WASHINGTON — Private varnish will become a rare sight at Washington Union Station for the foreseeable future as concourse modernization work limits the switching and layover of private railcars in the Nation’s Capital. Amtrak has already denied several private car trips originating in Washington Union Station as soon as early May, citing recent changes in […]
Railroad: Amtrak
State senator to offer amendment to restore ‘Hoosier State’ funding NEWSWIRE
INDIANAPOLIS — State Sen. Ron Alting says he will offer an amendment to the proposed state budget that would restore funding for Amtrak’s Hoosier State service, WLFI-TV reports. Alting, a Republican, represents a district including Lafayette, Ind., one of the communities served on the train’s Chicago-Indianapolis route. He told the TV station, “Many people in […]
Congressman to hold hearing on Amtrak signal meltdown at Chicago Union Station, other commuter issues NEWSWIRE
Rep. Dan Lipinski will hold a hearing Tuesday on the Feb. 28 commuter meltdown at Chicago Union Station as well as “other issues for commuters.” CHICAGO — U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) will hold a hearing Tuesday on Amtrak’s technical meltdown that snarled Metra commuter service in February. The hearing will be held in room […]
Amtrak signal problem delays Metra BNSF trains during morning commute NEWSWIRE
Signal problems caused delays for Metra BNSF trains at Chicago Union Station on Thursday morning. TRAINS: David Lassen CHICAGO — Metra BNSF line trains experienced delays arriving and departing from Union Station on Thursday morning because of Amtrak signal problems, WGN-TV reported. Delays of 30 to 45 minutes were reported during the morning commute. “Trains […]
Planning continues to advance for new Chicago-Twin Cities Amtrak service NEWSWIRE
The Empire Builder crosses the Mississippi River in Hastings, Minn., in September 2018. Planning continues for efforts to launch a second train on the Builder‘s route between Chicago and Minneapolis-St. Paul. TRAINS: David Lassen PORTAGE, Wis. — A proposal for a second daily Amtrak train between Chicago and Minneapolis-St. Paul should receive a waiver exempting […]
Gateway Project idles while politicians dispute progress NEWSWIRE
WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao came under fire Wednesday at an appropriations hearing in the U.S. House of Representatives, with transportation subcommittee chairwoman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., charging the Trump administration with “neglecting to include even one cent for the Gateway project” in its fiscal year 2020 budget request. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s proposed […]
Glenview, Ill., budgets more money to fight expansion of Hiawatha service
GLENVIEW, Ill. — The Glenview Village Board has voted to budget another $36,000 for its fight against efforts to increase Amtrak Hiawatha service between Chicago and Milwaukee, running the community’s total tab for the effort to more than $541,000. The Chicago Tribune reports that of the newly budgeted funds, $30,000 will go to a state […]
NTSB: CSX workers killed in 2017 accident were walking on Amtrak tracks NEWSWIRE
This NTSB diagram shows the site of the June 2017 accident that killed two CSX Transportation workers. National Transportation Safety Board WASHINGTON — The two CSX employees killed in a 2017 accident near Washington Union Station died as a result of their decision to walk on an active Amtrak track, the National Transportation Safety Board […]
Tuscaloosa, Ala., scraps plan for new Amtrak station NEWSWIRE
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Tuscaloosa has abandoned efforts to place a new Amtrak station in the city’s Alberta area, citing a breakdown in negotiations with Norfolk Southern over the railroad’s safety concerns. “In the final analysis, Norfolk Southern had concerns regarding sight distance at that site,” Mayor Walt Maddox told the Tuscaloosa News. “This made the […]
With funding loss imminent, Amtrak ends ticket sales for ‘Hoosier State’ NEWSWIRE
CHICAGO — Amtrak has announced it will no longer sell tickets for the Hoosier State after June 30 as the train nears cancellation as a result of loss of funding from the state of Indiana. The state currently provides $3 million in funding for the four-day-a-week train, while five local governments provide another $500,000. But […]
Ask Trains: Will Precision Scheduled Railroading affect Amtrak timekeeping?
Siemens Charger SC-44 No. 4632 leads Amtrak train 391, the southbound Saluki from Chicago to Carbondale, Ill., on the Canadian National Centrailia Subdivision, after passing the coaling towers that were built for the then Illinois Central Railroad in 1949. 18302-27 Jim Pearson Question: What effect, if any, will the implementation of Precision Scheduled Railroading by […]
Amtrak to spend $90 million on Baltimore station improvements
BALTIMORE — Amtrak will spend $90 million to upgrade Baltimore’s Penn Station, a move expected to ignite $400 to $600 million in development around the station area, the Baltimore Sun reports. Amtrak will make station and track improvements and lease an adjacent lot to a group, Penn Station Partners, to build a mixed-use project. “Amtrak […]
