Amtrak ‘Keystone Service’ train No. 664 hustles east at Mount Joy, Penn., in January 2018. Mark Hoffman HARRISBURG, Pa. – Pennsylvania should sever its relationship with Amtrak and take over operation of the Keystone Service (Philadelphia-Harrisburg) and the in-state portion of the Pennsylvanian (New York-Philadelphia-Pittsburgh), according to one rail industry veteran. Lower taxpayer outlays and […]
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Commonwealth of Virginia and CSX Transportation have reached a deal on a $3.7-billion plan that will address rail congestion south of Washington D.C. by separating passenger and freight operations, allowing for a significant expansion of passenger and commuter rail services. The agreement announced Thursday will create a new, state-owned Long Bridge […]
Crowds greet an Amtrak inspection train at Mobile, Ala., on Feb 18, 2016. Mobile’s city council is set to vote on financial support for the return of Amtrak service along the Gulf Coast. Bob Johnston MOBILE, Ala. — Mobile’s city council will vote Dec. 31 whether to make a financial commitment to efforts to restore […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak is considering airline-style nonrefundable fares and ticket-change fees, according to a leaked memo. The tech website BGR, quoting from a paywalled Business insider report, says the changes could come as soon as January. They would make the lowest-priced “saver” fares nonrefundable and non-changeable 24 hours after purchase, and impose a 25% cancellation […]
A Coaster commuter train climbs Miramar Hill near San Diego in January 2016. Coaster and Amtrak service to San Diego will be disrupted this week by work to address bluff erosion in Del Mar, Calif. TRAINS: David Lassen DEL MAR, Calif. — Work to stabilize eroding coastal bluffs in Del Mar will disrupt Amtrak Surfliner […]
GLEN BURNIE, Md. — A $4.7 million renovation of the Amtrak and MARC commuter rail station at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is now complete. The 14-month project began in August 2018, and provides expanded seating, with charging stations for phones and other personal electronics, new ticketing facilities, improved restrooms, and refreshment and snack options. […]
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Kalamazoo will become the latest Michigan city to lose a staffed ticket office at its Amtrak station, WWMT-TV reports. The TV station reports the ticket office will close “at the beginning of 2020.” It follows similar moves East Lansing, Niles, Jackson, and Flint, which saw their ticket offices close in 2018 [see […]
NEW YORK — One Amtrak worker was killed and two others were injured in an accident at a power substation in the Bronx on Thursday, the New York Daily News reports. The newspaper reports the worker was electrocuted in an electrical explosion about 11:30 a.m. at Van Nest Yard, an electrical facility shared by Amtrak […]
A welder at the LB Steel factory in Harvey, Ill., works on a tilting transom for a new Acela trainset. Bob Johnston LB Steel Vice President David Abshire shows how the tilting transom sits on top of a trailer wheelset and connects it to the frame. Bob Johnston HARVEY, Ill. — How does a 35-year-old […]
WASHINGTON — A group of 13 U.S. Senators, all Democrats, have written Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson requesting that the passenger railroad do away with its recent move requiring passengers to accept arbitration rather than being able to sue — a request Anderson quickly turned down. In January, Amtrak changed the contract language accompanying its tickets […]
Amtrak Store website screen image WASHINGTON — You might be too late to grab a “Surprise and Delight” railfan gift box Amtrak offered for sale on Monday. A National Railroad Passenger Corp. representative confirmed to Trains on Monday afternoon that the railroad’s online store offered a limited set of 50 surprise boxes to customers — announcing […]
Passengers fill the Holland, Mich., station on Nov. 29, 2019, waiting for the sold-out Pere Marquette to Chicago. Bob Johnston NEW YORK — Once again, the nation’s TV viewers were treated to a steady diet of reporters doing obligatory stand-ups during the Thanksgiving holiday that bemoaned cancelled flights and snow-clogged highways from Denver through the […]
