SMART Union
WASHINGTON – Amtrak is suspending some trains as a winter storm threatens the South and the Northeast.
Amtrak says the suspensions Wednesday are meant to reduce the exposure of passengers, crews and equipment to extreme weather.
Read the complete story at the Associated Press.
Amtrak will launch the first of a fleet of new locomotives out of Boston’s South Station on Friday, officials said.
The 70 new locomotives have advanced technology and modern equipment that company officials hope will provide more reliable service.
Read the complete story at the Boston Globe.
A combination of bad weather and a large number of oil shipments has been severely delaying Amtrak riders in northern Plains states – and a rail passenger advocacy group is trying to do something about it.
It hasn’t been easy to be a rail passenger lately – especially if you’re traveling on Amtrak’s Empire Builder.
That’s according to the National Association of Railroad Passengers, which says the delays on the route – which runs from Chicago to Seattle and Portland, Oregon – have become unbearable for passengers.
The cause? Heavy freight volumes from the northern Plains states, largely oil shipments.
Read the complete story at Associations Now.
Congressional conference committee members cobbling together an actual fiscal year 2014 federal budget have reportedly agreed on budgetary numbers fairly favorable to Amtrak and Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) programs. Federal high speed rail funding, however, is omitted entirely.
Amtrak’s FY14 budget numbers include $340 million for operations, and $1.55 billion for capital (including debt service); up to $50 million in capital can be “reassigned” to operating needs if necessary.
Read the complete story at Railway Age.
RENO, Nev. – Lawyers for a trucking company are accusing two railroad companies of tampering with evidence about a June 2011 collision between a tractor-trailer and an Amtrak train that killed six people in northern Nevada.
Lawyers for John Davis Trucking Co. say they have evidence the companies tampered with a video of the crash and are hiding or have destroyed the crossing gate arm.
Raed the complete story at The Tribune.
SMART Transportation Division’s Alternate National Legislative Director John Risch appeared on America’s Work Force daily labor radio program Dec. 23 to discuss the country’s support for Amtrak and other issues.
America’s Work Force is the only daily labor-radio program in America and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports.
Through the support and participation of the labor community, America’s Work Force radio program features regional, national and international labor leaders and advocates, as well as politicians, civic leaders and industry professionals discussing issues important to the labor movement.
To listen to Risch’s interview, visit http://awfradio.com/blog.
To learn more about John Risch, view his biography here.
We talk a lot about our national debt. But the largest debt we owe is to those who will come after us in this nation. Our fulfillment of that debt should underpin the actions we take right now.
Our national infrastructure forms the bedrock foundation upon which our economic future is built as America competes in the global marketplace. Railroads — both passenger and freight — are essential elements in the national transportation network that will help deliver future economic growth to communities across the country.
But for the rail network to function at its best, the rail industry must further improve safety.
Read more at USA Today.
Has Amtrak abandoned its vision of 220-mile-per-hour bullet trains speeding up and down the Northeast Corridor?
The railroad recently issued draft specifications for new trains to replace its existing Acelas that call for 160 m.p.h. trains, not the 220 mph versions Amtrak said in January that it was seeking.
Read the complete story at The Inquirer.
In competitive markets, vision and strategy are tested daily as consumers vote with their wallets, investors choose among opportunities, and competitors react – all creating greater efficiency.
Conventional wisdom in passenger rail today is high speed trains. Amtrak, for example, has a 30-year, $117 billion (or more) plan to convert the 456-mile Northeast Corridor, linking Washington D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston, to a 220-mph speedway providing 96-minute trips between Washington and New York and 84-minute trips between New York and Boston. That equates to more than $250 million per mile, which, on the Washington D.C.-New York segment, would shave some 69 minutes from the current Acela Express trip that travels between 110 mph and 150 mph over 65 percent of the route and about 85 mph on average for the trip.
Read the complete column at Railway Age.
Joseph H. Boardman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Amtrak, has been named 2014 Railroader of the Year by railroad industry trade journal Railway Age.
“Joe Boardman, who came to Amtrak after his tenure as Federal Railroad Administrator, has been chief executive for the past six years, far longer than any of his post-Graham Claytor predecessors,” said Railway Age editor-in-chief William C. Vantuono. “Under his watch, Amtrak has posted record ridership and revenues, ordered a new fleet of electric locomotives for the Northeast Corridor and new single-level long-distance cars, developed a long-term strategy for additional new rolling stock acquisitions, and is effectively administering major capital programs. Boardman has a sustainable vision for the future of U.S. intercity passenger rail, which includes higher-speed services. As such, he is a deserving recipient of our Railroader of the Year award.”
Read the complete story at Railway Age.