SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — Amtrak Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink commuter rail service will resume Saturday , May 27, through San Clemente, Calif., exactly a month after the start of the latest disruption to passenger rail operations because of a landslide in the south Orange County community. The LOSSAN (Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo) Rail Corridor […]
Railroad: Amtrak
Acela first-class menu upgraded: Analysis
NEW YORK—Amtrak has enlisted the STARR Restaurant Group to enhance food choices aboard its Acela first-class service between New York and Boston. STARR’s corporate umbrella covers 32 separately-branded restaurants representing a wide variety of cuisines. Of these, 19 are located in the Philadelphia area, which is home to the group. The remaining locations are in […]
Work in progress to upgrade BNSF’s old Sandpoint bridge
SANDPOINT, Idaho — With BNSF Railway and Montana Rail Link trains now using the new 4,873-foot long Lake Pend Oreille bridge opened in late November 2022 outside Sandpoint, Idaho, the adjacent bridge opened by Northern Pacific in 1904 is undergoing reconstruction. BNSF says the work involves “replacing all 59 of the remaining original 1904 bridge […]
Amtrak Inspector General warns of fraud risk as infrastructure spending increases
WASHINGTON — Record funding for large-scale infrastructure spending will make Amtrak more vulnerable to fraud, the passenger operator’s Office of Inspector General says in a report released this week, identifying four areas in which the company will be particularly at risk. “Industry research estimates that 10% of infrastructure investments could be lost to fraud,” Inspector […]
Missouri judge will allow some suits from fatal Southwest Chief derailment to be combined
KEYETESVILLE, Mo. — A Chariton County judge has ruled that a series of lawsuits by Amtrak employees over the fatal June 2022 derailment of Amtrak’s Southwest Chief may be combined for a single trial, KMIZ-TV reports. In a Wednesday hearing, the judge said lawyers for Amtrak, BNSF, MS Contracting — owner of the truck involved […]
Slide disruptions hurting Pacific Surfliner ridership, California Senate group is told
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Ongoing problems in operating passenger trains between Los Angeles and San Diego are taking a significant toll on ridership, the managing director of the Amtrak service between the cities told a new state Senate subcommittee on Tuesday. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports the Senate Transportation Subcommittee on LOSSAN Rail Corridor Efficiency held […]
Group examining Amtrak food and beverage service sends recommendations to Congress
WASHINGTON — A group evaluating Amtrak food and beverage service says improving service will hinge on first fixing “systems … behind the scenes” that impact that service nationwide. The Food and Beverage Working Group was created by Congress as part of 2021’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to evaluate the onboard food and beverage operation, a key […]
Martinez Amtrak station remains closed
MARTINEZ, Calif. — The Amtrak station in Martinez, Calif., remains closed this weekend as a result of a mercury spill discovered on Monday, with the source of the spill still a mystery to authorities. KTVU-TV reports that Contra Costa County health officials said Friday they are making progress in cleaning up the spill, discovered by […]
Portal Bridge issues resolved, NJ Transit reports
KEARNY, N.J. — Repair work at the Portal Bridge has been completed, NJ Transit reports in an update on its website, ending signal issues that disrupted operations for Amtrak and the commuter agency since Thursday. The NJ Transit update says its trains are operating at or near normal schedules today (Saturday, May 13). Regular operations […]
Issues at Portal Bridge to continue into weekend for NJ Transit, Amtrak
KEARNY, N.J. — Operational problems caused by signal issues at New Jersey’s Portal Bridge will continue into the weekend for Amtrak and NJ Transit, although the lighter weekend schedules for both mean fewer schedule changes are planned. NJ Transit plans to resume normal commuter rail operations on Saturday and Sunday. Its trains may still be […]
Five Amtrak maintenance workers hurt in Boston incident (updated)
BOSTON — Five members of an Amtrak maintenance-of-way crew have been taken to a hospital following an incident at a Boston rail yard Friday morning, WXFT-TV reports. The injuries are non-life-threatening, Amtrak said in a statement. The incident occurred about 4:30 a.m. at the Readville commuter rail station in Boston’s Hyde Park neighborhood, about 8 […]
Problems at Portal Bridge disrupt Amtrak, NJ Transit service
NEW YORK — Amtrak and NJ Transit are experiencing major service issues today as a result of problems that began Thursday at the infamous Portal Bridge in Kearney, N.J. An Amtrak advisory issued Thursday afternoon says all trains traveling between New York and Newark are experiencing delays because of signal issues at the bridge. All […]