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SEATTLE — Almost two years after halting the service because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Amtrak has begun preparations to restore Cascades operations to Canada from Seatttle. Last week, Amtrak posted a notice on the Facebook page dedicated to the Cascades service informing customers that they might see Cascades trains running between Seattle and Vancouver, British […]
WASHINGTON – Active cross-examination by Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin Oberman and other board members marked almost eight hours of testimony Tuesday on the first of two days of public comment on the ramifications of two proposed daily Amtrak round trips between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala. Some 45 witnesses spoke Tuesday. While most repeated […]
WASHINGTON — The Cardinal, Sunset Limited, and Texas Eagle were the Amtrak trains experiencing the most delays in fiscal 2021’s fourth quarter, according to a report on Amtrak performance released Monday by the Federal Railroad Administration. The quarterly report on performance and service quality uses metrics defined by the rule issued in 2020 which requires […]
NEW YORK — An Amtrak Acela train bound from Boston to New York was stalled on the Northeast Corridor for more than seven hours after losing power on Monday, the Associated Press reports. Train No. 2151 left Boston at 5:05 a.m. but lost power in the Hunter’s Point neighborhood of Queens at 8:37 a.m., 10 […]
Amtrak will square off against CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and the Port of Mobile, Ala., during Surface Transportation Board hearings this month and next regarding proposed Gulf Coast passenger service. Technically, this is about Amtrak’s disagreement with the freight railroads over starting a pair of daily round trips between Mobile, Ala., and New Orleans. But […]
WASHINGTON — The words “significant harm” and “unfair” on dozens of comments are countered by “boost tourism” and “economic growth” on dozens more. But comments filed with the Surface Transportation Board as it prepares for its hearing on Amtrak’s effort to start Gulf Coast service finds the phrase “precedent-setting impact” showing up on both sides […]
SULTAN, Wash. — The star-crossed first revenue round trip for Amtrak’s new ALC42 Charger locomotives has not gotten any better on the return leg from the Pacific Northwest. Charger locomotives Nos. 301 and 302 led the eastbound Empire Builder out of Seattle on Saturday, but reports of continued positive train control issues with No. 301 […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has released the list of those scheduled to testify during the public-comment portion of its hearing on Amtrak’s request to start Gulf Coast service, the first stage of which is set for Tuesday, Feb. 15. Tuesday’s proceeding will be held via Zoom starting at 9:30 a.m. EST, beginning with […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has not fully developed a framework to manage its responsibilities in the $30 billion Gateway program of Northeast Corridor improvements, even though it has already begun hiring staff and setting a schedule, the Amtrak Office of the Inspector General says in a new report. The report on the Gateway program — which […]
CHICAGO — On the day Amtrak placed its first Siemens ALC42 locomotives into revenue service — although not without some problems — the company announced it will acquire more of the locomotives. In a event at Chicago Union Station, Amtrak Vice President and Chief Mechanical Officer George Hull used the operating debut of the two […]
WASHINGTON — There are now dueling petitions over Amtrak’s effort to launch Gulf Coast passenger service. CSX Transportation last week asked shippers to sign a petition or send letters to the Surface Transportation Board in support of its position opposing Gulf Coast service unless Amtrak pays for extensive infrastructure work [see “CSX seeks shipper support […]
Amtrak America’s Railroad records the many trials of keeping America’s railroad passenger service on track, and there were and still remain many. The chapters offer coverage of “What We Had,” “Creating a New National Network,” “Where Do We Go From Here?” and “The Road to the Future.” The authors have dug deep to record input […]
