WASHINGTON — Amtrak has been named one of America’s Best Employers for Diversity in 2023 according to Forbes, which released its list ranking the top 500 companies on Tuesday. The rail passenger operator placed 341st, eighth among transportation and logistics firms. New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority was the only other rail-related organization to make the […]
Railroad: Amtrak
New Haven Union Station deals with bed bugs
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Seating areas at New Haven Union Station are expected to be reopened today (Tuesday, April 25) after being shut down Monday following a report of bed bugs in the waiting room. The New Haven Parking Authority, which operates the station, conducted a deep cleaning with chemicals and compounds on Sunday night […]
Trails and Rails offerings on Amtrak routes set for 2023
WASHINGTON — Eleven Amtrak routes in 2023 will again feature commentary about the regions the trains are passing through. The program, staffed regionally with volunteers sponsored by National Park Service historical sites, monuments, and national parks, began in 2000 and has enriched journeys aboard many long-distance trains. There were cutbacks in 2018 when Amtrak stopped […]
NFL Draft to displace Amtrak passengers from Kansas City Union Station
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Amtrak passengers will be displaced from Kansas City Union Station for five days beginning April 26 as the landmark facility hosts the NFL Draft. Passengers will need to use a shuttle bus arriving and departing west of the station on West 25th Street or face a 15-minute walk to the station […]
Amtrak to regulators: Ongoing tardiness of Sunset Limited demands urgent probe
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has urged federal regulators to investigate the ongoing tardiness of the Sunset Limited, saying the train’s on-time performance this year falls well short of minimum standards. The filing this week with the Surface Transportation Board does not mention Union Pacific, which handles the Sunset over nearly all of the train’s route between […]
Amtrak issues request for construction qualifications for East River Tunnel rehabilitation
NEW YORK – Amtrak has issued a Request for Qualifications for construction services regarding renewal for two of four tunnels under the East River. The project would work to modernize tunnel infrastructure. Preparatory work is already underway in New York’s Sunnyside Yard with major construction starting in early 2024 and continuing through 2027. The tunnels […]
More Midwest Venture cars enter service; California still waits
Second of two parts CHICAGO — The introduction of Venture business/coach cars on some state-supported Amtrak routes in the Midwest reflects an increase in availability of the Siemens-built equipment, delayed by a variety of production and acceptance issues. Meanwhile, there is still no firm date for the introduction of California’s Venture equipment, although a spokesman […]
Slide suspends Seattle-Portland ‘Cascades’ service through Friday
SEATTLE — Amtrak Cascades between Seattle and Portland, Ore., remain suspended through Friday, April 14, while BNSF Railway crews clear a mudslide that has kept passenger trains from operating since Tuesday. Portland-Eugene, Ore., and Seattle-Vancouver, B.C., trains have continued to operate, while the Coast Starlight to and from Los Angeles has been turning at Portland. […]
Venture business-class cars debut in Midwest: Trip report
First of two parts CHICAGO — After being delayed for several years by production setbacks and acceptance issues, the first of 17 state-owned Siemens Venture business-class cars are now hosting passengers on Midwest Amtrak routes. They are not being advertised, however, and you only need a regular coach ticket to ride the cars. They feature […]
Pacific Surfliner between L.A. and San Diego, Metrolink service to Oceanside to resume
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — The long disruption of Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink service in south Orange County is about to end. As of Monday, April 17, full daily Pacific Surfliner service between Los Angeles and San Diego — halted in September 2022 — will resume, as well as Metrolink service to Oceanside, Calif. Passenger traffic […]
Minnesota legislature appears ready to fund Twin Cities-Duluth passenger train
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Funding to launch passenger rail service between the Twin Cities and Duluth, Minn., has been included in transportation bills in both houses of the Minnesota legislature, although the two versions provide substantially different levels of funding. The Duluth News Tribune reports that the budget bills prepared by both houses, controlled by […]
Virginia seeks additional funding for Long Bridge project
RICHMOND, Va. — The cost of a second rail bridge over the Potomac River — a key part of Virginia’s plan for major expansion of Amtrak and commuter-rail service on the I-95 corridor south from Washington, D.C.— has risen substantially, leading to a $389 million shortfall, the Washington Post reports.= The new two-track Long Bridge […]