A San Joaquin with former New Jersey Transit Comet cars prepares to depart Bakersfield, Calif., on Jan 31. 2017. A schedule adjustment has added more service to Bakersfield on weekends and holidays. Bob Johnston STOCKTON, Calif. — Amtrak’s San Joaquins have introduced new schedules to better accommodate weekend travelers and shorten connections to bus service. […]
BOSTON — Amtrak customers traveling in and out of Boston South Station can now enjoy the newly renovated and re-branded Metropolitan Lounge ,as part of a larger Amtrak lounge station refresh initiative. Previously known as ClubAcela, the newly opened Metropolitan Lounge, still in its convenient location near the platforms for easy boarding access, features new […]
BOSTON — Amtrak will end checked baggage service on the Boston section of the Lake Shore Limited, effective Jan. 7. The change on trains 448 and 449 means Springfield, Mass., will lose checked baggage service entirely, while Northeast Regional trains 65, 66 and 67 (Boston-Washington-Newport News overnight) will be the only trains with checked baggage serving Boston […]
A year after the fatal derailment of Amtrak Cascades train No. 501, service has not yet returned to the Point Defiance Bypass. Steve Carter A northbound Amtrak Cascades train passes the southern end of the Point Defiance Bypass, the track at right, at Nisqually, Wash., in June 2018. A year after the derailment of the […]
Amtrak’s California Zephyr passes through Western Springs, Ill. Amtrak is holding a social media contest for holiday-themed photos. TRAINS: David Lassen NEW YORK — Amtrak has launched a social media photo contest looking for holiday pictures. Six winners will receive a $100 Dunkin’ gift card, and six will include an Amtrak “swag bag” with various […]
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Members of California’s congressional delegation have joined the effort to save Amtrak’s reservation call center in Riverside, which employs about 500 workers. The Riverside Press-Enterprise reports that 37 of the state’s representatives in Congress have agreed to sign a letter asking Amtrak to change its plan to close the Riverside center on […]
NJ Transit trains meet at New Jersey’s Portal Bridge, a bottleneck on the Northeast Corridor. Amtrak and NJ Transit are asking the Coast Guard to change rules for opening the bridge. Russell Sullivan NEW YORK — Amtrak and NJ Transit have joined New Jersey officials in asking for limits on opening of the Portal Bridge, […]
Amtrak service returned to Roanoke in October 2017. A study on extending service to the southwest, into the New River Valley, is on hold. Bob Johnston CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. — A study to determine what is needed to bring Amtrak service to Christiansburg and the New River Valley has been placed on hold because Norfolk Southern […]
NEW YORK — Amtrak has cancelled or altered service on a number of trains in the Southeastern U.S. because of a severe winter storm, with some of the changes effective through Tuesday. The cancellations began Saturday. The following trains have been cancelled for today (Sunday, Dec. 9): — Auto Trains No. 52 and 53 between […]
A Viewliner roomette rolls through Florida on the Silver Meteor in May 2018. Bob Johnston WASHINGTON—When two people ride together in an Amtrak roomette, the total fare is normally comprised of one room charge and two rail fares, each generally similar to what the travelers would pay riding in coach. Through Tuesday, Dec. 11, Amtrak’s […]
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo leads a tour of Amtrak’s damaged Hudson River tunnel in October. Gov. Andrew Cuomo via Flickr Options for the Hudson River tunnel project, from Trains, September 2018. TRAINS: Rick Johnson NEW YORK — Partisan political bickering hasn’t helped the aging Hudson River tunnels that carry 200,000 Amtrak riders and NJ […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has begun an open casting call for participants in its #AmtrakTakeMeThere social media residency program, with entries accepted through Jan. 31, 2019. According to a press release, the program seeks “social media community leaders, whose creativity and energy allows them to connect with their followers on a deeper level. The judging panel […]
