A northbound Amtrak Northeast Regional train passes through Princeton Junction, N.J., in August 2019. As of Monday, Northeast Corridor operations are down to 10 trains between New York and Washington. TRAINS: David Lassen WASHINGTON — Though his tenure as Amtrak’s next president doesn’t officially begin until April 15, William J. Flynn was introduced to employees […]
Amtrak has begun another round of service cuts as ridership declines continue because of the coronavirus. The latest changes, all effective Monday, April 6: — The Downeaster will reduce operations to one round trip a day, in keeping with Maine Gov. Janet Mills’ executive order that no one will use public transportation except for an […]
Thursday morning rail news: — The San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority has released the draft Environmental Impact Report for a project to extend Amtrak San Joaquin service and Altamont Corridor Express commuter rail service to Sacramento, beginning a 45-day period of public comment on the plan. The project involves improvements to Union Pacific’s Sacramento Subdivision […]
William Flynn, Amtrak’s incoming president and CEO Amtrak Amid a national health crisis, Amtrak is set to seas its 12th president/CEO on April 15. William J. Flynn retired on Jan. 1 as CEO of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. and at 65 has racked up a career spanning ocean shipping, freight railroading, logistics and air […]
Tuesday morning rail news: — Eight workers for New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority are now reported to have died of complications from the COVID-19 virus, Spectrum News reports. As of Monday, the agency has 333 confirmed cases of the virus and 2,700 workers in quarantine. While the MTA has acquired 75,000 disposable surgical masks for […]
A Monday morning update on the latest COVID-19-related cuts in rail service: — VIA Rail Canada will dramatically reduce operations as of Tuesday, operating only one train per day on each of its routes in the Quebec City-Windsor, Ontario, corridor, with those trains stopping at every station. Elsewhere, its Montreal-Jonquiere, Quebec; Montreal-Senneterre, Que; and Sudbury-White […]
A shortage of workers is leading Amtrak to limit California Zephyr service to the Chicago-Denver portion of its route, effective today. The Zephyr becomes the first of Amtrak’s long distance trains to see a change in service because of the coronavirus outbreak. An email to Amtrak employees says a worker on the route has tested […]
Sunday morning rail news: — Canada is restricting domestic travel by passengers showing signs of the COVID-19 virus, such as fever, coughing, or difficulty breathing. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the rules Saturday; they go into effect Monday at noon. The Canadian Press reports that under the order issued by Transport Canada, VIA Rail Canada, […]
A Saturday morning update of rail operation changes because of the COVID-19 outbreak: — San Francisco’s Muni is shutting down all light rail service as of Monday, March 30, replacing the service with buses. Subway stations will be closed, except for those also used by Bay Area Rapid Transit trains. Closure of the Muni Metro […]
— One crewman suffered a foot injury when nine auto racks of Amtrak’s northbound Auto Train derailed Thursday afternoon near DeLand, Fla. None of the train’s passenger cars derailed and no passengers were injured, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, which attributed the derailment to “a problem with the track.” The passenger portion of the […]
A Brightline train departs West Palm Beach, Fla., in 2019. The Florida passenger service has shut down indefinitely because of the COVID-19 virus. TRAINS: David Lassen Thursday morning rail news: — Florida passenger service Brightline shut down operations Wednesday and laid off 250 of its 300 employees because of the coronavirus pandemic. In an email […]
Tuesday morning updates on rail service changes because of the COVID-19 outbreak: •Amtrak’s San Joaquins will suspend three round trips as of Thursday, March 26, close some stations, and suspend cafe car service. Four round trips will continue to operate. The trains eliminated — Nos. 701, 702, 703, 704, 714, and 717 — are those […]
