Round 4: A Battle Within a Battle

The battle between Amtrak and potential host railroads CSX and NS, joined by the Port of Mobile, entered a new stage April 4, as the first witnesses began their appearances before the Surface Transportation Board (STB) in the first case that will decide how and on what conditions Amtrak will be allowed to initiate new passenger service. The entire afternoon and the start of proceedings on April 5 featured a single witness. There was only one more during that day’s 8½-hour session, and only one other on April 6. April 5’s morning’s events featured a skirmish within the principal battle: a mini-slug-out in which both sides can claim victory, but CSX may have been the bigger winner.

Round 3: Raising Legal Issues in a Case of First Impression

At this writing, the first witness in the slugfest between Amtrak on one side and CSX, NS and the Port of Mobile on the other, is focusing on confidential matters. That creates an opportunity to think further about the importance of the case and how to report it to you. We had previously thought that a single report about this week’s hearing before the Surface Transportation Board (STB) would be sufficient, but the opening statements made by the parties April 4 forced a change in plans.

Commentary

APTA HSR Conference Focuses on Recurring Themes

There is nothing operating in the United States or Canada that meets the standard of the High-Speed Rail (HSR) lines that run in Europe, Japan and China today. Still, there are many planners, managers, transportation officials, and rider-advocates who want to remedy that situation.

Round 2 Over, Round 3 Under Way

The clock has run down on Round 2, and, as you read this, Round 3 at the Surface Transportation Board is in progress. This battle may decide railroad supremacy, at least on the passenger side, for the next decade and more.

Two Years After COVID: Amtrak Lags, VIA Rail Hopes

Amtrak and VIA Rail Canada took major hits in the two years since COVID-19 pushed much of the world into lockdown mode. Today, Amtrak’s service recovery has stalled, while VIA Rail is looking forward to something of a comeback under difficult circumstances later this spring; a comeback that has already begun in part.

For NJT, a Tree Falls in Maplewood (But That Wasn’t the Only ‘Cutoff’)

New Jersey Transit (NJT) recently concluded a challenging week involving two “cutoffs”: a seven-day service outage on most of its busy Morris & Essex (M&E) Line and connected Gladstone Branch, and a renewed call for service restoration of an historic right-of-way in western New Jersey.

Rail Transit and COVID-19, Two-Year Mark

It has now been two years since we felt the impact of the COVID-19 virus and our lives changed, possibly forever. Ironically, the news came on Friday the 13th: the day that millions were told that we would all need to wear masks, classroom education would cease and “virtual” learning would take its place, and many jobs would terminate immediately. Some older workers found themselves “retiring” on the spot, whether they liked it or not. The virus had its effects on our trains and our transit, too. Ridership plummeted everywhere, and service was curtailed.

Amtrak’s new Alstom-built Acela II trainset, seen here testing on the Northeast Corridor, is expected to enter revenue service later this year. (Gary Pancavage)

Moving Forward—At Restricted Speed

RAILWAY AGE MARCH 2022 ISSUE: U.S. high-speed rail is a mixed bag, with some projects more likely to succeed than others.

According to Tri-Rail Executive Director Steven L. Abrams, two of the problems that have delayed access to the city of Miami may be solved soon, and Tri-Rail and Brightline are working on the other.

Will Tri-Rail Reach Downtown Miami in 2022?

On Feb. 1, Railway Age reported that Steven L. Abrams resigned as Executive Director of Tri-Rail, South Florida’s regional passenger railroad, because of problems with long-delayed access to Brightline’s downtown MiamiCentral station. A month later, Abrams is still on the job, and it appears that things are looking up.

PANYNJ, Others Seek LGA Connection

In the October 2021 issue of Railway Age, we reported on Kathy Hochul, New York’s new governor, and some new directions that she might take concerning transit in the Empire State, especially in and near New York City. This is the territory of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), but the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) is a big player there, too. Hochul took office last August on two weeks’ notice, when Andrew Cuomo was forced out, due to a number of scandals. Cuomo had taken a hands-on approach to managing transit, but Hochul has not always supported her predecessor’s pet projects. The proposed LaGuardia AirTrain is a case in point.

LOAD MORE