Still more Wednesday morning rail news: Transit agencies combine with Amtrak to form regional ‘Mask Force’ A group of transit agencies in New York and Philadelphia areas have joined with Amtrak to create a regional ‘Mask Force’ to encourage mask compliance on public transit. New York’s MTA, NJ Transit, the Port Authority of New York […]
More Monday morning rail news: Pennsylvania rail plan calls for second Pittsburgh-New York train The draft version of a new Pennsylvania state rail plan includes a goal of adding a second daily train between Pittsburgh and New York City, beginning in the 2023-24 fiscal year. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports the feasibility of the plan and […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has issued its final rule establishing metrics and a minimum standard to measure on-time performance and service quality for Amtrak trains, a rule hailed by the passenger railroad as “a victory for Amtrak customers.” The rule requires Amtrak and host railroads to certify Amtrak schedules, sets an on-time minimum […]
Friday midday rail news: Transit district’s report sets goals for expanded commuter, passenger, freight service in San Diego Coaster commuter train and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner service would be extended southward from their current endpoint at San Diego’s Santa Fe Depot, and more slots would be created for freight trains, under the San Diego Pathing Study […]
Third in a series OAKLAND, Calif. — The Los Angeles-Seattle Coast Starlight was a 1971 Amtrak concoction cobbling together three trains: Southern Pacific’s Coast Daylight and overnight Cascade, even though the SP trains hadn’t connected at the time, and the unnamed Portland, Ore.-Seattle Burlington Northern or Union Pacific “pool trains.” Originally, and ambitiously, the south […]
WASHINGTON — A precipitous decline in business travel during the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted an Amtrak “flash” sale celebrating the 20-year anniversary of Acela’s introduction with a $20 fare between any two Northeast Corridor stations served by the high speed train. Billed as the “The Deal of the Decade(s),” the tickets must be booked by […]
Still more Monday morning rail news: New Buffalo Amtrak station opens Amtrak’s new downtown Buffalo, N.Y., station opened Sunday, with the $28 million structure replacing a building from 1952 that had occupied the same spot. The Buffalo News reports the new building, at 4,800 square feet, is about three times as large as its predecessor, […]
Second in a series DENVER — When Amtrak operates its long-distance trains daily, train and engine crews make regular turns back to their home base after a mandated minimum of 12 hours’ rest. On the routes of the triweekly Sunset Limited and Cardinal, longer stays — perhaps days longer — have been necessary, adding extra […]
Thursday morning rail news: Metra, Amtrak ask Surface Transportation Board for more mediation time Saying they have made progress in their dispute over Metra’s lease at Chicago Union Station, Metra and Amtrak have requested more time from the Surface Transportation Board for mediation. In a letter filed Nov. 2, Metra’s attorney, filing on behalf of […]
WASHINGTON — With all long-distance trains except Auto Train now running on less-than-daily schedules, Amtrak has finally introduced a booking feature on its website that automatically directs customers to the next available day when they request tickets on a day a train is not running. Downloadable and printable schedules that reflect days of service for each station on a long-distance […]
Amtrak has released a new video providing a preview of the interior on its New Acela trainsets, with an emphasis on the touchless nature of many features — an important COVID-19 consideration — as well as environmental features like the use of recycled leather for seating. Caroline Decker, Amtrak’s vice president, Northeast Corridor service line, hosts the […]
Four Republican Congressmen have sent a letter to Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn questioning whether the September campaign train of Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden “redirected Amtrak’s scarce resources” and requesting — by the day before the Nov. 3 presidential election — details on what the train cost Amtrak to operate and what the Biden campaign […]
