WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has published a surprisingly detailed summary of regional forums held during the past month in which the agency solicited opinions regarding the public’s interest in strengthening Amtrak’s national network. As part of Amtrak’s reauthorization, 2021’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act tasked the FRA to conduct a study that would […]
CHICAGO — Weather is taking its toll on current operations of Amtrak’s western long-distance trains. According to the Amtrak Alerts Twitter feed, the eastbound Chief scheduled to depart Los Angeles today (Wednesday, Feb. 22) has been cancelled due to severe weather conditions, while the westbound Chief that left Chicago on Tuesday, Feb. 21, will terminate […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s Empire Builder ran through a track misalignment in a curve — distinctly visible in a still from the lead locomotive’s onboard camera — just before its September 2021 derailment in Joplin, Mont., according to information contained in more than 3,100 pages of documents released Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board. The […]
SNOQUALMIE, Wash. — The Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie has acquired a Series VI Talgo Bistro car for preservation, the museum has announced. The museum has announced the car — the last surviving Series VI car — is due to arrive today from a scrap yard in Indianapolis. While the car was donated, with its […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has been named as one of America’s Best Large Employers in a Forbes survey, which identifies the top 500 companies with 5,000 or more employees. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with 15,722 employees, topped the Forbes list. The ranking is based on a survey of about 45,000 workers at such companies, who […]
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — It may take three years before the Amtrak station in Missouri’s state capital returns to the historic Union Hotel. The Jefferson City News Tribune reports that, while state legislators have appropriated $14.3 million to repair the building, the project faces 10 to 12 months of design work, followed by another 18 […]
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — Costs and delays continue to increase for the work to restore daily passenger service between Los Angeles and San Diego. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports weekday service is now not expected to resume until sometime in April, while the cost to stabilize a hillside in San Clemente has risen to at […]
ALTOONA, Pa. — The Railroaders Memorial Museum has acquired a former Pennsylvania Railroad baggage car for use in a planned exhibit train to accompany K4s No. 1361, currently undergoing restoration. In a post on its Facebook page, the museum reports the car — a model B60b baggage car built in the 1920s — was donated […]
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has directed the Ohio Rail Development Commission to apply for federal funding to study adding Amtrak service on two corridors serving the state, the commission announced. The commission will seek $500,000 from the Federal Railroad Administration for studies of each corridor, a Cleveland-Columbus-Dayton-Cincinnati route, and Cleveland-Toledo-Detroit service. Those […]
SANFORD, Fla. — Both Amtrak Auto Trains scheduled to run later today (Wednesday, Feb. 8) have been cancelled after the Monday southbound departure from Lorton, Va., arrived at its destination in Sanford some 12 hours late on Tuesday. The cancellations reflect the domino effect of significantly delayed arrivals, and come at the end of a […]
WASHINGTON — Responding to filings from the host railroads involved, Amtrak has argued against “adversarial, party-driven litigation” or mediation in its request for the Surface Transportation Board to investigate poor timekeeping by the Sunset Limited, and urged the board to open that investigation immediately. In a Feb. 3 filing, the passenger carrier argues that such […]
MOBILE, Ala. — The start for Amtrak Gulf Coast service remains to be determined, but Amtrak trains will begin operating on the route between Mobile, Ala., and New Orleans this week. Beginning Wednesday, Feb. 8, crew-training runs with Amtrak locomotives and cars will begin, with the first crew set to mark up in Mobile at […]
