ALTOONA, Pa. — Pennsylvania’s legislature will hold a hearing on the possibility of increasing train service between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The Aug. 28 hearing by the state house of representatives transportation committee’s subcommittee on railroads will be held at the Altona Railroaders Memorial Museum. It is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review […]
New York-bound ‘Acela Express’ train No. 2104 hurtles through Princeton Junction, N.J., on April 25, 2019. The discounted $87 Washington-New York September fare is available for Sept. 13 on this train but not on eight of 15 other ‘Acelas’ running that day. Bob Johnston WASHINGTON – Beginning today through Aug. 17, Amtrak is offering a […]
Broiled salmon, mashed potatoes, and green beans on the ‘Crescent’ in July 2019. Bob Johnston WASHINGTON – A leaked Amtrak presentation that describes the elimination of Auto Train’s coach dining car and introduction of so-called “contemporary” pre-packaged meals on the New York-Miami Silver Meteor and New York-New Orleans Crescent may not be the last word […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board will appoint a mediator to resolve differences in long-simmering operating agreement negotiations between Amtrak and Canadian National. The agency’s decision, released late last week, provides a rare glimpse inside a document which governs on time performance measurement, financial incentives, and penalties. Amtrak and its hosts generally keep contract details […]
One of the best known private cars of the late 20th century, the former Amtrak office car 10000, which was used by the passenger railroad’s presidents, is for sale. Railroad equipment brokerage firm Ozark Mountain Railcar has listed the car for sale from an unidentified private owner. The 65-year-old Wabash-built office is listed for $40,000. […]
RHINECLIFF, N.Y. — Thunderstorms that rolled through parts of Upstate New York Wednesday evening disrupted Amtrak Empire Corridor service, as two trains hit trees that had fallen onto the tracks. No injuries were reported in either event. The southbound Adirondack, Train 68, sustained an air leak and damage to an electrical box after hitting a […]
Chicago Union Station’s Great Hall Bob Johnston CHICAGO – A long-dormant space on the west end of Chicago Union Station’s Great Hall is set to become a conduit to booming West Loop commercial and residential activity through construction of a new entrance with access to “full interior infrastructure redevelopment,” according to Amtrak. In 1980, a […]
Limited track capacity at the Portland Transportation Center can delay trains that need to back in and out of the branch line to the station. Dan Zukowski PORTLAND, Maine – Steady population and economic growth along the southern coast of Maine is creating new opportunities for more passenger trains with more connections to more communities. […]
BRANSON, Mo. – The Branson Scenic Railway has acquired three cars from Amtrak in its latest sale of retired equipment. They are Amtrak baggage cars 1204 and 1245, and dining car 8521. The two baggage cars were built by Budd in 1953 for Santa Fe as Nos. 3533 and 3534 respectively. They were assigned to […]
Morning Amtrak Cascades No. 500 heads north near Salem, Ore., in June 2015. Amtrak has pledged funds in support of an Oregon effort to secure a federal grant to add a passing siding on the Cascades route south of Portland, Ore. Bob Johnston OREGON CITY, Ore. — Amtrak has pledged to contribute $750,000 to a […]
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Flyer, a two-year pilot program to provide “one seat” passenger service from New York City to Berkshire County in Massachusetts, will move ahead, as funding for the program was included in the state’s budget signed into law Wednesday. The program will receive “not less than $270,000” for its inaugural year, […]
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s plans for increasing Chicago-Milwaukee Amtrak Hiawatha service may not be as close to fruition as state officials have believed. Canadian Pacific Railway, the host railroad for much of the Hiawatha route, has released a letter to the state’s rail program manager saying it will not support additional service without additional improvements […]
