CHICAGO — A major, slow-moving storm has led to a flurry of Amtrak cancellations today (Friday, April 4) in the Midwest. Cancellations today, according to the Amtrak Alerts social media feed, include: — Both directions of the Texas Eagle between St. Louis and Marshall, Texas; — Both directions of the City of New Orleans; — […]
KANONA, N.Y. — Whether any of Amtrak’s 70-car Horizon fleet can ever return to active duty is still to be determined following extensive examination of ten vehicles at carbuilder Alstom’s 130,000-square-foot inspection and overhaul facility at Kanona in upstate New York. Meanwhile, the rapid deployment of Northeast Corridor Amfleet equipment to the Pacific Northwest means […]
Second of two parts Two companies, Dreamstar Lines and Lunatrain, are seeking to revive U.S. interest in overnight train travel, noting the resurgence of such trips in Europe. Part one of this analysis (available here) looked at Dreamstar, which is focused on service between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Today, part two looks at Lunatrain, […]
ORANGE, Calif. — Citing “ongoing threats” to service on the Surf Line route used by Amtrak, Metrolink, and BNSF Railway, the Orange County Transportation Authority on Monday (March 31, 2025) submitted an emergency permit request to the California Coastal Commission for stabilization work above the rail line in San Clemente, Calif. The OCTA says the […]
SEATTLE — Amtrak is scheduled to begin restoring Cascades service on Tuesday, April 1, as repositioned Amfleet equipment replaced the sidelined Horizon railcars, the Washington State Department of Transportation said in a statement today (March 31, 2025). Since Amtrak removed 70 Horizon cars — including 26 in Cascades service — from service last week because […]
PHILADELPHIA — The owner of an Illinois masonry company has been charged in regards to a bribery case related to restoration of Amtrak’s 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, becoming the fourth person charged in the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced on Friday, March 28, that Mark Snedden, 69, […]
CHICAGO – Amtrak continues to reshuffle its equipment to address the loss of its Horizon car fleet, sidelined suddenly earlier this week because of corrosion issues. That effort has decreased the number of train cancellations. The hardest-hit area remains the Pacific Northwest, where six of seven Amtrak Cascades round trips have been replaced by buses […]
WASHINGTON — In the wake of the departure of its CEO and discussions of the company’s potential privatization, Amtrak is considering cuts to management and other cost-cutting moves, the company has confirmed. “Given the current environment, the Executive Leadership Team and the Board have determined that we must act now,” Amtrak said in a statement […]
A newly tooled Budd dome coach is now available in N scale from RailSmith Models. The injection-molded plastic lightweight car features tinted dome window glazing, metal wheel stubs mounted on plastic axles, and truck-mounted Accumate knuckle couplers. Prototype history The RailSmith car is based on a dome coach built by the Budd Co. in 1955 […]
CHICAGO — Amtrak will begin restoring Borealis service between Chicago and St. Paul, Minn., on Thursday, March 27, using Superliner equipment in place of the Horizon cars sidelined because of corrosion issues. Meanwhile, bus substitution for about half of the trains on the Chicago-Milwaukee Hiawatha route will continue “until further notice.” Some 70 Horizon coaches […]
CHICAGO — Amtrak trains on several routes have been cancelled after the company removed its fleet of Horizon passenger cars from service because of concerns over corrosion, raising the possibility of long-term service disruptions. In a statement issued at 9 a.m. today (March 26, 2025), the company said, “We discovered corrosion in several Horizon railcars […]
WASHINGTON — Passengers on a recent Amtrak Northeast Regional train and at Washington Union Station may have been exposed to measles, according to District of Columbia health officials. An advisory from DC Health says passengers aboard trip Northeast Regional train No. 175 on Wednesday, March 19, may have been exposed from 7:30 p.m., when the […]
