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 […]
Railroad: Amtrak
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 […]
A bad week for the California Zephyr
CHICAGO — Amtrak’s westbound California Zephyr has been cancelled this Sunday, Sept. 25 — continuing a week of disruptions for the service between Chicago and Emeryville, Calif. The sequence that led to Sunday’s cancellation began with the westbound departure of Monday, Sept. 19, which sustained delays totaling 16 hours, 35 minutes on its way to […]
Amtrak sets goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has pledged to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions across its network by 2045, the company announced Thursday. “With new equipment, modernized stations, and net zero emissions, Amtrak can lead the drive toward sustainable transportation throughout the nation,” CEO Stephen Gardner said in a press release. The company said its efforts to […]
BNSF seeks to have Southwest Chief cases decided by arbitration (updated)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — BNSF Railway has filed a suit in a federal court seeking an injunction that would force victims of the June derailment of Amtrak’s Southwest Chief to settle matters through arbitration rather than lawsuits, and has also asked that state suits be placed on hold while the arbitration question is decided at […]
Stadler unveils first hydrogen train for U.S., announces order for up to 29 more
BERLIN — The first hydrogen-powered trainset for use in the U.S. has been presented to its owners at the InnoTrans trade fair by manufacturer Stadler — which also announced an order for more of the equipment for use in Amtrak California intercity service. The two-car trainset was ordered by the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority […]
Indiana man sentenced to eight years in prison for arson at Amtrak’s Beech Grove shops
INDIANAPOLIS — A Beech Grove, Ind., man has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison for a pair of arson fires, including one at Amtrak’s Beech Grove heavy maintenance facility that caused more than $1.1 million in damage. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana says in a press release that […]