ST. LOUIS — The suspension of Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner service has been extended to at least Sunday, June 2. Flooding elsewhere in the Midwest has led Union Pacific to divert freight traffic onto the route, leading to the suspension of the passenger service. Chartered bus service is providing substitute transportation, stopping at all stations […]
Passengers board a Missouri River Runner at Kirkwood, Mo., in 2014. Passengers at many stations must still board trains from platforms which are below the rail; Amtrak’s “Customer Now” program will address this at many stations. Bob Johnston CHICAGO — After investing $19 million on station improvements in fiscal 2018, Amtrak announced Tuesday that it […]
CHICAGO — Amtrak’s westbound California Zephyr is detouring between Chicago and Omaha today via the Union Pacific’s former Chicago & North Western mainline, as will the eastbound train that arrives Thursday and Thursday’s departure from Chicago. The detour off of the normal BNSF Railway route is because of ongoing flooding problems in the Midwest, according […]
Union Pacific derailed several cars blocking access to St. Paul Union Depot from the east on May 28. Khang Lu ST. PAUL, Minn. – The derailment of a Union Pacific freight train at the east end of St. Paul Union Depot Tuesday has temporarily turned the station into a stub-end facility. Six cars of sand […]
ST. LOUIS — Service on Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner remains suspended between Kansas City and St. Louis. The suspension reflects Union Pacific’s diversion of freight traffic because of flooding elsewhere in the Midwest. The suspension will continue through at least Wednesday, May 29. It began May 22 and originally was estimated to last for just […]
As seen from the platform of business car ‘Dearing,’ the 2016 New River Train passes under the New River Gorge bridge near Fayetteville, W.Va., in October 2016. Chase Gunnoe WASHINGTON – Private car owners and operators say they are disappointed of Amtrak’s decision to ban observation deck riding and open dutch doors, despite their efforts […]
SEATTLE – The first response to the National Transportation Safety Board’s report on the 2017 Amtrak Cascades derailment is the Washington State Department of Transportation’s decision to remove Talgo Series 6 trainsets from service “as soon as possible.” WSDOT, a prime financial sponsor of Amtrak Cascades service on the Vancouver, B.C.-Eugene, Ore., corridor, didn’t specify […]
SEATTLE — The National Transportation Safety Board wasn’t stingy in handing out criticisms or recommendations for changes in the aftermath of the December 2017 Amtrak Cascades derailment, so those on the receiving end have a lot of work ahead of them figuring out if and how they’ll respond to the safety board. For the Washington […]
The westbound Southwest Chief passes through Brookfield, Ill., on May 15, 2019. Chief service is temporarily suspended in Kansas because of a BNSF route closure. TRAINS: David Lassen KANSAS City, Mo. — Amtrak has temporarily suspended service on its Missouri River Runner between Kansas City and St. Louis, and on the Southwest Chief between Kansas […]
A view of the wreckage of derailed Amtrak Cascades Train 501 on Dec. 18, 2017. Steve Carter WASHINGTON — The conclusion of an investigation into a 2017 Amtrak Cascades derailment has touched off a debate over the safety of non-conventional trainsets. The National Transportation Safety Board concluded Tuesday that the Talgo equipment’s lightweight design was […]
WASHINGTON — A systemic safety failure by state and federal agencies caused the fatal December 2017 derailment of an Amtrak Cascades train on its first run on a new route in Washington state, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded Tuesday. The derailment investigation revealed a complex set of factors, including the pressure to put the new […]
Northbound Amtrak Hiawatha No. 333 passes Tower A20 in Glenview, Ill., on May 18, 2019. This is where Canadian Pacific trains enter and leave the Chicago-Milwaukee main line via the tracks at right to reach the railroad’s Bensenville Yard. Bob Johnston A southbound Hiawatha passes Metra’s Glen of North Glenview station in January 2019. Plans […]
