WASHINGTON — National Park Service volunteers from national or historic parks and monuments along Amtrak routes are again be hosting informative programs aboard trains this summer and fall under the “Trails and Rails” program. The table below shows the segments and days of the week where personnel discuss the historical significance of the route’s points […]
The recent shortage of Amtrak long-distance sleeper cars has hoisted the venerable, but rapidly aging, Superliner equipment into the spotlight again. You can read more about past and present Superliner woes in the article, “Superliner capacity not a new issue”, appearing in the July 2024 issue of Trains magazine. But first, catch a glimpse of […]
KEARNY, N.J. — The Portal North Bridge, the structure replacing the 114-year swing bridge that has long been an issue for Northeast Corridor rail operations, has reached 50% completion, NJ Transit and Amtrak announced on Monday. The current bridge over the Hackensack River and frequently fails to lock back into place after it is opened, […]
ALBANY, N.Y. — Amtrak’s Adirondack will be cancelled north of Saratoga Springs, N.Y. between May 20 and June 29, passengers already ticketed on the New York City-Montreal train were informed this week. Anyone trying to book a reservation for those dates on Amtrak’s website receives the message, “We do not have any services between the […]
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The board of directors of the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments has directed its staff to prepare a formal agreement for commuter rail service between Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, following a meeting of the organization on Wednesday, KEYT-TV reports. The proposal would add an early-morning Metrolink trip for commuters […]
LAKE CITY, Minn. — Gearing up for the May 21 launch of the Chicago-St. Paul Borealis, Amtrak ran a special test train between the two cities on Tuesday, May 7, using the planned Horizon and Amfleet equipment and operating on the train’s schedule. The trip included all scheduled stops. The special is shown here in […]
WASHINGTON — President Biden’s nomination last week of experienced railroad chief executive Ron Batory to Amtrak’s board of directors checked a number of boxes. But his main contribution will likely be the perspective he gained during a stint as Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration that provided a ringside seat to Amtrak management’s business practices […]
NEWARK, N.J. — A New Jersey doctor has been sentenced to 26 months in prison for his role in a health-care fraud targeting Amtrak, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced. Muhammad Mirza, 51, of Cedar Grove, N.J., had previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. The sentence was imposed by […]
MOBILE, Ala. — The City of Mobile’s Board of Zoning Adjustment today unanimously approved the special zoning exception requested by Amtrak for a temporary station platform and adjacent parking in Mobile, a necessary step forward in the slow-moving effort to launch Gulf Coast passenger service between Mobile and New Orleans. CSX and the Port of […]
MOBILE, Ala. —“Hopeful” is the key word in the status report on Gulf Coast passenger service submitted by Amtrak, CSX, Norfolk Southern, and the Port of Mobile to the Surface Transportation Board last week. The May 1 report was required by the STB after a February hearing and subsequent explanation of delays was short on […]
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — Use of some 500,000 cubic yards of sand as a buffer has been added to the Orange County Transportation Authority’s plans to protect the Surf Line through San Clemente, the Orange County Register reports. The route used by Metrolink commuter trains, Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliners, and BNSF freight traffic has been plagued […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has issued two Requests for Information seeking to provide high-speed wi-fi connectivity along the 450-mile Northeast Corridor, the company announced Thursday, May 2. One of the requests seeks to identify organizations interested in deploying a fiber network along the NEC; the other seeks metrics to understand the market demand along six subsections […]
