Former Amtrak worker faces wire fraud charges

U.S. Department of Justice seal

NEW ORLEANS — A former Amtrak on-board services attendant has been charged with wire fraud for allegedly selling spaces on a non-existent New Orleans-New York City trip, and for allegedly submitting false sick benefit claims to the Railroad Retirement Board. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana says in a press release […]

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Senators call for study of additional Amtrak service in Northwest

Logo of the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority

WASHINGTON — In a boost to efforts to reestablish Amtrak service along the former North Coast Hiawatha route, a bipartisan group of eight U.S. senators have asked the Federal Railroad Administration to establish a group to study additional passenger service in the Pacific Northwest. The Missoula Current reports the senators — Republicans Mitt Romney (Utah), […]

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Amtrak to spend $150 million on NEC tunnel repairs

Amtrak train coming out of tunnel

NEW YORK — Amtrak will spend about $150 million to repair its existing tunnels between New Jersey and New York’s Penn Station as it awaits construction of two new tunnels on the Northeast Corridor route. Bloomberg reports the plans for the North River Tunnel, built in 1910, are outlined in a report week outlining work […]

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MTA awards contract for Penn Station Access

Map showing location of new Metro-North stations in the Bronx

NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has approved a design-build contract for the Penn Station Access project, which will bring Metro-North service to Penn Station via the existing Amtrak Northeast Corridor route over Hell Gate Bridge. A joint venture of Halmar International and RailWorks has received the contract for the project, estimated to take […]

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Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn to retire (second update)

Head shot of gray-haired man in suit

WASHINGTON — Bill Flynn will retire as Amtrak CEO as of Jan. 17, 2022, with Stephen Gardner, the company’s president, becoming both president and CEO, the company announced Wednesday. Flynn became CEO in April 2020, succeeding Richard Anderson. His retirement after 21 months comes as a surprise in light of comments from Amtrak board chairman […]

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Amtrak employee sues over ‘Empire Builder’ accident

Three men in hard hats and safety vests in front of derailed passenger train

GREAT FALLS, Mont. — An Amtrak on-board service attendant injured in September’s derailment of the Empire Builder has become the latest to file suit over the accident. The Billings Gazette reports Tarrick Peyton filed suit in U.S. District Court in Great Falls against Amtrak and BNSF Railway for negligence in the Sept. 25 accident that killed […]

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