36 minutes ago, gildone said:

Good point. I would add that two trains per day isn't exactly visionary on the part of Amtrak.  That's far from adequate service to get a lot of people interested in actually using the train.  Successful passenger rail corridors offer enough trains to give travelers the flexibility they need to get out of their cars.  This corridor should be starting with 3 daily round trips with plans to expand the frequencies further.   I realize that it was probably difficult enough to get the states to agree on just one round trip per day, but a modern passenger rail system needs to do a lot better than that. 

 

IIRC Mobile is actually paying for Alabama's portion of the service since that state government is not interested. Just goes to show how big of a hill there is to climb just to restore fairly limited service.

CSX recently came to an agreement with Amtrak to expand passenger service in New England, specifically:

1) Expanding and improving Downeaster service between Maine and Boston;
2) Expanding and improving Amtrak service between Albany and Worcester;
3) Hosting seasonal Berkshire Flyer trains between Albany and Pittsfield, MA

https://narprail.org/happening-now/news/blog/csx-agrees-to-amtrak-conditions-for-new-england-trains/

Why has CSX been so open to negotiation and compromise in New England, but not the Gulf Coast?
 

Edited February 18, 20223 yr by gildone

 

I fear Ohio is going to totally screw this up.

9 minutes ago, mrclifton88 said:

I fear Ohio is going to totally screw this up.

 

Someone in the passenger rail industry asked me why I resigned from All Aboard Ohio when the federal government just approved the biggest funding increase for passenger rail development in its history. I told him that I can't keep pouring my heart and soul into passenger rail advocacy only to watch Ohio's "leaders" sit out another huge opportunity again. Ohio's reaction to passenger rail is like a right-winger's reaction to the COVID vaccine. They refuse to take it even though it will help them. They may be OK without it, but they would be much better off with it.

55 minutes ago, KJP said:

 

Someone in the passenger rail industry asked me why I resigned from All Aboard Ohio when the federal government just approved the biggest funding increase for passenger rail development in its history. I told him that I can't keep pouring my heart and soul into passenger rail advocacy only to watch Ohio's "leaders" sit out another huge opportunity again. Ohio's reaction to passenger rail is like a right-winger's reaction to the COVID vaccine. They refuse to take it even though it will help them. They may be OK without it, but they would be much better off with it.

I guess we can't be flyover country if we have high speed rail cutting through our state.  

1 hour ago, mrclifton88 said:

I fear Ohio is going to totally screw this up.

 

I'd count on it. Just think, if we had taken the money in 2008, the current funding would be going to increased speed and frequency to make service even more competitive with driving, all the stuff that detractors complained about the 2008 plan lacking.  KJP and others made the "you need to start somewhere" point repeatedly back then. So frustrating. 

 

1 minute ago, cadmen said:

It pains me to say this (since rail is my favorite form of travel) but we are getting squat. Until the political leadership in Ohio changes from Red to Blue public transit will remain underfunded to the extent that rail will become extinct and we'll probably be down to a handful of bus routes in the larger cities. 

 

As long as Columbus has the ability to sh*t-can Amtrak and starve locally funded transit operations I'm afraid the auto will remain king. I was so excited to read about the massive Federal funding for Amtrak. Having a mini-hub in Cleveland, connecting the three C's with rail and even creating some form of high-speed rail got my juices going. Stupid me. I forgot Columbus had the ability to veto it all. 

 

You know what they say, elections DO count.

 

 

The House version of the infrastructure bill gave Amtrak the legal authority and funding to aggressively pursue expansion, with or without state leadership. The Senate version kept the authority with the states as well as the responsibility to initiate service expansion and request funds. I urged Ohio's Congressional Delegation to support the House version if they ever wanted to see usable trains in Ohio. The Senate version won out. I resigned from AAO soon thereafter.

Very sorry to hear that you resigned as a rail advocate Ken. From reading of your past efforts on behalf of rail l think it must be painful to see how things have played out.

 

To be a rail advocate in a country like ours must feel like beating your head against a brick wall...a lot of pain and precious little progress. 

 

 

2 hours ago, cadmen said:

Very sorry to hear that you resigned as a rail advocate Ken. From reading of your past efforts on behalf of rail l think it must be painful to see how things have played out.

 

To be a rail advocate in a country like ours must feel like beating your head against a brick wall...a lot of pain and precious little progress. 

 

 

 

In the 1980s, I felt I could accomplish anything and that all these old-timers who weren't having any success just didn't have my energy levels. I was sure I could succeed. I was able to get the Pennsylvanian extended across Ohio from Pittsburgh to Chicago starting in 1998 (10 years after I started advocating for it). But Amtrak screwed it up and Ohio was unwilling to support it. The train stopped running in 2003. I was heartbroken, yet chose to stay involved. It wasn't until I went to Europe for the first time in 2007 that I rode a train again and got my interest renewed. Several of my longtime rail advocacy friends jumped ship in 2011 after Ohio gave back the $400 million for 3C. But I stayed on and focused on improving stations across Northern Ohio and working on TOD projects. We got Toledo and Sandusky expanded as multimodal stations with Greyhound and more transit added, but couldn't get Elyria and Cleveland to build new stations. And other than shaming RTA into admitting its rail fleet was fading away into oblivion and getting the East 105th-Quincy Red Line station expanded as part of Opportunity Corridor, there was no expansion to be had anywhere. Not in this state. After a while, I just stopped caring. Now I've become the old-time rail advocate I used run circles around. 

Yes, like you my first real encounter with rail was 1978 when l went to Europe for the first time. Because l am a history buff l was aware that Europe used rail extensively but for me there was a huge difference between theory and reality. Simply put, l was blown away by the ease, romance, and just a different mentality that is European rail travel. I thought I'd died and go to heaven. It reminded me of all those black and white movies in the 1940's showing Americans using trains. The golden age of trains for me. 

 

The other thing about Europe that captivated me was the way they designed their cities and towns with the focus inward rather than on some farm field or forest 30 kilometers away. Sure, as a history, architecture and rail buff l understand why it's different over there. I'm not ignorant to the different reasons for how Europe and the US is set up. 

 

But there is one thing that l don't understand and its always perplexed me. I can't figure out why when my friends come back from Europe for the first time invariably they'll say something along the lines of "Boy, l sure loved the quaint architecture, how the cities and towns are so walkable." But when they have a chance to support something like that here (density, rail or walking paths) they don't. They continue to vote with their feet and move to the suburbs where everyone lives in a new development, everyone drives to the office park and used to drive to the mall to shop. I tell them don't drive to Crocker Park for a touch of Europe (or even America they way it once was). You can get some of that here by living in the city. You can even grow that lifestyle if you support it rather than decamp for the 'burbs. But no. They look at me like I'm crazy. They LOVED it in Europe but they won't do anything to change things here. I just don't get it.

It's the same thing with college towns. People love the walkability and often car-free existence of their college years. But fail to understand that a large part of their fondness for those times is because they lived in a walkable town.

 

You suggest we could recreate that in their cities with some effort, and they scoff and say it can't happen.

gateway to get its first round of fed money:

 

 

https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/transportation/2022/03/28/gateway-tunnel-biden-budget-federal-funding/7197663001/

Amtrak posted this at 4:30 pm. So, four trains in 8+ hours. Wow, such heavy freight traffic! How in the world are they going to get a few more Amtrak trains in there. Love this twitter approach...

 

 

The introduction tweet

 

The Washington Post: Amtrak moves to take over Union Station through eminent domain.

 

"Amtrak is using eminent domain to try to seize control of Union Station, a move that the passenger railroad said is necessary to realize long-planned expansion and modernization of the nation’s second-busiest train hub.

 

The historic station, a fixture in the heart of the District, is owned by the United States, but it is leased to and operated by other entities. In a complaint filed Thursday in the District Court for the District of Columbia, the railroad sought control of the property interest owned by Union Station Investco LLC, a subsidiary of the New York based-Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp., which has subleasing rights of the station through 2084.

 

Amtrak said it hopes to take over operations and management of the train hall to pursue multibillion-dollar investments at the station, including a long-planned concourse expansion and major repairs to a tunnel that runs under the station and is “in serious need of repair or replacement.”"

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/04/14/amtrak-eminent-domain-take-over-union-station/

LOL

 

Amtrak’s faster, higher-tech Acela trains are delayed again. The debut of train sets intended to replace Amtrak’s Acela fleet will be delayed another 18 months, according to the passenger rail service, citing “rigorous” testing requirements to operate the high-speed technology for the first time in the United States. The 28 Avelia Liberty high-speed trains, from the French manufacturer Alstom, are now slated to enter service in fall 2023, 2½ years behind schedule. The new train cars, modeled after trains that are in operation across Europe, are being assembled in a facility in Hornell, N.Y. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/04/13/amtrak-acela-trains-delay/

 

 

The "old" Acela sets are 20 years old.  The national system trainsets are 30 to 40 years old and are falling apart.  Just goes to show where Amtrak's priorities are.

Biden's Amtrak board nominees:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/04/29/president-biden-announces-amtrak-board-member-nominees/

 

Not a single one has railroad experience.  Anthony Coscia has been on the board since 2012.  It's time for him to go.  He is partially responsible for the attacks on the national network that happened in 2018.  Here's what a fellow advocate had to say:

 

At least here, at last, we have an Amtrak Board nominee in Mayor Koos who articulates a proper role for the long-distance network. I will strongly support him. But he may be lonely on the new Board!

 

The remaining Biden appointments range from profoundly disappointing in the case of current Board Chair Coscia to interesting with repect to David Caposi (who should strongly advocate for special needs ridership) to unknown otherwise. Coscia is the co-author with the departed Richard Anderson and current CEO Stephen Gardner of the systematic attack on the national network. How can the Biden team not recognize that 2010-2022 is long enough for Coscia on the Board? With all due respect advocates can not support Mr. Coscia’s reappointment.

 

More of concern is that there is no element other than the one nomination of Mayor Koos, of the regional (out of the NEC) balance called for in the Amtrak law. Nor is there anyone (as we Amtrak supporters at least dreamed of seeing) from the Amtrak support/advocacy community, nor (as ever) anyone with any history/experience in actually selling passenger rail–in actually marketing the product. Indeed unless we consider Coscia and Gardner as rail-savvy, there is no one with any real rail experience either.

2 hours ago, gildone said:

Biden's Amtrak board nominees:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/04/29/president-biden-announces-amtrak-board-member-nominees/

 

Not a single one has railroad experience.  Anthony Coscia has been on the board since 2012.  It's time for him to go.  He is partially responsible for the attacks on the national network that happened in 2018.  Here's what a fellow advocate had to say:

 

At least here, at last, we have an Amtrak Board nominee in Mayor Koos who articulates a proper role for the long-distance network. I will strongly support him. But he may be lonely on the new Board!

 

The remaining Biden appointments range from profoundly disappointing in the case of current Board Chair Coscia to interesting with repect to David Caposi (who should strongly advocate for special needs ridership) to unknown otherwise. Coscia is the co-author with the departed Richard Anderson and current CEO Stephen Gardner of the systematic attack on the national network. How can the Biden team not recognize that 2010-2022 is long enough for Coscia on the Board? With all due respect advocates can not support Mr. Coscia’s reappointment.

 

More of concern is that there is no element other than the one nomination of Mayor Koos, of the regional (out of the NEC) balance called for in the Amtrak law. Nor is there anyone (as we Amtrak supporters at least dreamed of seeing) from the Amtrak support/advocacy community, nor (as ever) anyone with any history/experience in actually selling passenger rail–in actually marketing the product. Indeed unless we consider Coscia and Gardner as rail-savvy, there is no one with any real rail experience either.

Firing up the teletype and contacting our senators.....

Awful....

 

Amtrak Capitol Limited train #29's crew today outlawed east of Cumberland and could not take the train west… No immediate crew was available to my knowledge either. 
Common occurrence with Amtrak these days. As of now the train is due in Pgh nearly four hours late at 3:21am. It could arrive about 6:30 a.m. Sunday....

On 5/8/2022 at 12:46 AM, KJP said:

Awful....

 

Amtrak Capitol Limited train #29's crew today outlawed east of Cumberland and could not take the train west… No immediate crew was available to my knowledge either. 
Common occurrence with Amtrak these days. As of now the train is due in Pgh nearly four hours late at 3:21am. It could arrive about 6:30 a.m. Sunday....

 

Keep these horror stories coming.  I'm going to start keeping track.  I want to figure out a way to use them to apply pressure Amtrak.  Their curtent incompetence is the worst I've ever seen in my lifetime. 

I've personally witnessed much worse 

I was going to post this in response to the 3C+D discussion, but realized its not at all Ohio specific. Hopefully this is more appropriate.

 

Regarding travel time comparisons, for short and medium range routes it's probably worth considering electric vehicle charge times as their adoption increases. Within Ohio, Cincinnati to Cleveland is going to need at least one charging stop for the majority of EVs. Same with any of the 3Cs to Chicago. Yes that could be concurrent with eating lunch, but it is still a stop and does add time versus being able to drive straight through. The train option makes it a lot easier to buy an inexpensive commuter-range EV for most driving, taking the train for regional trips (assuming it goes where you need it to).

 

That got me thinking - as EV popularity increases, it feels like there is an opportunity for a rethought version of the Autotrain aimed at effectively "extending the range" of electric cars. Maybe even add chargers, get to your destination with a fully charged car. That's one way to solve both the range challenges of affordable EVs with current battery technology, and the last-mile problems of rail. 

Edited May 20, 20223 yr by mrCharlie

welp -- ya gotta step up and pony up your money:

 

 

 

Governor Hochul Announces Launch of Transformative Livingston Avenue Bridge Replacement Project in Albany and Rensselaer

MAY 12, 2022

Albany, NY

 

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced a major step forward in the project to replace the Livingston Avenue Railroad Bridge in Albany and Rensselaer. The State Department of Transportation will host public hearings on May 31 and June 1, giving Capital Region residents an important opportunity to learn about this transformative project and provide input. The new $32.8 billion DOT capital plan includes up to $400 million to replace the existing, Civil War-era bridge with a new, modern structure capable of supporting higher-speed passenger rail, freight rail, maritime transport, and bicycle-pedestrian access. The bridge provides a critical link for passenger rail service from the Northeast Corridor to Albany-Rensselaer. 

 

***

 

The Livingston Avenue Passenger Rail Bridge was built over the Hudson River in 1865. It connects Rensselaer and Albany by rail and provides a critical path for passenger rail service from New York City to Western NY.  Deterioration of the current structure, owned by CSX and leased to Amtrak, limits trains crossing to one at a time at speeds of 15 MPH.  The new bridge will accommodate improved passenger service. 

 

The current movable swing bridge would be replaced with a new lift-type bridge which would bring the structure up to modern standards for height, width and speeds for passenger and freight trains and more reliably accommodate marine traffic using the Hudson River.  The new bridge will be located south of the existing bridge on a parallel alignment and would carry two railroad tracks. The approach track work will include improvements to the triangular junction of rail tracks on the Rensselaer side to facilitate train turning movements and the rehabilitation and reconfiguration of the rail bridges over Water and Centre Streets on the Albany side.  The new bridge will also include a separated shared use path connecting to the Albany Skyway and Empire State Trail to the City of Rensselaer.

 

Construction is slated to begin by the end of 2023. Completion of the new bridge, which is expected by the end of 2026, will build on the success of previous projects in an around the City of Albany, including the Albany Skyway, which transformed an underutilized exit ramp from northbound Interstate 787 into an elevated park that connected the city's downtown to the Hudson River; and the landmark Empire State Trail, which spans 750 miles and runs from New York City through the Hudson and Champlain Valleys to Canada, and from Albany to Buffalo along the Erie Canal.

 

 

more + renders:

https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-launch-transformative-livingston-avenue-bridge-replacement-project

 

Long overdue!

On 3/29/2022 at 2:00 PM, KJP said:

 

In the 1980s, I felt I could accomplish anything and that all these old-timers who weren't having any success just didn't have my energy levels...(snip)...Now I've become the old-time rail advocate I used run circles around. 

Ahem...hee hee...

 

Well, sometimes you just have to face reality. I was a charter member of the Ohio Association of Railroad Passengers way back in 1974 and served in various capacities until Mr. Kasich came along in 2010. At that point I made the decision to retire to Florida in late 2011 and stayed out of Ohio rail issues until the last year, when I became involved with a multistate effort that includes Ohio.

 

Ohio is a damn frustrating place. Only the strong survive.

Edited June 12, 20223 yr by neony

Horror stories like this on Amtrak's long distance network are piling up this summer.  Amtrak's   management is thoroughly incompetent.  This is a crisis entirely of their own doing.  During the pandemic they refused to use their covid relief money to keep people employed and get the long distance fleet up to a state of good repair so they would be ready when things opened back up.  It's almost like they are defying Congress and deliberately trying to tank the LD trains.  The press needs to pay attention.  Reports like this are all over social media.  To be fair, some people are reporting good trips, but stuff like this should NOT be happening.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On 6/13/2022 at 8:54 AM, gildone said:

Horror stories like this on Amtrak's long distance network are piling up this summer.  Amtrak's   management is thoroughly incompetent.  This is a crisis entirely of their own doing.  During the pandemic they refused to use their covid relief money to keep people employed and get the long distance fleet up to a state of good repair so they would be ready when things opened back up.  It's almost like they are defying Congress and deliberately trying to tank the LD trains.  The press needs to pay attention.  Reports like this are all over social media.  To be fair, some people are reporting good trips, but stuff like this should NOT be happening.  

 

How many agencies have refused money offered to them? I can only think of that happening twice and it was Amtrak both times. The first time was in the 1970's, just after the Arab Oil Embargo, when Congress was set to shower it with money, only to have them say it was "more then they could intelligently use." The second time was their idiot refusal to use Covid relief money to keep people working, as gildone points out.

On 6/13/2022 at 8:54 AM, gildone said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 19, 20222 yr by neony

The image in my post above disappeared for some reason, and apparently there's a limited window for editing  so here it is again.  

16 hours ago, gildone said:

The image in my post above disappeared for some reason, and apparently there's a limited window for editing  so here it is again.  

I had a similar experience a few years back between Chicago and Indianapolis.   The conductor came through and tried to accuse me and my coworker of somehow causing the power issue because we each had a computer, ipad and phone plugged in.  🤦‍♂️

Even though a locomotive's head-end power unit is intentionally over-designed. An HEP unit produces enough electricity to power 40 homes.

 

Amtrak kicks off procurement phase for B&P Tunnel program

 

Amtrak has issued a request for letters of interest (LOI) for the first contract of the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program in Baltimore.

 

This portion of the program will be completed under a construction manager at-risk (CMAR) delivery approach, Amtrak officials said in a press release

 

The B&P program calls for nearly $5 billion of construction.

 

https://www.progressiverailroading.com/amtrak/news/Amtrak-kicks-off-procurement-phase-for-BP-Tunnel-program--66854

On 4/7/2022 at 6:43 AM, KJP said:

The introduction tweet

 

CSX has complained to the U.S. House about this.  They are trying to claim that by putting up a camera to catch CSX in its lies and using that info against them constitutes lobbying, which Amtrak is prohibited from doing. 

 

Their demeanor and statements during a recent FRA hearing were no better. 

 

Apparently, CSX doesn't have any adults running the company if this is the kind of crap  they try to pull.  

Edited June 26, 20222 yr by gildone
Spelling, correction: House, not Senate

5 hours ago, gildone said:

CSX has complained to the U.S. Senate about this.  They are trying to claim that by putting up a camera to catch CSX in its lies and using that info against them constitutes lobbying, which Amtrak is prohibited from doing. 

 

Their demeanor and statements during a recent FRA hearing were no better. 

 

Apparently, CSX doesn't have any adults running the company if this is the kind of crap  they try to pull.  

If some railfans did that CSX would not have a leg to stand on. They just don't like being exposed for the liars they are.

5 hours ago, gildone said:

CSX has complained to the U.S. Senate about this.  They are trying to claim that by putting up a camera to catch CSX in its lies and using that info against them constitutes lobbying, which Amtrak is prohibited from doing. 

 

Their demeanor and statements during a recent FRA hearing were no better. 

 

Apparently, CSX doesn't have any adults running the company if this is the kind of crap  they try to pull.  

 

Amtrak better fire its entire government affairs staff, then.

Correction, CSX has complained to Cong. Crawford of Arkansas, not the U.S. Senate. 

 

Pulled this over from Ohio Intercity, because this discussion is more about national plans. For reference, here is Alon's maps so you can compare it to Amtrak’s concept. Alon’s is much better, and already cover the additional suggestions @Luke_S makes in the other thread (quoted below)
 

 

 

1 hour ago, Luke_S said:

 

Maybe not a high-speed route (at first), but I don't understand at all why you wouldn't connect Cincinnati-Louisville-Nashville. Huge hole on the eastern half of the map, Tennessee doesn't have any stops, Kentucky has one. Two Republican states, one with a very influential senator. 

 

Other cities in those states I would connect, and would have Nashville link into one (or both) of the existing lines in Alabama or Georgia and not just terminate, but that route should be the start of the spine. 

 

The map of federally designated high speed corridors was a state driven process, which yielded the map we see here. There was no real attempt at a national network. Instead, what we see are regional (Midwest) or state corridors whose leaders were smart enough to apply. This is why we see odd gaps and omissions.

 

Logic tells us these gaps should be closed, such as:

 

Pittsburgh-Cleveland

Buffalo-Cleveland

Detroit-Toledo

 

Indeed, Pittsburgh-Cleveland-Toledo-Detroit should be developed as a corridor itself. It would be on a par with any other major corridor in the country and it should be.

 

And yes, others should be considered as well, such as Cincinnati-Louisville-Nashville.  Amtrak's ConnectUS 2035 proposals are a big improvement, but yet there are still gaps and what they propose would all be state developed corridors only. As it is, the Amtrak map still has that crazy gap between Louisville and Nashville. Close that and it could be possible to run from Chicago all the way to Atlanta.

 

A 2021 Railway Age article is well worth reading:

 

 

https://www.railwayage.com/passenger/intercity/amtrak-2035-map-hopes-and-challenges/

 

Alfred Twu doubling down. 😂😂😂

(Just to be clear, this is a joke. Twu is the one who made the previous “aspirational” HSR map that is panned on Twitter every time it’s posted. This one is much more terrible in every way.)

 

4 minutes ago, Boomerang_Brian said:

Alfred Twu doubling down. 😂😂😂

(Just to be clear, this is a joke. Twu is the one who made the previous “aspirational” HSR map that is panned on Twitter every time it’s posted. This one is much more terrible in every way.)

 

If it’s not obvious (and judging by the replies, a ton of people missed it 😂), each of these lines connects the cities within an NCAA conference.

On 7/2/2022 at 6:16 PM, acd said:

If it’s not obvious (and judging by the replies, a ton of people missed it 😂), each of these lines connects the cities within an NCAA conference.

I hadn’t noticed either - I thought it was just nonsense lines. Thx!

a big move forward for gateway --

 

N.J., N.Y. sign funding agreement on Gateway rail tunnel, bridge. 
Tunnel work could begin in 2023.

 

Updated: Jul. 05, 2022, 9:04 p.m. | Published: Jul. 05, 2022, 6:26 p.m.

By Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

 

Gov. Phil Murphy and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a first agreement delineating how the two states will fund the local share Gateway project to build a rail tunnel under the Hudson River and a new bridge across the Hackensack River, a critical step on the road to obtaining federal funding.

 

more:
https://www.nj.com/news/2022/07/nj-ny-sign-funding-agreement-on-gateway-rail-tunnel-bridge-tunnel-work-could-begin-in-2023.html

 

i guess you can't live by rail alone -- 

 

 

 

Art at Amtrak program kicks off at Penn Station

 

By Isabella Roman

Posted on July 7, 2022

 

 

Art at Amtrak launched its year-round public art initiative in June 2022. 

 

With the goal of bringing visitors of New York Penn Station a compelling visual experience, Amtrak has given a stage to New York and New Jersey artists. With the previous success of the public art program showcased at Moynihan Train Hall, the now installed temporary pieces for Art at Amtrak provide even more life to greet travelers in one of New York City’s biggest transportation centers.

 

“Art at Amtrak continues our commitment to ensuring all rail travelers have a modern, inspiring, safe and accessible experience and a proper entrance to the cultural capital of the world,” said Sharon Tepper, Amtrak Director, Planning and Development for New York Penn Station. “This new initiative turns functional space into a site for contemporary art that engages local and regional communities and visitors from around the world.”

 

 

more:

https://www.amny.com/transit/art-at-amtrak-program-penn-station/

 

All Aboard Ohio and the Lakeshore Coalition has been involved in this first story which could open up a faster, mostly passenger-dedicated rail corridor east from Chicago to Porter, IN via the former Illinois Central-Michigan Central route

 

Durbin, Mayor Lightfoot, Transportation Leaders Announce Coalition In Support Of The Chicago Union Station Access Project.  U.S. Senate Majority Whip d*ck Durbin (D-IL), Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, and regional transportation leaders joined together at Chicago Union Station to announce a broad coalition of leaders in support of the Chicago Union Station Access Project, which will transform passenger rail in the region.  The $418 million project is a joint effort by Amtrak, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), the City of Chicago, Metra, Cook County, and Michigan’s Department of Transportation. The project is supported by a broad coalition of regional leaders including labor, business, and environmental groups… Durbin and Lightfoot were joined by Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García (D-IL-4), Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner, IDOT Secretary Omer Osman, Metra CEO Jim Derwinski, and Cook County DOT Superintendent Sis Killen.  Representatives from the Regional Transit Authority, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, the Chicago Department of Transportation, the Chicago Federation of Labor, the Environmental Law and Policy Center, and the Commercial Club of Chicago also joined to show their support. https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-mayor-lightfoot-transportation-leaders-announce-coalition-in-support-of-the-chicago-union-station-access-project

 

The battle that will determine the future of American passenger rail. Months after Washington approved billions to significantly expand Amtrak’s footprint across the country, an early attempt at growth has reached an impasse in a test case that could define the American rail network for a generation. The escalating clash is playing out on the Gulf Coast, where Amtrak wants to restore service 17 years after Hurricane Katrina flooded the region’s rail infrastructure….“Service delayed is service denied,” Amit Bose, head of the Federal Railroad Administration, said in February while urging the panel to ensure the “railroads fulfill their fundamental statutory obligations to allow the expansion and improvement of intercity passenger rail services.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/07/06/amtrak-expansion-freight-rails/

 

Amtrak to add 2nd Missouri River Runner train this month. The 283-mile train service had been reduced to just one round-trip due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A second train was added in July 2021 thanks to state and federal COVID relief funds. However, those funds dried up by the end of the year. The state legislature recently approved an increase in funding for the Missouri Department of Transportation, which allows for the return of a second round-trip train.

https://fox4kc.com/news/amtrak-to-add-2nd-missouri-river-runner-train-this-month/

 

Amtrak relaunches Toronto service, seasonal connection to Newport. "The return of this vital rail connection is welcome news not just for passengers who love to travel, but for countless businesses across New York State and Canada who make it possible for visitors to experience the best of what every locality has to offer," said NYSDOT Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez in a press release.

Meanwhile, Amtrak announced July 6 that it is working with the Rhode Island Department of Transportation and SeaStreak for another season to offer travelers connecting service from Providence Station to Newport via shuttle connections to and from the SeaStreak Ferry Terminal.

https://www.progressiverailroading.com/amtrak/news/Amtrak-relaunches-Toronto-service-seasonal-connection-to-Newport--66980

 

Five years in the making, Berkshire Flyer's inaugural run from New York City to Pittsfield a 'sold out' success. Abrams and Meredith Slesinger, the rail and transit administrator for MassDOT, said that transit and state officials don’t have hard data on the number of passengers they need to see during the pilot for service to be expanded in the Berkshires. Both said the measure of the success of the program will be within the context of existing passenger rail use.

ttps://www.berkshireeagle.com/news/local/berkshire-flyer-new-york-to-pittsfield-amtrak-train-summer-2022/article_35c0f416-fe0d-11ec-a588-1bb6fbbb86d8.html

 

Virginia expands train service with two new Amtrak round trips. Virginia is adding more Amtrak service between the nation’s capital and eastern and western parts of the state, the latest milestone in Virginia’s multibillion-dollar expansion of its passenger rail network. New round trips start Monday: one to Norfolk and another to Roanoke in Southwest Virginia, bringing to eight the number of state-funded round trips from Washington. The expansion, state and railroad officials said, addresses growing demand for more intercity train service in the state.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/07/09/virginia-amtrak-norfolk-roanoke/

 

Chief wreck puts further strain on Amtrak capacity woes: Analysis. When bad CSX track caused the northbound Auto Train to derail 14 of 16 Superliners at Crescent City, Fla., on April 18, 2002, Amtrak strategists scrambled but were able to counteract the resulting equipment shortage….In the current situation, maintenance and personnel cutbacks management initiated in 2020 continue to negatively impact long-distance train capacity. This is despite an infusion of $728.6 million specifically allocated to the national network in early 2021….The question now is whether Amtrak management’s missteps have caused irreversible damage to the ability to meet the rural-to-urban travel demand that only its national-network trains are positioned to provide.

https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/chief-wreck-puts-further-strain-on-amtrak-capacity-woes-analysis/

 

 

https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/state-department-of-transportation-joins-montana-passenger-rail-agency/

It’s frustrating how bad Amtrak is at this: