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WASHINGTON — When President Joseph Biden touted the possibility of 1½ -hour trips between Washington, D.C., and New York in his April 30th address in Philadelphia for Amtrak’s 50th anniversary, he said elimination of three curves could potentially make that possible. That prompted Trains News Wire to follow up with Amtrak on the current engineering […]
The Amtrak passengers who come and go from train No. 7 at Havre, Mont., are likely on their way out the parking lot long before they notice the statue at the foot of Third Avenue. That’s a shame. Virtually everything they see, in all directions, can be traced to that stout Canadian immigrant standing sentinel. […]
Investigators say Beech Grove shops fire was intentionally set A fire that destroyed two storage sheds at Amtrak’s Beech Grove, Ind., Heavy Maintenance Facility appears to have been intentionally set, according to investigators. WXIN-TV reports James Pierce, operations chief for the Beech Grove Fire Department, notes the two buildings that burned and collapsed were not […]
CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Wednesday announced a deal with Norfolk Southern allowing the extension of Amtrak service to the New River Valley in the southwest portion of the state, as well as additional service to Roanoke. The agreement, known as the Western Rail Initiative, includes $28.2 million to acquire 28.5 miles […]
Finally ready to make that long-postponed train trip? Amtrak’s reservation system, both the www.amtrak.com version and the smartphone app, works reasonably well for travelers on East, Midwest, and West Coast corridors only looking for a coach seat on routes with multiple departures. But for anyone planning a longer trip on trains departing only once […]
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 […]
BEECH GROVE, Ind. — Two structures at Amtrak’s Beech Grove Heavy Maintenance Facility, used to store paint and cleaning supplies, were destroyed by an early morning fire on Sunday. WTHR-TV reports firefighters were called just after 12:30 a.m. and found no working fire hydrant inside the facility, forcing them to run hose lines from Emerson […]
WASHINGTON — On the day it marks the 50th anniversary of its launch, and the day after an event marking that anniversary that featured President Joe Biden, Amtrak is reiterating its desire to add up to 160 communities to its network through an expansion of routes and train frequencies over the next 15 years. At […]
While the Russians were staging their annual parade in Moscow’s Red Square on May Day 50 years ago, Amtrak was born at Washington’s L’Enfant Plaza. The company came into the world under a death sentence known only by a select few in the railroad industry and the Nixon White House. The plan was to create […]
CHICAGO — The Amtrak next-generation Acela trainset that has been testing at the Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, Colo., is due in Chicago this morning as it returns to Alstom’s Hornell, N.Y., plant following the completion of that testing. The train is currently due to arrive at Chicago Union Station at 11:59 a.m., but is […]
WASHINGTON — Three members of Congress have introduced legislation to give Amtrak the ability to take host railroads to court over on-time performance issues. The Rail Passenger Fairness Act, introduced by Senate Majority Whip Dick Durban (D-Ill), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and U.S. Rep. Donald M. Payne Jr. (D-N.J.), addresses one of the facets of […]
WASHINGTON —The latest salvo in Amtrak’s attempt to launch two daily round trips between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., has landed at the Surface Transportation Board in the passenger railroad’s 80-page “Response in Opposition to the Motion to Dismiss.” Responding to a 284-page filing by CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern on April 5, the passenger […]
