NEW YORK — Half of the New York City subway system was shut down today by flooding from a storm that New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called “a life-threatening rainfall event,” while Metro-North Railroad and Amtrak operations were also disrupted by the flooding. At midafternoon, the MTA was reporting that more than 7 inches of […]
MOBILE, Ala. — Agreements regarding a lease for a station stop in Mobile, as well as an operating agreement that will include costs the city will cover, are significant details that must be addressed before Amtrak can launch Gulf Coast passenger service between New Orleans and the Alabama city, the news site AL.com reports. “We’re […]
WASHINGTON — The operator of a piece of maintenance-of-way equipment moved onto unprotected track for unknown reasons, the National Transportation Safety Board said in determining the probable cause of a July 2022 collision between a Union Pacific roadway maintenance machine and an Amtrak Capitol Corridor train in Oakland, Calif. The NTSB completed its final accident […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak received almost $200 million in the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grants announced Monday, a list of awards highlighted by the more than $178 million for the restoration of Gulf Coast passenger service [see “Federal Railroad Administration awards more than $1.4 billion,” Trains News Wire, Sept. 24, 2023]. […]
The Amtrak GE P30CH locomotive is the spiritual successor to the GE U30CG passenger locomotive of 1967. Amtrak acquired 25 of the P30CH model, Nos. 700-724, between August 1975 and January 1976. The model designation led to the units’ nickname: “pooch.” It was essentially a U30C freight locomotive with a cowl body and […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration announced today $178 million in Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program funding to restore Amtrak service from New Orleans to Mobile, Ala. The funding will help to build a platform for the Mobile end of the service, as well as additional track upgrades. “We’ve been fighting to […]
WASHINGTON — Seeking “to lead our continued transformation of the customer experience,” according to Roger Harris, Amtrak president, in an announcement Monday, Amtrak has hired Eliot Hamlisch to a position once held by current CEO Stephen Gardner. As the company’s Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Hamlisch will oversee corporate marketing, sales distribution, network […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s police department and Operation Lifesaver, the national rail safety education nonprofit, are joining law enforcement and other first responders across the U.S. today for “Operation Clear Track,” the single largest rail safety initiative in the U.S. This annual initiative takes place during Rail Safety Week, Sept. 18-24, in the U.S., Canada and […]
NEW YORK — Following a 13-year delay, it appears construction will begin in October on the initial steps leading to a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River to Midtown Manhattan, according to a story in the New York Times. The Gateway Program, which will address infrastructure needs on 10-miles of the Northeast Corridor, is […]
BALTIMORE – Clark Construction/Stacy and Witbeck Joint Venture has been selected by Amtrak as the construction contractor for the Southern Approach Package (package B) of the Frederick Douglass Tunnel Program, according to an Amtrak news release. This is one of three major contracts to be awarded in work on the tunnel project. The Frederick Douglass […]
POINT CLEAR, Ala. —The launch of two daily Amtrak round trips between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., depends on when design and construction of a pocket track at Mobile is completed and 3 miles of positive train control is installed through CSX’s Gentilly Yard east of New Orleans. But that means service will not come […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s Office of Inspector General on Wednesday released a report detailing the steps the company says it is taking to use, account for, and report on the $22 billion it is slated to receive directly from Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding [see “Infrastructure bill addresses Amtrak priorities, congressional requirements,” News Wire, […]
