ORLANDO, Fla. — Travelers planning to take Amtrak between Washington, D.C., and Florida now have two choices: The Miami-New York Silver Star, which also serves Tampa and Orlando, and Auto Train, operating from Sanford, Fla. (near Orlando), and Lorton, Va., just south of the Nation’s Capital. A third choice, the Miami-New York Silver Meteor, has been […]
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — An Amtrak train suffered minor damage and delays Friday after striking a wheel from the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train near Springfield. The State Journal-Register reports about six cars of the NS train derailed while it was working at a spur in the Scheels area, south of Springfield. The locomotive of […]
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and state Transportation Commissioner Joseph Giuletti met with Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner on Friday in New Haven to discuss rail infrastructure projects within the state, the governor’s office said in a press release, with the governor emphasizing the need to invest now to bring faster trains to […]
Revised Amtrak long-distance service schedules, announced Jan. 14 WASHINGTON — When Amtrak cut back most of its long-distance trains from daily operation in October 2020, in anticipation of reduced demand and a lack of federal funds to keep its network intact, the only day a traveler from Florida could connect to the Capitol Limited or […]
WESTERLY, R.I. — An Amtrak conductor died Saturday after apparently falling from a train while preparing for a station stop. WJAR-TV reports the 26-year-old woman was found dead along the tracks near the Westerly station after Northeast Regional train No. 163, bound from Boston to Washington, stopped because other crew members realized the conductor was […]
RICHMOND, Va. — The Commonwealth of Virginia and Norfolk Southern have finalized an agreement to extend service to the New River Valley, outgoing Gov. Ralph Northam announced last week. The Roanoke Times reports the agreement will allow for a train between Roanoke and the New River Valley while preserving current freight service. As part of […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak will reduce Northeast Corridor, long-distance, and state-supported train frequencies between Jan. 24 and March 27, the passenger railroad announced Friday evening, citing “staffing challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the highly active Omicron variant.” Overall, plans will amount to an 8% reduction in train departures over the 63-day period. That will […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak on Friday asked federal regulators to impose seven conditions on CSX Transportation’s proposed acquisition of Pan Am Railways, arguing that they are needed to protect current and future passenger service in New England. Dennis Newman, Amtrak’s executive vice president of strategy and planning, made the request during the second day of a […]
First of two parts. For decades, two Amtrak employees developed mutual respect for their work ethic among regular or occasional passengers, fellow employees, and each other. Janice Adams joined Amtrak as a train attendant in 1984. Leonard Claytor started with the Chesapeake & Ohio in 1969 and was promoted to a conductor in 1975 when […]
WASHINGTON – CSX Transportation agreed to Amtrak’s conditions regarding passenger service in New England on Wednesday, in advance of the start of a scheduled public hearing on CSX’s proposed acquisition of Pan Am Railways. Amtrak on Jan. 3 said it would oppose the CSX-Pan Am deal unless the Surface Transportation Board imposed seven conditions on […]
WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice announced that Amtrak will pay over $2 million to more than 1,500 individuals who experienced disability discrimination while traveling or attempting to travel by train. The payments were part of a settlement agreement reached on Dec. 2, 2020, to resolve the United States’ determination that Amtrak failed for over […]
LOMBARD, Ill. — Notes from Wednesday’s appearances by Class I CEOs at the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers Winter Meeting: Meet the new boss New Norfolk Southern President Alan Shaw showed a nice touch of self-deprecating humor in his Wednesday luncheon speech before MARS and the Traffic Club of Chicago, as demonstrated with his description […]
