Biden executive order prods STB …,” Trains News Wire, July 9, 2021]. […]
CHICAGO — More than 40 years after their debut, Amtrak’s bilevel Superliners remain essential to its long-distance operations in the western U.S., along with a handful of other routes. This article offers a look at what passengers can expect when they ride in Superliner coaches, eat in superliner diners, or enjoy scenery from a comfortable […]
Introduction CHICAGO — Amtrak’s Superliners are double-decked, stainless steel, window-loaded passenger cars — among the most modern available to the traveling public in the United States today. Trains offers passengers a look at what they can expect when they book tickets to ride these cars. This article looks at Superliners’ history and offers a review […]
CHICAGO — As of today, top speeds are rising from 79 to 90 mph on much of Amtrak’s Chicago-St. Louis Lincoln Service corridor. With signal system testing complete and certified for reliability by the Federal Railroad Administration, the higher speed will be allowed between Laraway Road, south of Joliet, Ill., and CP Wann, two miles […]
