Groundbreaking marks start of Baltimore Penn Station project

Illustration of buildings at night

BALTIMORE — Officials from Amtrak, the city of Baltimore, and the state of Maryland held a groundbreaking ceremony Friday to mark the start of a $150 million project to redevelop Baltimore Penn station, which will see the structure turned into a mixed-use development including office, retail, and residential and hotel space. WYPR-FM reports Amtrak President […]

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News photo: Amtrak Chargers on the move

Two diesels — black locomotive with blue stripe and blue and red locomotive — pulled past station by electric locomotive

PERRYVILLE, Md. — Amtrak’s first two Siemens ALC42 Charger long-distance locomotives, No. 300, in the interim “Phase VI” paint scheme, and No. 301, in the “Day One” scheme, are pulled through Perryville by an ACS64 on Thursday, in a deadhead move from Amtrak’s Wilmington, Del., shops to Washington. From there, they are reportedly headed to […]

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California passenger rail corridors form ‘advocacy coalition’

High-angle view of regional Amtrak train at station

WASHINGTON — Unsatisfied with their individual efforts, California’s three entities operating intercity passenger rail corridors announced Wednesday that they have formed a coalition to jointly advocate for their operations. The agencies operating Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor, Pacific Surfliners, and San Joaquin will be linked in an organization known as CIRCLE, an acronym that stands for California’s […]

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Four injured when Amtrak train hits auto carrier, derails

Damage to rear of locomotive and upper level of bilevel passenger car

MARIETTA, Okla. — At least four people were reported injured Friday night when Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer hit a truck carrying automobiles, derailing the locomotive and apparently causing vehicles from the truck to strike one of the passenger cars.  A Facebook post from the Love County, Okla., Fire Department reports the auto carrier had become high-centered […]

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STB sets new schedule for Amtrak Gulf Coast case

Surface Transportation Board logo

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has granted a new extension for the process of addressing Amtrak’s request to require CSX and Norfolk Southern to allow passenger service between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala. — while cautioning that it will not look favorably on further efforts to delay the process. Amtrak filed the request in […]

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FRA unveils ambitious Midwest Rail Plan

Schematic map of proposed passenger rail service with Chicago as hub

CHICAGO — Deputy Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose released the agency’s Midwest Regional Rail Plan at a Chicago Union Station media event Wednesday, characterizing it as “a 40-year multi-state framework and vision for restoring, modernizing, and expanding the existing intercity passenger rail network in the Midwest.” The blueprint, a culmination of two years collaborative work […]

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Fire near Santa Barbara disrupts Surfliner, Starlight service

Amtrak logo.

LOS ANGELES — Amtrak Pacific Surfliner and Coast Starlight service has been altered because of wildfires in the Santa Barbara, Calif., area. The Alisal fire, burning northwest of Santa Barbara and south of the town of Solvang, has closed the Union Pacific rail line and a portion of U.S. Route 101. KCBS-TV reports the fire, […]

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Two California Amtrak corridors to add trains, adjust schedules

Passenger train stopped at station with bus waiting across platform

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Schedule changes are coming later this month for Amtrak San Joaquin and Pacific Surfliner service. Beginning Monday, Oct. 18, the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority will again offer direct Amtrak train service between Sacramento, the state capito,l and Bakersfield, Calif., when it adds a sixth San Joaquin round trip south of Stockton, […]

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NJ Transit approves contract for Portal Bridge replacement

Rendering of bridge with two trains

TRENTON, N.J. — NJ Transit’s board of directors has approved a $1.56 billion contract — the largest in the agency’s history — for construction of the Portal North Bridge on the Northeast Corridor. “Few infrastructure projects are as critical to the nation as replacing the aging Portal Bridge,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said in […]

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