WASHINGTON — Amtrak has agreed to pay $505 million to gain control of Washington Union Station, the Washington Post reports. The agreement, reached last week and subject to approval by a federal judge, will settle a lengthy battle over the passenger operator’s efforts to control the commercial space at the station. Amtrak had gained control […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has begun another round of weather-related train cancellations, announcing three cancellations for Tuesday, Feb. 11, and seven for Wednesday, Feb. 12, because of a pair of winter storm forecasts. According to an advisory posted today (Feb. 10, 2025) at 4:20 p.m., cancelled on Tuesday are: — The eastbound Empire Builder scheduled to […]
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego area planning agency seeking to develop an inland alternative to the Surf Line rail route along the Del Mar Bluffs has once again broadened the number of prospective routes — with options including a massive relocation project along Interstate 5. The San Diego Association of Governments, or SANDAG, includes […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak, which was recognized as one of the best employers for diversity in 2023, will no longer devote resources to diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, a company spokesman has confirmed. Bloomberg first reported the move, saying the company had informed employees of that policy in a Feb. 6 email. That email also informed […]
BOSTON — No one was injured but commuter rail and Amtrak operations were disrupted after a low-speed derailment of a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter train arriving at Boston’s South Station today (Saturday, Feb. 8). The derailment involved train No. 1806, an 11:45 a.m. departure from Providence, R.I., that was due at South Station at […]
CHICAGO — In the latest round of Amtrak operating issues, fallout from days of late trains has again inconvenienced passengers along the Empire Builder’s Chicago-Seattle/Portland, Ore., route, causing cancellation of one round trip. Other significant disruptions befell Southwest Chief and Lake Shore Limited departures, and reports say VIA Rail Canada’s westbound Canadian encountered snow-covered frozen […]
CHICAGO — Despite icy conditions across the country’s mid-section and into the Northeast Corridor over the last few days, Amtrak has kept most service running, avoiding widespread weather-related cancellations that occurred throughout January. But substantial initial terminal or en route delays to long-distance trains continue. Many can be traced to mechanical breakdowns. Recent incidents include: […]
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington state lawmakers have introduced legislation seeking to significantly increase Amtrak Cascades service in the Portland, Ore.-Vancouver, British Columbia corridor, as well as cut travel times. House Bill 1857 and its Senate companion, SB 5667, call for a minimum of 14 round trips daily between Seattle and Portland and five between Seattle […]
WASHINGTON — If you thought Federal Railroad Administration grant programs for things like passenger service, shortline track maintenance, and grade crossing elimination projects would be the least likely place to become a front in the culture wars, think again. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Jan. 29 issued a memo ordering Department of Transportation agencies to […]
WASHINGTON — A New Jersey congressmen has introduced a bill first announced last summer that would require Amtrak to provide passengers with ticket refunds when trains are cancelled or delayed “due to a failure of Amtrak.” H.R. 769 was introduced by U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) on Jan. 28 and sent to the House Committee […]
As an entity with 50-plus years under its belt, Amtrak now has plenty of its own history, in addition to that of the trains it took over as of May 1, 1971. Thus, it probably should not have been a total surprise when Amtrak launched a through train service in November 2024 between Chicago […]
ARLINGTON, Texas — A North Texas governmental agency will provide $100,000 to address a funding shortfall for the Fort Worth-Oklahoma City Heartland Flyer. The news site Fort Worth Report says the Regional Transportation Council, a 45-member organization that it part of the North Central Texas Council of Governments, has allocated the money from regional toll […]
