CHICAGO—Flooding in eastern Nebraska, western Iowa, and northwest Missouri has caused delays, truncations and outright cancellations to the Chicago-Emeryville, Calif., California Zephyr and two state-sponsored Missouri River Runner round-trips between St. Louis and Kansas City, Mo. Today’s eastbound Zephyr is cancelled entirely out of California; Amtrak has blocked sales east of Denver until at least […]
Responding to requests from Amtrak, NJ Transit, and New Jersey officials, the Coast Guard will no longer allow opening of the Portal Bridge during rush-hour periods. Russell Sullivan SECAUCUS, N.J. — The U.S. Coast Guard has changed rules regarding the opening of New Jersey’s troublesome Portal Bridge, reducing the risk of disrupted Northeast Corridor service […]
WASHINGTON — The proposal to build a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River has once again received a low rating from federal regulators that makes it ineligible for a key source of U.S. government funding, the Associated Press reports. The Federal Transit Administration has rated the new tunnel between New York and New Jersey […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has difficulty in identifying and addressing issues of drug and alcohol use among its employees, “a longstanding challenge for the company,” Amtrak’s Office of Inspector General says in a new report. The report issued Wednesday summarizes the following issues with the company’s program for employees in “safety-sensitive positions:” — Testing requirements were […]
ROME, N.Y. – Locomotive horns blew at 11:01 a.m. on Friday in Rome and across the Amtrak network to honor former President and CEO Joe Boardman who died March 7 following complications of a stroke. A moment of silence was held at 11 a.m., followed by the sounding of a former F40PH locomotive horn mounted […]
WASHINGTON – The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a board meeting May 21, 2019, at 1 p.m. to determine the probable cause of the fatal Dec. 18, 2017, Amtrak Cascades accident near DuPont, Wash. Three passengers were killed and 65 others including passengers, crew, and occupants of highway vehicles were injured when Amtrak train No. […]
HOLLAND, Mich. – See five million blooming tulips, not brake lights and toll booths, this May 4 and 11 when Amtrak and the Michigan Department of Transportation offer additional service between Chicago and Holland for the annual Tulip Time Festival. These trains on the daily Pere Marquette route, sponsored by MDOT, will run on two […]
Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) is requesting detailed answers from Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson about February’s signal failure at Chicago Union Station. More than 100,000 Amtrak and Metra passengers had trips disrupted by the Feb. 28 signal problems at Chicago Union Station. TRAINS: David Lassen CHICAGO — The chairman of the House subcommittee on railroads is […]
Stephen Gardner of Amtrak explains details of the storm-damaged North River Tunnel beneath the Hudson River during a Jan. 28, 2019, inspection trip for elected officials. Two congressmen are introducing legislation requiring the federal government to have a contingency plan in case of a tunnel failure. Pool photo/Ed Murray, New Jersey Advance Media for NJ.com […]
WASHINGTON – The Metropolitan Police Department responded to a report of a deceased passenger on Amtrak train No. 92, the northbound Silver Star, at Washington Union Station on Monday, WUSA-TV reports. Police do not suspect any “criminal activity” took place. Passengers continuing north were accommodated on another train. The Silver Star operates daily between Miami […]
LA JUNTA, Colo. —Even as Amtrak withheld money related to a federal grant for improvements on the route of the Southwest Chief, engineering work for the project began. And in the wake of the death of former Amtrak president Joe Boardman, stakeholders are more determined than ever to obtain the funding needed to complete the […]
DULUTH, Minn. — After a day of meetings with local officials, an Amtrak executive promised Monday that the passenger railroad is “going to deliver” on proposed service between Duluth and Minneapolis-St. Paul. Joe McHugh, Amtrak’s vice president, state-supported business development, told the Duluth News-Tribune that the proposed 152-mile, 2 ½-hour Northern Lights Express is “in the […]
