WASHINGTON — A systemic safety failure by state and federal agencies caused the fatal December 2017 derailment of an Amtrak Cascades train on its first run on a new route in Washington state, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded Tuesday. The derailment investigation revealed a complex set of factors, including the pressure to put the new […]
Northbound Amtrak Hiawatha No. 333 passes Tower A20 in Glenview, Ill., on May 18, 2019. This is where Canadian Pacific trains enter and leave the Chicago-Milwaukee main line via the tracks at right to reach the railroad’s Bensenville Yard. Bob Johnston A southbound Hiawatha passes Metra’s Glen of North Glenview station in January 2019. Plans […]
FRESNO, Calif. — Amtrak’s San Joaquins will introduce a new schedule on May 20, returning service to seven full-corridor round trips and offering service every two hours. Five of the trains will operate between Bakersfield and Oakland, while two will run between Bakersfield and Sacramento. In a media release, David Lipari, marketing manager for the […]
Northbound Amtrak ‘Acela Express’ train No. 2164 overtakes NJ Transit train No. 2154, which has stopped at the Metuchen, N.J. station. Upgrades will speed passenger journeys soon for both operators from Trenton, N.J., to New York City. Ralph Spielman NEW YORK – Amtrak and NJ Transit will spend $31 million along the Northeast Corridor in […]
Trails and Rails volunteer Andy Selden describes wildlife along the Mississippi River on the ‘Empire Builder’ in 2014. Bob Johnston WASHINGTON – Amtrak’s decision to no longer furnish meals or lodging for “Trails and Rails” program volunteers continues to curtail commentary on rail routes that used to have it. However, a new five-year agreement between […]
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Bowing to opposition from the communities of Glenview and Lake Forest, the Illinois Department of Transportation will no longer support plans for two sidings that are part of a plan to increase Amtrak Hiawatha service between Chicago and Milwaukee. Patch.com reports that acting IDOT Secretary Omer Osman said in a letter, released […]
Amtrak’s Freighthouse Square station in Tacoma is awaiting the return of trains to the Point Defiance Bypass. The release of the NTSB’s report on a 2017 derailment could hasten that process. TRAINS: David Lassen WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board will release its report on the December 2017 derailment of an Amtrak Cascades passenger […]
NEW ORLEANS — Flooding has led to service disruptions on two Amtrak routes serving New Orleans, with the City of New Orleans and Sunset Limited both offering truncated service as a result. The triweekly Sunset Limited, which normally operates between Los Angeles and New Orleans, is currently unable to operate between Houston (or San Antonio) […]
North Carolina Department of Transportation Chief Deputy Secretary David Howard and Rail Division Director Jason Orthner shake hands in a photo taken at Raleigh’s Capital Yard on May 3, 2019, promoting the $1 Piedmont fare sale for trips Friday and Saturday. All trips are now sold out. North Carolina Department of Transportation RALEIGH, N. C. […]
A plant grows out of a heavily-damaged dining car at Amtrak’s Beech Grove, Ind., shops on Dec. 14, 2018. The car, out of service since 2002, is not among those included in Amtrak’s latest list of equipment for sale. Bob Johnston WASHINGTON — Superliners and Amfleet cars are among the latest batch of inactive rolling […]
Lamy, N.M. — In honor of the 150th anniversary of the Golden Spike, Altiplano Rail is chartering four private railroad cars. The westbound Golden Spike Rail Tour, which began on May 2, 2019, will travel from Chicago to Los Angeles on Amtrak Southwest Chief, go north to Oakland, Calif., on the Coast Starlight, and then […]
SANTA ROSA, Calif. — Expansion of Northern California’s SMART commuter rail into Napa and Solano counties, allowing a connection to Amtrak, would take six years and about $1 billion, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports. The figure comes from a study funded by the state of California into the possibility of a link from the […]
