North Carolina Department of Transportation Chief Deputy Secretary David Howard and Rail Division Director Jason Orthner shake hands in a photo taken at Raleigh’s Capital Yard on May 3, 2019, promoting the $1 Piedmont fare sale for trips Friday and Saturday. All trips are now sold out. North Carolina Department of Transportation RALEIGH, N. C. […]
A plant grows out of a heavily-damaged dining car at Amtrak’s Beech Grove, Ind., shops on Dec. 14, 2018. The car, out of service since 2002, is not among those included in Amtrak’s latest list of equipment for sale. Bob Johnston WASHINGTON — Superliners and Amfleet cars are among the latest batch of inactive rolling […]
Lamy, N.M. — In honor of the 150th anniversary of the Golden Spike, Altiplano Rail is chartering four private railroad cars. The westbound Golden Spike Rail Tour, which began on May 2, 2019, will travel from Chicago to Los Angeles on Amtrak Southwest Chief, go north to Oakland, Calif., on the Coast Starlight, and then […]
SANTA ROSA, Calif. — Expansion of Northern California’s SMART commuter rail into Napa and Solano counties, allowing a connection to Amtrak, would take six years and about $1 billion, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports. The figure comes from a study funded by the state of California into the possibility of a link from the […]
NEW YORK — Amtrak will cut its police force by 20% over the next three years, the New York Post reports, a move its union president says “will jeopardize the safety and security for the passengers and employees.” William Gonzalez, president of Amtrak’s Fraternal Order of Police, told the Post that Amtrak police chief Neil […]
NEW YORK — Calling the project “a matter of national security and economic stability,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy pushed Friday for funding for the Gateway Project, which includes a new tunnel between New Jersey and New York as part of a series of infrastructure upgrades to Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor line. Murphy, in testimony at […]
NEW YORK — The chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has vowed to get a new rail tunnel built to connect New York and New Jersey, the Associated Press reports. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) made the pledge in comments at New York’s Penn Station as he and other members of his committee prepared […]
Trainmen uncouple the Hoosier State’s three car consist from the eastbound Cardinal at Indianapolis on April 23, 2019. The Hoosier trainset deadheads westbound on Mondays and eastbound on Tuesday to position equipment, and earns no revenue on Thursdays and Saturdays. Bob Johnston Amtrak operations guru Chris Jagodzinski uses an inspection trip for local leaders on […]
An NJT train tiptoes through “A” Interlocking’s work zone on the west end of Penn Station on June 20, 2017. This summer “JO” Interlocking on the east end of the station will be rebuilt. Bob Johnston NEW YORK — Continued infrastructure work at New York’s Penn Station will lead to changes in service this […]
An Adirondack Scenic locomotive and train. Alex Mayes UTICA, N.Y. — While the threat of losing 34 miles of track enters into long-term planning, the Adirondack Scenic Railroad has a lot on its plate as it readies for the 2019 season, including preparing for its latest acquisition: an Amtrak-donated Heritage Diner car. Amtrak recently notified […]
The New Mexico Rail Passengers Coalition held a rally in Las Vegas, N.M., to bring awareness of the importance of the Amtrak Southwest Chief to the local community on April 19, 2019. The rally was held in the recently restored Plaza Hotel, with about 125 people attending. Elected officials from New Mexico, Colorado, and Kansas […]
Then-Vice President Joe Biden at the newly renovated Wilmington, Del., Amtrak station dedication in March 2011. Michael T. Burkhart WASHINGTON, D.C. – “Amtrak Joe” is making another run for the White House. Former Vice President Joe Biden announced Thursday he is running for President of the United States in 2020. The campaign is Biden’s third […]
