Amtrak sale, offering 50% off or $50 for anniversary, ends Wednesday
As part of events marking its 50th anniversary, Amtrak is offering a non-refundable “50% off or maximum $50 fare” sale that ends Wednesday, May 5. The offer is good on any train in coach or Acela Business Class for travel between June 2 and Nov. 13, 2021. Complete details of the sale are available here. Though not good on Amtrak Thruway buses, California’s Pacific Surfliners, the Pennsylvanian or Keystone Corridor, the fare applies to each train’s one-way segment, as long as the segment currently has fares available in the lowest or price range. This means it could be possible, depending on date, to get a coach ticket from New York to Los Angeles on the Lake Shore Limited and Southwest Chief or the Crescent and Sunset Limited for only $100. — Bob Johnston
Former Milwaukee Road trestle reopens for trail use
The state of Washington has opened a former Milwaukee Road trestle in Central Washington state for use as trail crossing across Interstate 90, bringing new life to a structure that had been idle since the railroad shut down the Pacific Extension in 1980. The Yakima Herald reports the Renslow Trestle, located about 6 miles east of Kittitas, Wash., was opened to foot, cycle, and horse traffic on April 29 as part of the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail. Its opening for trail use came after an $800,000 conversion that included addition of a concrete deck and railings to the 680-foot structure built in the early 1900s.
Florida county borrows $11 million for SunRail project
Volusia County, Fla., which at one point explored the possibility of leaving SunRail over the costs of a planned extension to the community of DeLand, will borrow $11.24 million to pay for its share of that extension. The West Volusia Beacon reports the county council agreed to borrow that amount from the State Infrastructure Bank to pay its 25% portion of the 12-mile extension from the current end of the line at DeBary, as well as a DeLand station. The loan will be repaid over 15 years at an annual cost of almost $859,000. Concerns over the cost of the project, as well as low projections for its use — estimates are that the DeLand station will see just 200 passengers daily — led the county to offer to leave SunRails’ group of five governmental organizations in 2019 [see “Florida county asks to leave SunRail …,” Trains News Wire, Aug, 30, 2019]. Ultimately, the county voted to proceed after being told it was obligated to support the project [see “Digest: MTA head says agency will avoid service cuts …,” News Wire, Jan. 22, 2021].
Couldn’t get the $50 fare on the LSL Chi-Bos. Even after putting in different dates (in October!) it always came back $96. Also, click on that story link to the Renslow Trestle, and see the big “State Park Trail” sign visible from I-90. Kudos to Washington state for buying up the ROW in the 1980s to keep the corridor intact!