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 […]
WASHINGTON – Amtrak board of directors has appointed Kevin Winters as the new Amtrak inspector general, effective immediately. He succeeds Tom Howard, who will retire after four decades of experience in senior federal accountability positions. Winters has served as deputy inspector general and counsel since 2015, after serving for 10 years as a senior executive […]
CHICAGO – The derailment of a Canadian National freight train in south suburban Harvey that knocked down adjacent catenary supports on parallel Metra Electric tracks continues to affect Windy City passenger operations, even as temperatures begin to climb. For the third consecutive day, all Metra Electric and South Shore Line trains have been cancelled. The […]
Passengers de-train from the New River Train as it makes its second station stop in Hinton, W.Va., in October 2015. Chase Gunnoe WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., has sent a letter to Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson expressing concern over Amtrak’s policies and restrictions that are creating financial hardship for the Collis P. Huntington […]
A Chicago-bound Amtrak Hiawatha passes the station at Deerfield, Ill., on Dec. 24, 2016. Almost all Amtrak corridor service in and out of Chicago will resume Friday after cancellations on Wednesday and Thursday. TRAINS: David Lassen CHICAGO — With temperatures expected to bottom out at minus-23 degrees and wind chills in the minus-50 degree range […]
Replacing Southwest Chief service over Raton Pass with a bus bridge would have a high price for communities along the route, according to a new report. Bob Johnston WASHINGTON — A bus bridge replacing the Southwest Chief between Albuquerque, N.M., and Dodge City, Kan., would lead to annual economic losses of more than $116 million […]
CHICAGO — Today’s Empire Builder departures from Chicago and Seattle have been cancelled, reflecting weather concerns across the Amtrak train’s northern route. Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said the cancellations were a mutual decision by Amtrak and BNSF Railway, which hosts the train for the majority of its route. Amtrak had previously modified schedules for many […]
Led by the “Salute to Veterans” cab car, an Amtrak Hiawatha kicks up snow as it passes through the Healy Metra station in Chicago on Dec. 30, 2018. Service on the Hiawatha and other trains from the Chicago hub is being modified in advance of severe winter weather. TRAINS: David Lassen CHICAGO — With extreme winter […]
NORFOLK, Va. — Amtrak will add a second train to Norfolk beginning March 4, the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot reports. Amtrak spokeswoman Kimberly Woods told the newspaper the schedule has yet to be finalized, but a press release from the city of Norfolk said the train will have a mid-morning depature. The new train, like the current […]
CHICAGO — For the second time in recent years, debris has fallen on people and a platform serving Metra passengers at the north concourse of Chicago Union Station. The latest incident occurred at Track 5 about 5 p.m. Tuesday. Two people were taken by Chicago Fire Department personnel to a hospital for treatment, but were […]
Amtrak plans to resume normal operations today, following two days of cancellations and other schedule changes in advance of the winter storm that moved through the Northeast over the weekend. The passenger railroad had cancelled some long-distance trains into and out of New York and Boston on Saturday, as well as a number of trains […]
A Northeast Regional train rolls into New Haven on June 16, 2018. Until Jan. 31, 1999, all Amtrak Boston-bound trains swapped electrics for diesels here. Because of concerns over ice, Amtrak used diesels instead of electrics for some Northeast Corridor trains this weekend. Bob Johnston NEW YORK — Predicted ice, snow, and plunging temperatures drove […]
