Police investigate the grade crossing accident in Brookfield, Wis., that left the automobile driver dead Monday. Cate Kratville-Wrinn BROOKFIELD, Wis. — A 70-year-old man died Monday when he drove his SUV into the path of Amtrak’s westbound Empire Builder passenger train, according to police reports. The accident happened at 4:15 p.m. at Brookfield Road adjacent […]
The westbound Canadian is 22 hours late as seen from its eastbound counterpart at Jasper, Alberta, on Feb 16, 2019. Two photos, Neil Lang CHICAGO – Keeping trains running through the so-called “polar vortex” in the center of North America and massive weather systems impacting the West Coast with heavy rains and snow have taken […]
WASHINGTON — The budget compromise that Congress passed last night and is expected to be signed by President Donald Trump today funds Amtrak at $1.9 billion, equal to last year’s level, according to a summary document issued by House Democrats. The bill also includes $670 million for rail infrastructure improvements. Overall, the Federal Railroad Administration budget […]
Amtrak Chairman Anthony Coscia, left, speaks at a news conference in New York City Wednesday announcing a $189 million settlement agreement between the railroad and the state of New Jersey. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and NJ Transit Executive Director Kevin Corbett stand behind Coscia. Ralph Spielman NEW YORK CITY — New Jersey officials have […]
Amtrak began serving Norfolk, Va., in December 2012. Fred W. Frailey NORFOLK, Va. – Amtrak will soon offer two weekday departures from Norfolk. Tickets are now available to purchase for travel to and from the waterfront city beginning on March 4. The first Northeast Regional departs Norfolk at 6:15 a.m. every weekday and arrives in […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak President Richard Anderson took repeated opportunities Thursday to highlight how a failure of aging Northeast Corridor infrastructure near New York “would effectively shut down economic activity in Manhattan” and “cut off (rail travel) from Maine to North Carolina and down to Florida.” But testimony from other panel witnesses and questioning from members […]
TOMAH, Wis. — Tomah’s renovated Amtrak station will open on Wednesday, Feb. 13. A dedication ceremony is set for 4:30 p.m., the Tomah Journal reports. There is also a town hall meeting that evening featuring a representative of the Wisconsin Rail Passenger Association, discussing the status of the Empire Builder and the possibility of a […]
A Capitol Corridor train passes through Crockett, Calif. Amtrak and BART are considering a shared crossing of San Francisco Bay that would allow direct service between San Francisco and Sacramento. Steve Glischinski SAN FRANCISCO — Bay Area Rapid Transit and Amtrak are joining forces to study the possibility of a second San Francisco Bay rail […]
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A drunk, shirtless man was arrested Monday after climbing aboard a moving Amtrak train and attempting to operate the second locomotive in the consist, sounding the horn repeatedly. The Sacramento Bee reports Dylan Thomas Baldini, 26, of McCloud, Calif., was arrested after boarding the Coast Starlight in Mount Shasta, Calif., about 1:18 […]
NEW YORK — Friday’s announcement that Amtrak’s board of directors had reached agreement with New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority on the Penn Station Access project had been expected. An accompanying possibility — direct Amtrak service to Long Island — was not. In a press release following the Amtrak board meeting, Stephen Gardner, senior executive vice […]
Amtrak’s northbound Vermonter crosses a canal in Holyoke, Mass., on Aug. 30, 2018. Plans for additional service will increase frequency on this corridor from one to three round trips daily. Scott A. Hartley SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The upgrade of former Boston & Maine Railroad trackage that allowed the Vermonter to be rerouted via Greenfield, Mass., […]
Joe Boardman Bob Johnston WAUKESHA, Wis. — Former Amtrak President Joe Boardman has strong words for his old railroad in the March 2019 issue of Trains Magazine. In our monthly “The Trains Interview,” Boardman discusses rail safety, operations, dining car service and offers a critical opinion of the passenger railroad under the leadership of Amtrak’s […]
