WASHINGTON — Today Amtrak announced the elimination of the position of chief operating officer, saying in an internal advisory to employees that current COO Bill Crosbie “will be leaving Amtrak” today, Oct. 22. The directive added that operating vice presidents previously reporting to Crosbie would now report to president Joseph Boardman. “Bill has made important […]
Tag: Amtrak
Renting cars at train stations: inside tips and information
Enterprise is among the tenants at Amtrak’s Fort Worth, Texas, station, one of just 19 train stations in the U.S. and Canada with rental car counters. Even at these locations, most counter hours are limited and advance reservations are required. Bob Johnston If you need to rent a car as part of your next Amtrak […]
Empty Amtrak roomettes go begging
An Amtrak conductor in Denver Union Station checks in passengers heading east on the California Zephyr, Sept. 2, 2008. Bob Johnston Many Amtrak conductors and sleeping car attendants are eager to help Amtrak maximize revenue by letting coach passengers know when their train has unsold roomettes and bedrooms available. As Trains’ July 2010 Passenger column, […]
An Amtrak special move
An Amtrak special move, with private car Ohio River at the back, rolls along Canadian Pacific’s former Delaware & Hudson main line on Sept. 4, 2009. The train is on its way from Albany, N.Y., to Railfest 2009 in Scranton, Pa. Jim Conroy photo […]
Texas Eagle charges through Terrell
Amtrak’s Texas Eagle for Chicago charges through Terrell, Texas, on Oct. 14, 2008. Photo by Steve Schmollinger […]
Amtrak station volumes in 2007
Across the country, the stories play out simultaneously on a weekday morning: Two businessmen headed for the 8:03 Boston-bound Acela Express dive into the crowd at New York’s Penn Station; a cluster of Purdue University students shuffles down the platform at Lafayette, Ind., for a ride on the Hoosier State to Chicago; and a conductor […]
Amtrak trains on May 1, 1971
Trains Magazine looks at passenger trains per day across the United States in its May 2010 issue. Our “Map of the Month” compares today’s train volumes with those Amtrak was running on its first day of operation, May 1, 1971, and what was running the day before. Check out the May issue and see which […]
Amtrak restores ‘Lake Shore’ dining car NEWSWIRE
NEW YORK — Amtrak will replace modified café cars on its Chicago-New York/Boston Lake Shore Limited with “Heritage” dining cars, beginning with westbound train No. 49 today, Dec. 14. The cars, operating to and from New York, feature booth-style seating, large picture windows, and modern cooking equipment, and an expanded menu will result. “Putting dining […]
Mobility First: Amtrak’s accessibility plans for train stations around the country
At Martinez, Calif., an Amtrak passenger rolls her wheelchair onto a built-in lift on one of the California-owned passenger cars used by Amtrak’s Bay Area corridor trains (San Joaquin and the Capitol Corridor). Bob Johnston In the January 2010 issue of Trains Magazine, Bob Johnston reports on Amtrak’s efforts to improve accessibility at train stations […]
Norfolk Southern and Amtrak’s Vermonter
A Norfolk Southern freight prepares to diverge from Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor onto NS track at Newport, Del., while Amtrak’s Vermonter passes, on Aug. 26, 2008. The NS freight is bound for the “Shellpot Secondary” and Edgemoor Yard in Wilmington, and has been riding the Corridor from Perryville, Md. […]
What’s behind Amtrak’s new dining car entrees?
Daniel Malzhan and Tom Douglas put together new dining car recipes in Amtrak’s Wilmington, Del., test kitchen. All photos: Bob Johnston Amtrak is rolling out new menu items for long-distance dining car patrons and first-class Acela Express passengers. Trains magazine brings you the details behind the new offerings and what riders can expect in the […]
Ask Trains from September 2007
Q Lately I have noticed that many freight cars, including tank cars, boxcars, and hoppers, have five to seven vertical reflective strips on their sides. What’s the deal? — Frank C. Darling Jr., Wolcott, N.Y. A The objective is better nighttime visibility. In January 2005, the Federal Railroad Administration issued “The Final Rule on Reflectorization […]
