A Metra train leaves Big Timber Road west of Elgin in 2014. A connection will be built to Union Pacific rails to Rockford in the foreground Bob Johnston CHICAGO – Although Illinois lawmakers and newly-elected Gov. J. B. Pritzker, a Democrat, enacted the state’s first infrastructure capital spending legislation in a decade [see “Illinois passes […]
TRENTON, N.Y. —New Jersey state senators have introduced a bill to create a commission to oversee construction of a new rail tunnel between New York and New Jersey, the latest step in trying to move forward the stalled Gateway project. NJSpotlight.com explains that the legislation would give the Gateway Development Corp., currently a small agency […]
Crowds greet a New Orleans-Jacksonville, Fla., inspection train at Mobile, Ala., on Feb 18, 2016, at the former site of the Amtrak station where the Sunset Limited last stopped in 2005. Most Mobile port trackage and CSX’s main Mobile yard east of this station would not be materially impacted by Mobile-New Orleans trains to the […]
TOLEDO, Ohio — A Thursday night derailment near Toledo has disrupted service on the Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited, leading to bus bridges today for both trains. It is one of two derailment-related service interruptions for Amtrak in 24 hours. Early Thursday morning, eight cars of a Union Pacific frac sand train derailed in […]
Stephen Gardner of Amtrak explains details of the storm-damaged North River Tunnel beneath the Hudson River during a Jan. 28, 2019, inspection trip for elected officials. Gardner is being promoted to a newly created position overseeing operations and commercial efforts. Pool photo/Ed Murray, New Jersey Advance Media for NJ.com WASHINGTON — Amtrak has announced the […]
ST. LOUIS — Amtrak’s suspension of Missouri River Runner rail service between St. Louis and Kansas City, Mo., has been extended by another two days. It now will last through at least June 12. The suspension, which began May 22, is because of increased Union Pacific freight traffic on the route, the result of flooding […]
BOSTON — Amtrak signal issues led to delays on nine commuter lines in and out of Boston during Tuesday’s morning commute, with trains delayed up to 40 minutes. A spokesman for Keolis Commuter Services, which operates the commuter lines for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, told the Boston Globe the “impact is specifically for dispatchers […]
A Viewliner sleeper on the Lake Shore Limited in 2018. Amtrak is holding a sale on sleeping-car accommodations. Bob Johnston WASHINGTON — Amtrak is holding a sale on sleeping-car accommodations through Monday, June 10 — but this time is including bedrooms and family rooms in the promotion. The sale waives companion rail fares when two […]
ST. LOUIS — Amtrak’s suspension of Missouri River Runner operation between St. Louis and Kansas City will drag into a fourth week, with the latest extension to last through at least Monday, June 10. Rerouted Union Pacific freight traffic, the result of flooding elsewhere in the Midwest, continues to lead to track congestion resulting in […]
Amtrak’s Illinois Zephyr passes through Lisle, Ill., on the BNSF Railway on May 25, 2019. Among items in the new Illinois budget is funding for two additional state-supported Amtrak trains and extension of BNSF commuter service into Kendall County. TRAINS: David Lassen SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — In a surprise Saturday session, the Illinois General Assembly passed a […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court has declined a request from the Association of American Railroads to review a lower-court ruling regarding the authority of Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration to establish on-time performance metrics and standards for Amtrak operation on host freight railroads. The convoluted legal history of the case has seen a […]
ST. LOUIS — Amtrak’s suspension of Missouri River Runner operation between St. Louis and Kansas City has been extended again, this time through at least Wednesday, June 5. Rerouted Union Pacific freight traffic, the result of flooding elsewhere in the Midwest, continues to lead to track congestion resulting in the suspension. Chartered buses are substituting […]
