How’s Amtrak doing in the fight vs. winter? NEWSWIRE

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The westbound Empire Builder prepares to leave Minot, N.D. on March 1, 2007. North Dakota has been largely spared of heavy snowfall totals this winter. Bob Johnston WASHINGTON — Not mentioned in reports of cancelled flights and accident-strewn snowbound highways as a major winter storm moved from the Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic region last weekend […]

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Metra, Amtrak service resume on CN route to Joliet NEWSWIRE

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A Metra Heritage Corridor train approaches the Lemont, Ill., station in April 2016. Service on the line has resumed after Monday’s cancellations because of a freight derailment. TRAINS: David Lassen CHICAGO — Metra and Amtrak service have resumed on Canadian National’s line between Chicago and Joliet following a one-day interruption because of a freight-train derailment. […]

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Proposed Indiana budget threatens future of ‘Hoosier State’ NEWSWIRE

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The Hoosier State, with a consist including equipment being ferried from Amtrak’s Beech Grove Heavy Maintenance Facility, rolls through St. John, Indiana, on July 4, 2014. Bob Johnston Crawfordsville townspeople and Mayor Todd Barton, left, visit with then-Amtrak president Joe Boardman at an inspection train stop in October 2014. Bob Johnston INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Gov. […]

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Amtrak looks to new options for East River tunnel rehabilitation work NEWSWIRE

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NEW YORK — Amtrak is looking for options for its New York tunnels. During the day today, railroad officials will walk to the East River tunnels with officials from Columbia and Cornell universities, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and other members of an expert panel. They’re expected to find out if repair work could […]

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‘Sunset Limited’ reduced to twice-weekly service for seven weeks beginning Jan. 20 NEWSWIRE

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The Westbound Sunset Limited pauses at Alpine, Texas, in May 2016. The Sunset will be reduced to twice-weekly operation for a seven-week period beginning Jan. 20. Bob Johnston A full baggage cart greets the westbound Sunset Limited during a stop in El Paso, Texas. Bob Johnston SAN ANTONIO, Texas — The Sunset Limited will begin […]

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Amtrak cites safety in turning away CTrail ticket holders NEWSWIRE

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The popularity of the CTrail Hartford Line has led to issues with Amtrak not honoring CTrail tickets. An Amtrak spokeswoman says the move is for safety reasons. Scott A. Hartley HARTFORD, Conn. — Amtrak is citing safety as the reason it will not allow some CTrail ticket holders to use its trains on the Hartford […]

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Trains top stories for 2018: No. 1, Richard Anderson

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WASHINGTON — A signature event early in Amtrak President and CEO Richard Anderson’s tenure speaks volumes about the tone he has set in leading the organization the Amtrak Board of Directors hired him to run. Private railcar owner Bennett Levin had arranged a special farewell at his own expense to mark the retirement of Billie […]

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Amtrak workers learn terms of severance, relocation deals NEWSWIRE

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Amtrak’s call center in Riverside, Calif., is scheduled to close Jan. 18. David Croteau RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Workers at Amtrak’s soon-to-close Riverside reservation call center are being offered a $15,000 relocation allowance or a one-time severance payment of $10,000, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports. Workers learned the terms of the agreement at a Wednesday meeting, after […]

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Amtrak, union reach agreement on relocation, severance for call center workers NEWSWIRE

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A weathered sign marks the location of Amtrak’s reservation call center in Riverside, Calif., slated to close in January. David Croteau RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Amtrak has reached an agreement with the union representing workers at its soon-to-close Riverside call center over severance or relocation packages, the company said in a Friday email to the Riverside […]

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Amtrak 188 engineer to stand trial in 2019 NEWSWIRE

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PHILADELPHIA – The locomotive engineer at the controls of an Amtrak train that derailed near Philadelphia in 2015 is set to stand trial in September 2019. Eight people died and more than 200 were injured when Amtrak train No. 188 derailment on the Northeast Corridor in Philadelphia’s Port Richmond neighborhood in May 2015. A National […]

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Colorado’s ‘Winter Park Express’ gets a lounge car

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DENVER – The Winter Park Express will have a lounge car when it departs Denver for Winter Park, Colo. on Jan. 3. Ever since the weekend ski train began operating in 2016, skiers and snowboarders have been asking Amtrak to sell snacks and beverages onboard the train. This week, Amtrak announced that their wishes would […]

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Federal grant to pay for PTC on part of ‘Chief’ route NEWSWIRE

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A Southwest Chief inspection train hosting community leaders pauses at La Junta, Colo, on Aug 4, 2016. A federal grant will pay for the installation of PTC on the Chief’s route between Dodge City, Kan., and Las Animas, Colo., near La Junta. Bob Johnston WASHINGTON — In a boost to efforts to maintain the route […]

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