Commentary

Could the worm be turning for Amtrak?

Legendary Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver etched his illustrious baseball career and winning record with the three-run homer. Were Amtrak a Major League Baseball team, its success would be measured, instead, by infield hits. But Amtrak may have hit one long ball this week when new House Rail Subcommittee Chairman Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) conceded that Amtrak passenger service on the Northeast Corridor and on state-supported corridors is profitable and efficient.

New Haven Line set to reopen

Expediting repairs on 2,000 feet of right-of-way, including track restoration, reinstalled signals, and catenary replacement, Metro-North said it expects to restore full service on its New Haven Line on Wednesday, May 22. Amtrak Northeast Corridor service between Boston and New York also is expected to resume Wednesday.

Metro-North derailment injures 60, shuts down NEC north end

Updated Monday, May 20, 2013

At the height of the Friday, May 17 evening rush hour, an outbound MTA Metro-North Railroad M8 electric multiple-unit train carrying 300 passengers derailed, sideswiping an inbound M8 trainset carrying 400 passengers.

Siemens unveils first Amtrak Cities Sprinter locomotive

Amtrak said early May 13 the first of 70 ACS-64 (Amtrak Cities Sprinter, 6.4 MW/8,320 hp) electric locomotives for the Northeast Corridor rolled off the Siemens Mobility assembly line in Sacramento, Calif.

Freight and passenger rail have little in common

Depending on how seriously one takes congressional hearings into the future of Amtrak, the national rail passenger service either is a candidate for termination and oblivion or, as has been the case on several prior occasions, it will survive another near-death experience.

Sandy disaster relief funds released to Amtrak

The Federal Railroad Administration has released $30.2 million in appropriations to Amtrak to repair damage caused by Hurricane Sandy to the Northeast Corridor line.
Commentary

Amtrak budget reality could make a preacher cuss

Let’s get real about President Obama’s fiscal year 2014 and beyond budget recommendations to Congress. They’re street theater, and one might just as well be entertained viewing Gucci-clad Washington lobbyists intermingling with Capitol Hill tourists outfitted in spandex and plaid-pattern polyester.

Commentary

Guest Blog: “Amtrak is not the problem”

The following commentary was submitted in response to my recent blog, “If the source of funding isn’t fares, then Amtrak needs to go away.” It’s an eye-opener. There are very few people, in my opinion, who won’t learn something:

Obama backs rail in FY14 transport budget

Continuing to back up his political position established in his first term, President Obama Wednesday included considerable funding for rail and rail transit projects in his proposed fiscal year 2014 budget. Longer-term, the President also is advocating investment of $40 billion in passenger rail projects in the next five years. But the proposal, while a good placeholder and a rallying marker for pro-rail forces, is unlikely to survive intact.

Amtrak ridership strong in first half of FY13

Amtrak Tuesday said ridership continues to grow on the nation’s intercity passenger railroad, with records continuing to be set, including for the first six months of fiscal year 2013, which began Oct. 1, 2012.

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