As Amtrak restores long-distance service, best prices are on ‘new’ dates

Amtrak train stops at brick station

WASHINGTON — Anyone ready to lock in summer travel plans that involve long-distance trains will find lower fares on days that have had no service since last October. Amtrak wasted no time Wednesday in complying with marching orders from Congress in the just-passed economic stimulus legislation, immediately announcing when it would resume daily service on […]

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Amtrak announces dates to restore daily service on 12 long-distance routes

Passenger train running along shoreline

Amtrak service will resume daily on 12 long-distance routes which had been cut to triweekly service in May and June, following Wednesday’s passage by Congress of the American Rescue Plan aid package, which includes funding for service restoration. Ticketing is already available for the restored service in Amtrak’s reservation system, meaning availability for seats and […]

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Rail volume up 11.4 percent in weekly statistics

Table showing rail carload and intermodal volume

WASHINGTON — With continued strength of intermodal traffic and a rare rise in carload traffic as recovery continued from February’s winter weather issues, U.S. railroads showed an 11.4% increase in total volume for the week ending March 6, 2021, compared to the same week last year. The latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads […]

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Digest: NTSB releases preliminary report on UP track worker fatality

Maintenance of Way tie tamper machine

NTSB issues preliminary report on UP track worker fatality The National Transportation Safety Board indicates it will examine Union Pacific operating rules and the condition of a piece of equipment as part of its ongoing investigation of a fatal accident involving a UP maintenance-of-way worker near Vail, Ariz., in January. In its preliminary report, the […]

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Amtrak revives Northeast Corridor sleeping cars

Attendant on platform outside train at night in snow

WASHINGTON — Passengers opting to take the train between Boston and Washington, D.C., will have a long-overdue alternative to the 7-hour daytime journey aboard Acela, Amtrak’s fastest train. Overnight northbound train No. 66 and southbound No. 67 (No. 65 on Friday and Saturday nights) are scheduled at 9 to 10 hours depending on the direction […]

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Digest: Amtrak adding sleeping-car service on Northeast Corridor

Amtrak logo

Amtrak to offer sleeping cars on Northeast Regional trains beginning April 5 Amtrak will return sleeping-car service to the Northeast Corridor beginning April 5, with sleepers added to one overnight Northeast Regional train in each direction. Northbound, train No. 66 will depart Washington Union Station at 10 p.m., arriving in New York at 1:55 a.m. […]

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Wine shipper touts local service from short line railroads

A major wine shipper has located its facilities almost exclusively on short line railroads with access to two Class I systems as a way to ensure better local service and more competitive rates. G3 Enterprises, which handles shipping for 28 of the top 30 wineries in the U.S., operates regional distribution centers in nine states. […]

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All-female steam crew to help Strasburg Rail Road mark International Women’s Day

Two women railroaders pose near the pilot of a steam locomotive.

RONKS, Pa. — Strasburg Rail Road’s first-ever all-female steam engine crew will run all trips for the Pennsylvania tourist line this Saturday, March 6. The assignment coincides with International Women’s Day (March 8) and Women’s History Month. In the cab will be Andrea Biesecker as engineer and Shelley Hall as fireman. They will run the […]

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The Home Depot looks to boost rail’s role in bulk shipments

View of a Home Depot distribution center. Wide-angle image.

The Home Depot is in the midst of a five-year, $1.2 billion expansion of its distribution network that will allow railroads to increase their share of inbound bulk items sold in the retailer’s 2,200 stores. The expansion, which includes larger buildings with more rail spots, is an opportunity for railroads to convert freight from the […]

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Pan Am Southern employment to fall in CSX acquisition of Pan Am Railways

CSX logo

WASHINGTON — CSX Transportation’s proposed acquisition of New England regional Pan Am Railways will have a significant impact on employment levels at Pan Am Southern, the joint venture it will share with Norfolk Southern. Genesee & Wyoming, which has been designated the neutral operator of Pan Am Southern, estimates that it can run the railroad […]

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BNSF is bouncing back from harsh winter weather as service, volume recover

An orange BNSF Railway locomotive leads a train over a snow-covered multi-track main line.

FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway is recovering quickly after blasts of extreme winter weather raked the system last month. BNSF has turned the corner on restoring fluidity to its network as volume recovers after the weather shocks, John Miller, the railroad’s group vice president of industrial products, told the Pacific Northwest Association of Rail Shippers […]

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Digest: DC Metro proposal could cut 22 stations

WMATA/DC Metro logo in black and white.

DC Metro proposal would see 22 stations closed, rail service reduced as of January 2022 The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority would could close 22 Metrorail stations, reduce rail service to 30-minute intervals on all routes, and shut down nightly at 9 p.m. instead of the current 11 p.m. under the rail component of a […]

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