Passengers board the Missouri River Runner at Kirkwood, Mo., in 2014. A state house committee has voted to overturn a plan which would cut the service from two round trips to one. Bob Johnston More Tuesday morning rail news: — Amtrak says it and its state partners will need $1 billion in assistance as a […]
Monday morning news on passenger and commuter rail systems affected by the coronavirus outbreak: — Amtrak has further reduced operations on the Northeast Corridor, leaving about 40% of the normal weekday schedule in operation, the passenger railroad said Sunday afternoon. Also, in its first schedule change outside of the eastern U.S., Amtrak has cancelled the […]
A northbound Amtrak Hartford Line train arrives in Wallingford, Conn., in August 2019. The Hartford Line is one of those which will see service reductions effective Monday. TRAINS: David Lassen — Amtrak has made more adjustments to its schedules in the Northeast. In addition to the previously announced Northeast Corridor changes [see “Trains News Wire […]
A Saturday update on rail developments stemming from the coronavirus pandemic: — Amtrak will introduce significant cuts to Northeast Corridor service effective Monday, March 16, operating on its Saturday schedule seven days a week through at least March 29, the company has announced. As an example of the degree of cuts involved, the regular weekday […]
Tuesday morning rail news: — A passenger who traveled on a Chicago-St. Louis train last week has recorded a “presumptive positive” test for the Covid-19 virus, leading Amtrak to remove the trainset for disinfecting and cancel one round trip on Sunday. The State Journal-Register reports that the train in question was the Wednesday, March 4, […]
Friday morning rail news: — After almost four weeks, the blockade of Canadian Pacific tracks near Montreal has finally ended. This morning, Mohawks at Kahnawake, Quebec, lifted the blockade in what a spokesman called “a gesture of good faith.” The Montreal Gazette reports that one of the protesters said the blockade could resume at any […]
The indigenous group manning Canada’s last significant rail blockade has allowed Canadian Pacific to inspect its tracks near Montreal, and is expected to make an announcement about the future of the protest today. The Montreal Gazette reports CP employees cleared some debris from the track Wednesday afternoon after Mohawks in Kahnawake, Quebec, allowed the railroad […]
The Wednesday morning rail roundup: — In a significant blow to the fledgling commuter rail service, California voters in Sonoma and Marin counties have turned down a measure extending the quarter-cent sales tax that funds Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit. Approval of the measure would have guaranteed funding through 2059, the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat reports; without […]
Tuesday morning rail news: — Union Pacific and the city of Palestine, Texas, have been ordered to go to mediation over UP’s efforts to do away with a 150-year-old agreement requiring the railroad to keep a set number of jobs in the community. The Palestine Herald-Press reports a federal court is requiring the sites to […]
Government officials and an indigenous group in British Columbia have reached a tentative deal on a gas pipeline, the subject of protests which led to blockades of rail lines across Canada. While one blockade remains in place, Canadian National has begun recalling workers laid off during the protests, while VIA Rail Canada expects to restore […]
As one rail blockade remains in place in Canada, the political and financial toll of the three-week disruption to rail transportation continues. A poll taken in the wake of Canada’s series of rail blockades finds that only 27% of those responding feel Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has handled the situation well, while 45% approve of […]
Transport Minister Marc Garneau says Canada’s freight rail system faces “many, many weeks” of delays as a result of protests by and in support of indigenous groups across the country. As of this morning, just one of the blockades that have appeared over the last three weeks is reported to remain in place. In a […]
