Amtrak’s westbound California Zephyr passes the Highlands Metra station in Hinsdale, Ill., on July 7, 2018. Amtrak’s operating loss decreased in fiscal 2018. TRAINS: David Lassen WASHINGTON — Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson said his company posted “the best performance in Amtrak history” after the passenger railroad announced an operating loss of $168 million in fiscal […]
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Amtrak will close its Southern California reservation call center, eliminating 550 jobs, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reported. The closure was announced in a Wednesday email to employees. Operations will end on Jan. 18, with sale of the building to follow. The message to employees said operations would be consolidated with those at Amtrak’s […]
WASHINGTON – Maybe Amtrak loves the Southwest Chief after all. Despite the recent dust-up over creating a “bus bridge” between Kansas and New Mexico, the passenger railroad is featuring the train on its 2019 wall calendar. The calendar photo shows a nine-car westbound No. 3 passing red rock mesas at Mesita, N.M., on the Laguna […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has addressed some flaws in conducting background checks as part of its hiring process, but some issues remain, according to a report by Amtrak Office of Inspector General. Most notably, according to the report issued Nov. 1, reviews of applicants’ education and employment histories are insufficient, and the company does not ensure […]
Passengers de-train from the New River Train as it makes its second station stop in Hinton, W.Va., in October 2015. Chase Gunnoe HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s annual New River Train could come to a halt because of Amtrak plans to increase private car rates and tighten policies. The 52-year-old annual excursion through West Virginia’s […]
Three original California Zephyr cars, the Silver Lariat, Silver Rapids, and Silver Solarium, trail Amtrak’s westbound California Zephyr near Pinecliffe, Colo., on Nov. 4, 2017. Chase Gunnoe WASHINGTON — It will soon cost more money to haul a private car behind Amtrak trains. The passenger railroad is increasing its private-car tariff for the second time […]
A Metro-North New Haven Line train rolls through a curve at Stratford, Conn., in 2015. Metro-North parent MTA says Amtrak demands are delaying a project to bring some New Haven Line trains to Penn Station. Scott A. Hartley NEW YORK — A Metropolitan Transportation Authority official says Amtrak demands have stalled a project that would […]
NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern will adopt Precision Scheduled Railroading principles as it develops a new operating plan that aims to produce better service at lower cost. The decision, announced today, comes a month after Union Pacific said it, too, would implement an operating plan based on the philosophy of the late E. Hunter Harrison, […]
These P40 diesels, seen at Bear, Del., on June 7, 2010, are up for sale after being passed over for rehab. Bob Johnston BEECH GROVE, Ind. — Want to buy a 1954-vintage, ex-Santa Fe hi-level lounge? Or how about one of eight F40 or 12 P40 locomotives? Starting today through Nov. 2, Amtrak is offering […]
TRAINS: Steve Sweeney/ Source: Amtrak BEECH GROVE, Ind. — Amtrak on Wednesday announced that it is soliciting bids for 48 pieces of equipment located at its Beech Grove, Ind., and Bear and Wilmington, Del., shops that it now considers surplus. The lot made up mostly of diesel locomotives and baggage cars, as well as all […]
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — Two weeks ahead of schedule, Schenectady’s new Amtrak station has opened. The $23 million facility opened Wednesday, with Lt. Gov Kathy Hochul participating in a ribbon-cutting ceremony and saying, “This telegraphs to the world that we’re prepared for the future,” according to the Albany Times-Union. It is the third new station on […]
SEATTLE — A South Carolina man leapt from in front of an oncoming freight train, only to succumb to a passing Amtrak train south of Seattle on Sunday, the News Tribune reports. The Tacoma, Wash., news outlet cites a local public safety official saying that a transient man in his 20s was trespassing on railroad […]
