Amtrak’s Illinois Zephyr passes through Lisle, Ill., on the BNSF Railway on May 25, 2019. Among items in the new Illinois budget is funding for two additional state-supported Amtrak trains and extension of BNSF commuter service into Kendall County. TRAINS: David Lassen SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — In a surprise Saturday session, the Illinois General Assembly passed a […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court has declined a request from the Association of American Railroads to review a lower-court ruling regarding the authority of Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration to establish on-time performance metrics and standards for Amtrak operation on host freight railroads. The convoluted legal history of the case has seen a […]
ST. LOUIS — Amtrak’s suspension of Missouri River Runner operation between St. Louis and Kansas City has been extended again, this time through at least Wednesday, June 5. Rerouted Union Pacific freight traffic, the result of flooding elsewhere in the Midwest, continues to lead to track congestion resulting in the suspension. Chartered buses are substituting […]
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Efforts to advance proposed Amtrak service between Minneapolis-St. Paul and Duluth-Superior will have to wait another year after the Minnesota legislature failed to address a bill which included funding for the proposed Northern Lights Express. The proposed $550 million cost of starting the service, including adding capacity to BNSF’s main line, […]
The westbound California Zephyr passes through West Hinsdale, Ill., on May 23, 2019. The westbound Zephyr will return to its regular BSNF route today after two days of detours and cancellations, while the Southwest Chief and Texas Eagle are also experiencing service disruptions. TRAINS: David Lassen CHICAGO — An early morning track closure Friday because […]
ST. LOUIS — The suspension of Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner service has been extended to at least Sunday, June 2. Flooding elsewhere in the Midwest has led Union Pacific to divert freight traffic onto the route, leading to the suspension of the passenger service. Chartered bus service is providing substitute transportation, stopping at all stations […]
Passengers board a Missouri River Runner at Kirkwood, Mo., in 2014. Passengers at many stations must still board trains from platforms which are below the rail; Amtrak’s “Customer Now” program will address this at many stations. Bob Johnston CHICAGO — After investing $19 million on station improvements in fiscal 2018, Amtrak announced Tuesday that it […]
CHICAGO — Amtrak’s westbound California Zephyr is detouring between Chicago and Omaha today via the Union Pacific’s former Chicago & North Western mainline, as will the eastbound train that arrives Thursday and Thursday’s departure from Chicago. The detour off of the normal BNSF Railway route is because of ongoing flooding problems in the Midwest, according […]
Union Pacific derailed several cars blocking access to St. Paul Union Depot from the east on May 28. Khang Lu ST. PAUL, Minn. – The derailment of a Union Pacific freight train at the east end of St. Paul Union Depot Tuesday has temporarily turned the station into a stub-end facility. Six cars of sand […]
ST. LOUIS — Service on Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner remains suspended between Kansas City and St. Louis. The suspension reflects Union Pacific’s diversion of freight traffic because of flooding elsewhere in the Midwest. The suspension will continue through at least Wednesday, May 29. It began May 22 and originally was estimated to last for just […]
As seen from the platform of business car ‘Dearing,’ the 2016 New River Train passes under the New River Gorge bridge near Fayetteville, W.Va., in October 2016. Chase Gunnoe WASHINGTON – Private car owners and operators say they are disappointed of Amtrak’s decision to ban observation deck riding and open dutch doors, despite their efforts […]
SEATTLE – The first response to the National Transportation Safety Board’s report on the 2017 Amtrak Cascades derailment is the Washington State Department of Transportation’s decision to remove Talgo Series 6 trainsets from service “as soon as possible.” WSDOT, a prime financial sponsor of Amtrak Cascades service on the Vancouver, B.C.-Eugene, Ore., corridor, didn’t specify […]
