Amtrak and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will increase the maximum speed of Amtrak Midwest service to 110 mph on more of the Detroit/Pontiac-Chicago corridor starting May 25, and add another Wolverine roundtrip on July 19.
The Metro-North Penn Station (New York) Access Project is moving forward following a pause due to the pandemic and to funding uncertainty at the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) “stands ready” to work with Amtrak, CSX, Norfolk Southern (NS) and other stakeholders to restore “long overdue” passenger service between New Orleans and Mobile, it wrote in a recent Surface Transportation Board (STB) filing.
The long-simmering controversy over high-speed rail (HSR) continued during a May 6 hearing before the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials. Its theme: “When Unlimited Potential Meets Limited Resources: The Benefits and Challenges of High-Speed Rail and Emerging Rail Technologies.”
The Commonwealth of Virginia and Norfolk Southern (NS) have reached a $257.2 million agreement that will increase existing Amtrak service to Roanoke and expand service to the New River Valley.
Amtrak has submitted its FY22 General and Legislative Annual Report and Five-Year Plan to Congress and the USDOT. The FY22 Grant Request proposes $3.88 billion for base needs and funding to offset the pandemic’s impacts on Amtrak and its state and commuter partners. In addition, Amtrak has identified $1.55 billion in additional investment necessary to fund what Amtrak calls its “bold reauthorization proposal to improve Northeast Corridor infrastructure and begin advancing new corridor routes across the nation.”
April 30, 2021 was a cool, sunny and windy day in Philadelphia, as President Joe Biden joined Amtrak officials and selected guests to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the day “America’s Railroad” began operations.
Amtrak, on the eve of a 50th Anniversary virtual celebration slated to feature President Joe Biden, has filed a petition asking the Surface Transportation Board to deny CSX’s and Norfolk Southern’s motion to dismiss Amtrak’s application to restore passenger rail service to the Gulf Coast between New Orleans, La., and Mobile, Ala.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) will make available to Amtrak more than $1.69 billion in COVID-19 relief funding, provided under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021.
Amtrak has published a sustainability report for FY 2020, highlighting projects across its regions and operations as well as measured progress against its annual and long-term goals.
