Empire Corridor gets federal fund boost

New York State will receive $18.5 million to relieve rail congestion in and around Syracuse, N.Y., an Amtrak station stop on right-of-way owned by CSX Corp.

Siemens lands high-performance passenger locomotive order

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has issued a Notice of Intent to Award to Siemens Rail Systems USA for approximately 35 high-performance diesel-electric locomotives for several Midwestern and West Coast states using funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation. IDOT is leading the multi-state locomotive procurement on behalf of the Departments of Transportation from Illinois, California, Michigan, Washington, and Missouri.

AmtrakConnect® Wi-Fi coming to Chicago Hub Service trains

Free AmtrakConnect® cellular-based 4G Wi-Fi service will be available to Amtrak passengers by early February 2014 year on Chicago Hub Services trains in the Midwest, on eight corridors that, collectively, carried nearly 3.3 million passengers in Amtrak’s Fiscal Year 2013 (Oct. 1, 2012-Sept. 30, 2013).

Amtrak President and CEO Joe Boardman named Railroader of the Year

December 9, 2013: 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.

NARP: New Amtrak Midwest routes advance

The National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) says progress is being made on establishing two new Amtrak routes from the railroad’s Chicago hub, one serving the Quad Cities and a second reaching toward Dubuque, Iowa.

Commentary

Spuyten Duyvil: Why? A safety expert weighs in

Pearl Harbor. Dallas. 9-11. Lac Mégantic. Now we have “Spuyten Duyvil” to add to the collection of names that, before they became linked to tragedy and loss of life, were simply locations, or dates. You’ve probably read many of the press reports (including what Railway Age has covered) and seen the videos 

on Metro-North’s horrific Dec. 1 wreck. The accident, which now appears to be caused by human error, has turned into a media circus involving politicians and rail union reps, the latter now censured by the National Transportation Safety Board for compromising “confidentiality of investigative information” and being removed from participation in the investigation.

Commentary

A 220-mph NEC? A contrarian weighs in

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.

Railway Age’s Wilner to appear on C-SPAN

Railway Age Contributing Editor Frank N. Wilner will appear on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal television show Wednesday, Nov. 27, from 8:25 a.m. to 9:15 (EST), discussing his book, Amtrak: Past, Present Future, and answering audience call-in questions.
Commentary

Without a permanent trust fund, Amtrak could go to the dogs

Amtrak’s Sisyphean travails could sober a smashed sot.

New Missouri bridge to relieve rail bottleneck

A ceremony is set for Monday, Nov. 25, 2013 to officially open a new rail bridge spanning the Osage River in Missouri, which officials say “eliminates the last major bottleneck between St. Louis and Jefferson City.”

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