WASHINGTON — Amtrak has once again split the positions of chief executive officer and president, with CEO Stephen Gardner announcing the appointment of Roger Harris as president and the promotion of Gerhard (Gery) Williams to executive vice president, service delivery and operations. Gardner had become president and CEO in January following the announced retirement of […]
Railroad: Amtrak
Amtrak finalizes order for additional Charger locomotives
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has finalized an order for 50 additional Siemens Charger locomotives for long-distance passenger service. The deal was originally reported by Trains News Wire in February [see “Amtrak to order 50 more …,” News Wire, Feb. 8, 2022]. The latest order will bring to 125 the number of ALC42 locomotives purchased by Amtrak. […]
Fifty Years of Amtrak Trains book review
Fifty Years of Amtrak Trains is a beautifully crafted 256-page, all-color hardbound volume. It is a time capsule of relevant information on the first 50 years of Amtrak’s existence, including a comprehensive survey of Amtrak routes between 1971 and 2021. The volume accounts for all Amtrak routes and trains (the book is divided into state […]
Amtrak adds additional daily service to Roanoke, Va.
WASHINGTON — Amtrak will add a second daily Northeast Regional departure from Roanoke, Va., as of July 11, creating a schedule with morning and afternoon trains in both directions between Roanoke, Washington, and other Northeast Corridor destinations. Trains will now depart Roanoke at 6:32 a.m. (arriving in Washington at 11:34 a.m.) and 4:30 p.m. (arriving […]
Amtrak begins process to award contracts for B&P tunnel project
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has taken the first step in the procurement process to replace Baltimore’s B&P Tunnel, issuing a Request for Letters of Interest for the new tunnel’s Southern Approach construction package. The $1 billion-plus Southern Approach package is the first of three major construction contracts for the project to replace the 1.4-mile tunnel dating […]
Officials celebrate completion of CREATE Argo Connection project
SUMMIT, Ill. — Some projects in Chicago’s CREATE program, which seeks to address rail congestion, bring dramatic changes to the landscape. The Englewood Flyover, the lengthy bridge which raised Metra’s Rock Island District above the Norfolk Southern main line on the city’s South Side, is the classic example. For others, the impact is far more […]
Ethan Allen Express extension to Burlington, Vt., to begin July 29
BARRE, Vt. — Amtrak’s Ethan Allen Express will extend service from its current northern endpoint of Rutland to Burlington, Vt., with additional stops in Vergennes and Middlebury, as of July 29, 2022, the Vermont Agency of Transportation has announced. The extension follows extensive work to upgrade track infrastructure between Rutland and Burlington to accommodate higher train […]
News photos: Aging lift bridge is Amtrak’s Achilles Heel in Chicago
CHICAGO — Water spray splashing the wheels of Lincoln Service train no. 300 coming off the Chicago River bridge Wednesday morning has nothing to do with Amtrak’s need to wash Windy City trains, and everything to do with making sure hot weather doesn’t sideline them. With temperatures expected to reach 100 degrees as they did […]
STB grants Amtrak access to NS, CSX data, orders mediation
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board will allow a limited number of Amtrak personnel access to raw train data used by CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern so the passenger operator can run its own Rail Traffic Controller capacity modeling study. In a decision issued Friday, the STB also ordered board-sponsored mediation to address the differences […]
Amtrak unveils infrastructure plan to transform Chicago operations
CHICAGO — Amtrak is seeking more than $200 million in federal funding, along with money from state and local sources, in an attempt to fix a series of long-standing deficiencies, capacity limitations, and how trains from the south and east enter Chicago. The passenger operator is competing for a portion of $5 billion available between […]
Amtrak receives FRA funding for apprenticeship program
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has received an $8 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration to expand the apprenticeship program it launched earlier this year. The funds are among the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement grants announced earlier this month [see “FRA announces CRISI grants …,” Trains News Wire, June 2, 2022]. They will support […]
Stabilization plan to protect rail line on Del Mar Bluffs is approved
DEL MAR, Calif. — The California Coastal Commission has approved the San Diego Association of Governments’ stabilization plans for the Del Mar Bluffs, despite objections to parts of the project from the North County Transit District as well as residents. The San Diego Union reports that at a Wednesday, June 8, meeting, the commission unanimously […]