Interstate rail compacts “deliver results and hold tremendous promise in advancing passenger rail development,” FRA Acting Administrator Amit Bose said during a recent quarterly meeting of the Southern Rail Commission (SRC).
Democrats on the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee released a $547 billion, five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill on June 4.
Revenue service of Amtrak’s new Alstom-built high-speed Northeast Corridor trainsets, originally slated for Fall 2021, has been delayed until early Spring 2022. Combined COVID-19-related supply chain problems and technical glitches currently being addressed have caused the delay. Amtrak responded immediately to Railway Age’s specific technical questions.
Amtrak is looking to expand its network of passenger trains, for the first time in two decades. The proposal by “America’s Railroad” to add dozens of new corridors and state-supported trains to its network has drawn both support and criticism from advocates: support because it marks a new attitude on Amtrak’s part favoring expansion (of some sort, at least); criticism because it does not go far enough toward pushing for more long-distance trains or recognizing the contributions of the citizen-advocates who have been calling for more trains throughout almost all of Amtrak’s 50-year history.
Starting June 23, riders with private rooms aboard Amtrak’s western long-distance trains will be able to purchase chef-prepared meals, the railroad reported June 3.
Amtrak released its Corridor Vision on May 27. This rail economist recommends that readers balance the public relations statement with the rest of the missing story.
Amtrak is attempting to start service between Mobile and New Orleans, along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. CSX and Norfolk Southern (NS) oppose Amtrak’s plan, and the issue is now before the Surface Transportation Board (STB). The issues are purportedly operational, having to do with rail capacity at the Port of Mobile, although there are also procedural issues to the controversy. There is a political dimension, too, with essentially the entire political establishment in Mississippi supporting Amtrak’s position and all of Alabama’s opposing it.
Amtrak has released a report detailing its 15-year vision to improve 25 existing routes, add 39 new routes, and bring service to more than 160 new communities, which CEO William J. Flynn submitted to Congress, along with a letter calling on legislators to consider the railroad’s top priorities to support that vision.
Amtrak has appointed Laura Mason as Executive Vice President of Major Program Delivery, a new organization responsible for the largest infrastructure, fleet and station projects.
The Federal Railroad Administration’s Transportation Technology Center (TTC) has reached a service milestone: 50 years of railroad research, testing and training.
