The often-delayed Capitol Limited passes through Goshen, Ind., on Norfolk Southern on July 14, 2017. Bob Johnston CHICAGO — Host railroads and Amtrak have settled into an uncomfortable détente during the last year instead of making serious efforts to develop accurate, a Trains News Wire analysis reveals. “Amtrak slammed by delays,” on page 24 of […]
LANSING, Mich. — East Lansing, Michigan’s fourth-busiest Amtrak station, will soon join the list of Amtrak ticket offices in the state to close. The stations in Niles, Jackson and Flint, Mich., became unstaffed earlier this year by attrition (the lone ticket agent at each station retired and was not replaced). In all cases, the Michigan […]
BNSF’s Rich Wessler, left, and Amtrak’s Joe McHugh address stakeholders assembled on the first inspection train of the Chief route, west of Garden City, Kan., on Jan. 10, 2013. Bob Johnston LA JUNTA, Colo. — Following the Aug. 21 meeting between Amtrak officials and Southwest Chief stakeholders in Raton, N.M. — which provided the first […]
A Southwest Chief inspection special pauses at Garden City, Kan., on July 11, 2014, to pick up city officials. Bob Johnston RATON, N.M. — Amtrak will not operate passenger trains on lines without positive train control after Dec. 31, 2018, a top official for the passenger railroad says — a decision which could lead to […]
WASHINGTON — Federal regulators are refusing at this time to step in and resolve a disagreement between Metra and Amtrak over use of Chicago Union Station, but are keeping the door open to intervene should Metra raise valid objections in the future. In a five-page decision released by the Surface Transportation Board on Aug. 22, […]
WAYNE JUNCTION, Mich. — Crews with Amtrak, CSX Transportation, and their contractors, successfully replaced a four-diamond railroad crossing in Wayne as part of a planned maintenance project. A railroad diamond is an intersection between two or more rail lines, in this case, owned by the Michigan Department of Transportation and CSX. The project was funded […]
POMONA, Calif. — An Amtrak engineer in California is the subject of a murder investigation after two homeless men were found shot to death Aug. 12 at the Pomona, Calif., Amtrak station. The Los Angeles Times reports that police allege an Amtrak engineer, Christopher Matthew Peterson, killed Robert Salinas Jr., and Jeremy Alexander Henness. The […]
Ride along with Hal Miller and Cody Grivno of Model Railroader magazine, as they travel aboard Amtrak’s Southwest Chief to and from the 2018 National Train Show in Kansas City, Missouri. […]
NEW ORLEANS — A Louisiana man will face a judge for carrying cocaine on Amtrak after pleading guilty to prosecutors’ charges. NOLA.com reports that a 49-year-old New Orleans man was traveling on a one-way ticket from Houston to New Orleans carrying a duffel bag and a pillow. The train was likely the Sunset Limited. When […]
An artist’s rendering of what an Acela Express first class interior will look like in trainsets set to debut in 2021. Amtrak WASHINGTON — Amtrak today revealed the interiors on its new Acela Express fleet, which will redefine the customer experience on Amtrak’s premium Northeast Corridor service. The new trains, scheduled to enter service on […]
ALBANY, N.Y. — Amtrak will not operate the annual Toys for Tots Train in upstate New York this year, area media outlets have reported. The passenger railroad cited its policy toward chartered trains, announced in March. [See “Amtrak to stop operating special trains, charter moves,” Trains News Wire, March 28, 2018]. The train, supporting U.S. […]
WASHINGTON — In the latest step for better service for Northeast Corridor passengers, Amtrak officials said in late July that they’ll spend $370 million on new maintenance-of-way equipment over an estimated three-year period. This capital expenditure will accelerate maintenance work, doubling Amtrak engineering work on the Boston to Washington line upon full implementation of the […]
