A dining car crew sets up for breakfast on the ‘Auto Train’ in 2012. Al DiCenso Q Having been a tipped employee, I know how important service and tips are to customers and employees alike. What would be an appropriate tip for average service for one guest in a roomette? What about tipping for meals […]
The Southwest Chief Commission wants to use the Pueblo Union Station, pictured here in this July 28, 2013 view. Bob Johnston PUEBLO, Colo. — An Amtrak revenue and ridership study requested by the Colorado Department of Transportation’s Southwest Chief Rail Line Economic Development, Rural Tourism, and Infrastructure Repair and Maintenance Commission Fund projects that the […]
After holding a preview and reception in the space on June 23, Amtrak this week opens its new Metropolitan Lounge at Chicago Union Station. The facility for sleeping-car and business-class passengers is twice the size of the 25-year-old lounge it replaces. Join Trains Associate Editor David Lassen for a tour of the facilities and work […]
After attending the 2015 National Train Show in Portland, Ore., Charlie and Kent Johnson decided to leave the driving to Amtrak for the return trip to Seattle, Wash. In this video, the guys share the high-speed sprint from one classic station to another, and highlight numerous railroad interests along the BNSF main line! […]
After attending the 2015 National Train Show in Portland, Ore., Charlie and Kent Johnson decided to leave the driving to Amtrak for the return trip to Seattle, Wash. In this video, the guys share the high-speed sprint from one classic station to another, and highlight numerous railroad interests along the BNSF main line! […]
Amtrak’s last printed time table. Bob Johnston WASHINGTON — Although it will continue to be available as a downloadable file from Amtrak’s website, the national timetable with every train on every route at every station — and all of the Amtrak Thruway bus connections — will no longer be printed. In a statement released this […]
An empty coal train rolls by the 1946-built Prince, W.Va., station while three passengers wait for the arrival of Amtrak Cardinal No. 51 in Prince in February 2012. Chase Gunnoe PRINCE, W.Va. — A popular train station among railroad enthusiasts in southern West Virginia will no longer be staffed by an Amtrak ticket agent, the […]
Workers and investigators swarm Amtrak’s southbound Palmetto in Chester, Pa., on Sunday. The train struck a backhoe causing the shutdown of the Northeast Corridor between Wilmington, Del., and Philadelphia. TRAINS: Brian Schmidt PHILADELPHIA — A backhoe struck by an Amtrak train in a fatal accident Sunday on the Northeast Corridor apparently did not have clearance […]
WASHINGTON — After eight years, Amtrak is pulling the plug on one of its more successful promotions: National Train Day. In an e-mail to Trains Correspondent Bob Johnston, Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari says, “Since its inception, Amtrak Train Days/National Train Day has been a popular program, allowing us to celebrate the value that Amtrak brings […]
WASHINGTON — Travelers who wish to take small dogs or cats in carry-on cases with them aboard Amtrak trains are getting more choices starting Feb. 16, when they will be welcomed on long-distance train coaches for trips up to seven hours. The following Saturday, a pilot program scheduled through June 12 will begin on weekend […]
Cardinal heads west near Swoop, Va., east of Staunton, in April, 2013 Bob Johnston WASHINGTON—Starting this month, Amtrak will begin offering business class on the triweekly Chicago-Washington-New York Cardinal. The decision to do so was made recently, so it is not reflected in the new “Winter Spring 2016” timetable effective Monday, Jan. 11. The launch, […]
No. 704 trails on the westbound ‘Cardinal’ as it arrives in Chicago on Jan. 7. Mark Hinsdale NEW YORK – Passengers along the Empire Service route to Upstate New York can look forward to more of Amtrak’s “Phase III” paint scheme. GE P32AC-DM No. 704 rolled into the windy city last week displaying a Phase […]
