Engineers, Amtrak reach tentative contract agreement

Logo of Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Amtrak has reached a tentative contract agreement with its more than 1,400 locomotive engineers, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen has announced. If ratified, the agreement would run through 2028. Features include retroactive payments retroactive to 2022, a 30% wage increase (34.12% compounded); 10 weeks of paid parental leave; increased away-from-home […]

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Big Sky passenger organization receives $150,000 grant

Logo of Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority

BILLINGS, Mont. — The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority has received a $150,000 grant to support its efforts to revive Amtrak service on Montana’s “southern tier” route, as well as other rail projects in a five-state region in the Pacific Northwest. The Missoula Current news site reports the grant was awarded by the Pacific Northwest […]

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From the Cab: Even if the shoe doesn’t fit, wear it!

A railroad worker, dressed in blue jeans and a blue windbreaker, climbs the ladder to reach the cab of a passenger locomotive

Even if the shoe doesn’t fit, wear it! This is the sort of story that often leads to the most frequently asked question posed to me after speaking publicly, or having written a humorous story: “Did that really happen?” Yes, it did. To quote my favorite locomotive engineer school instructor, “If you tell me that […]

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Amtrak Cincinnati services through time

Current station for Amtrak Cincinnati services at Cincinnati Union Terminal

Amtrak Cincinnati services arose from the need to move people between the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. Amtrak moved from Cincinnati Union Terminal to a new station, its first new-built station on its vast network, located on River Road west of downtown on Oct. 29, 1972.     On July 29, 1991, Amtrak returned to the monolithic […]

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Kansas DOT holds public meeting on Heartland Flyer extension

Short passenger train at station platform

TOPEKA, Kan. — The Kansas Department of Transportation presented a tentative operating schedule for an extension of Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer from Oklahoma City to Newton, Kan. — where it would connect with the Southwest Chief — as part of an online informational meeting Wednesday to seek public comment. The 20-minute presentation included in the meeting […]

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News report says new Acela delays have cost Amtrak $140 million

NEW YORK — Delays in launching Amtrak’s next-generation Acela fleet have cost the passenger company $140 million so far, and the figure continues to grow, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday in a paywalled article. The figure includes the growing maintenance costs of keeping the current Acela trainsets — the first of which entered service […]

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Metrolink, Surfliner expand codeshare agreement

Passenger train with cab car leading passing through rocky hillside

LOS ANGELES — Commuter operator Metrolink and the LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency, which oversees Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner, have expanded their codeshare program, allowing ticketholders to ride either train service between Los Angeles and Ventura. The new program, which began Monday, Nov. 6, is a pilot program currently scheduled to run through June 30, 2024. It […]

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