WASHINGTON — Class I railroads this week disagreed with Amtrak’s contention that its passenger trains should enjoy absolute and unlimited priority over freight trains. Amtrak, as part of its complaint over Union Pacific’s handling of the Sunset Limited, told the Surface Transportation Board earlier this year that every individual dispatching decision must result in the […]
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Railroads on the Gulf Coast and in the East are familiar with hurricane preparedness and plan accordingly for wind, storm surge, and flooding. But they cannot prepare for a hurricane causing an unprecedented, once-in-a-thousand-years event. That’s what happened about 24 hours after Hurricane Helene made landfall on Sept. 26, 2024, as a […]
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A former Amtrak station in Grand Rapids is for sale, but if you’re interested in buying, be prepared for a big dent in your budget. The news site Mlive.com reports the building, on a 0.6 acre lot, is being offered for $1.5 million by developer Jonathan Bryant of the firm Underground […]
NEW YORK — Amtrak says service has been fully restored between New York’s Penn Station and Philadelphia. The company said “all services are operating” in a post shortly before 8 a.m. ET today (Dec. 24, 2024) on its Northeast Corridor alerts feed on X.com. However, Amtrak also reports that Acelas No. 2154 (a 7 a.m. […]
Amtrak carried more passengers in its 2024 fiscal year (October 2023-September 2024) than at any time in the company’s 53-year history. The milestone was achieved primarily by adding Northeast Corridor frequencies and deploying enough passenger cars on its main East Coast artery to meet expanding travel demand. Nationwide, however, it was a different story. While […]
WASHINGTON — Just before adjourning last weekend, the U.S. Senate confirmed four nominees to Amtrak’s Board of Directors who are in position to bring different perspectives and active oversight to the organization. The last-minute legislative action early Saturday morning was championed by Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) [see “Senate confirms four for Amtrak […]
EAST CHICAGO, Ind. — Amtrak Michigan service is dealing with cancellations today because of a Norfolk Southern derailment Sunday in northwestern Indiana. NS said in a statement that eight cars of ethanol derailed on a train traveling through Gary, Ind., at about 10:35 p.m., resulting in a spill of about 250 gallons of ethanol from […]
NEW YORK — Operating issues continue for Amtrak on the Northeast Corridor today (Dec. 23), well over 24 hours after disruptions began because of downed overhead power lines near Philadelphia. The signal issues reported reported an an Amtrak advisory at 4:30 a.m. today have now been resolved, the company says in a 2:30 p.m. ET […]
ST. LOUIS — After attempting to rectify “ongoing mechanical issues” following the westbound Texas Eagle’s on-time arrival in St. Louis on Saturday evening, Dec. 21, Amtrak decided to cancel the train across the rest of its route to San Antonio, Tex., leaving Texas travelers with a lump of coal. An advisory at 11:50 p.m., more […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill requiring Amtrak to report annually to Congress on its progress in improving stations to stations with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The bill, previously passed by the Senate, now goes to President Joe Biden for his signature. S.4107, the Think Differently Transportation Act, was […]
NEW YORK — Delays continue as Amtrak continues to restore operations between Philadelphia and New York after a suspension for much of the morning because of downed overhead power wires today (Dec. 22, 2024) near Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station. Amtrak’s latest update, as of 1:30 p.m. ET, says two of the four tracks in the […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate has confirmed four nominees for the Amtrak board of directors, the first time the legislative body has confirmed a majority of the 10-member board in almost a decade. Senate records indicate David Capozzi, Elaine Clegg, Ronald Batory, and Lanhee Chen were confirmed by voice vote during a Friday session that […]
