Passengers were the missing element on the daily Amtrak trains operating over my HO Ohio Southern until I discovered sets of seated figures made by Faller and Noch. Best of all, they fit right into the molded interior seats in Walthers’ classic streamliners. My Amtrak train represents a secondary turn-around run covered by the older […]
Railroad: Amtrak
What’s the one thing Amtrak and freight railroads have in common?
Railroads have what you could call a one-train problem. That is to say they offer but one daily departure from Point A to Point B. A case in point is Amtrak’s Pennsylvanian, which links New York City and Pittsburgh. Earlier this month I wanted to ride Amtrak to a rail shippers conference in the Steel […]
Pacific Surfliner, Metrolink halt operations in South Orange County
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner and LA-area commuter rail operator Metrolink have suspended service until further notice between Irvine and Oceanside, Calif., over “safety concerns” regarding the right-of-way in San Clemente, according to a notice on the Surfliner website. The Los Angeles Times reported earlier this week that erosion along the beach in […]
Hurricane continues to impact Amtrak, commuter rail operations
WASHINGTON — Amtrak continues to adjust its operations in the Southeast as a result of Hurricane Ian, which is now projected to make a second landfall in South Carolina today (Friday, Sept. 30) Today’s operations of the Palmetto, which normally runss between New York and Savannah, Ga., will now terminate or originate in Washington, D.C., […]
Amtrak switch to Miami airport station again moving forward
MIAMI — A long-delayed plan to bring Amtrak trains to a station at Miami International Airport is being revived. A dedicated track for the Silver Meteor and Silver Star has been gathering rust at Miami Intermodal Center since the building connected to the airport opened seven years ago. Despite the operating challenges involved in backing […]
Amtrak auctioning off remaining Talgo equipment
BEECH GROVE, Ind. — Amtrak is auctioning off its Talgo Series VI trainsets, retired in the wake of the fatal derailment of an Amtrak Cascades train in December 2017. A “Material and Pricing Schedule” for the auction lists 28 cars for sale: two baggage cars, two bistro cars, two dining cars, 11 coaches, two cars […]
Amtrak extends storm cancellations for Silver Star, Auto Train
WASHINGTON — In a Tuesday evening update to its original advisory, Amtrak has now cancelled all northbound and southbound departures of the New York-Miami Silver Star, and the Lorton, Va.-Sanford, Fla., Auto Train, through Friday because of the approaching Hurricane Ian. Also cancelled is the Saturday, Oct. 1, northbound departure of the Silver Star from […]
Parties in Amtrak Gulf Coast case granted more time for mediation
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board’s Office of Proceedings on Tuesday granted a request by all parties involved to extend board-sponsored mediation regarding Amtrak’s effort to launch Gulf Coast passenger service to Oct. 11. The request was granted without additional comment. Amtrak, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and the Alabama State Port Authority had filed the […]
Silver Star, Auto Train cancelled in advance of Hurricane Ian
WASHINGTON — With Hurricane Ian bearing down on Florida and the Southeast, Amtrak has cancelled Auto Train in both directions Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 27 and 28. Amtrak also says in an online advisory that the New York-Tampa-Miami Silver Star that departed today (Monday, Sept. 26) is terminating at Jacksonville, Fla., Tuesday morning; its northbound […]
Amtrak, freight railroads ask for additional mediation time in Gulf Coast dispute
WASHINGTON — The parties involved in the dispute over Amtrak’s effort to launch Gulf Coast passenger service have asked the Surface Transportation Board for a second extension for their current board-sponsored mediation. In a request filed Friday, Amtrak, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and the Alabama State Port Authority jointly requested the board extend mediation by […]
Checked baggage dropped from two Amtrak trains (corrected)
WASHINGTON — Amtrak says checked baggage service is being dropped this fall from two state-supported routes “due to equipment shortages” — even though the company received 70 new baggage cars as part of its 125-car Viewliner II equipment order from CAF USA in 2014-15. The company now says, however, that a notice posted in at […]
Siemens optimistic about US passenger market
BERLIN — The prospects for a number of transformative passenger projects, as well as the potential for more rail electrification, have the CEO of Siemens Mobility in North America upbeat as he considers his company’s future. Marc Buncher heads a company that has grown rapidly in North America, with its Sacramento, Calif., manufacturing site employing […]