The Federal Railroad Administration has an ongoing program, the Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study, implemented Oct. 28, 2002, in accordance with Section 22214 of the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act (IIJA), which
Will Amtrak service connecting Louisville, Indianapolis and Chicago return? Also, Bi-State Development advances the Jefferson Alignment MetroLink Expansion project in St. Louis, Mo.; Chicago’s Metra schedules Operation Lifesaver safety blitzes for 2023; Metrolinx installs traction power substations along Ontario’s future Hazel McCallion Line (formerly known as the Hurontario LRT project); and Seattle’s Sound Transit will receive millions in low-interest loans to support construction of the Hilltop Tacoma Link extension and a station along the Lynnwood Link extension.
Amtrak’s New York City-Montreal Adirondack train, the only Amtrak service that was discontinued because of the COVID virus, is finally coming back. Its first northbound run from Penn Station New York will
Amtrak has issued its Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 General and Legislative (G&L) Annual Report for Congress, in which it seeks $3.65 billion in total grant funding, including $1.70 billion for the Northeast Corridor (NEC) and $1.95 billion for the National Network (NN). This is consistent with the FY24 annual appropriations authorized under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
The TCU & Shop-Craft Coalition, which is comprised of the SMART-Mechanical Department (MD), the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen (BRC), National Conference of Firemen & Oilers SEIU 32BJ (NCFO), International Association of Machinist and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), Transport Workers Union (TWU), American Railway Airline Supervisor Association (ARASA), International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (IBB) and the Transportation Communications Union (TCU), announced March 23 that it has reached a tentative agreement with Amtrak to “settle each organization’s respective Section 6 notices for this round of bargaining.”
Andy Byford, nicknamed “Train Daddy” when he was President of MTA New York City Transit, will begin his new role as Senior Vice President for Amtrak’s high-speed rail (HSR) program, effective April 10, according to multiple news reports.
Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes (BMWED) and Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS) members have reached a tentative agreement, after negotiating as a coalition for 15 months, with Amtrak on a seven-year contract that calls for a 28.5% general wage increase retroactive to 2022.
Amtrak awards Rail Clearance Management system contract. Also, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) lowers its ridership estimate for San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District’s (BART) extension through San José; CapMetro’s Project Connect in Austin, Tex., has five new light rail options; Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) is developing a unified, statewide public transit information system for mobile devices; PATH introduces nine-car train service on the Newark (N.J.)-World Trade Center (N.Y.) line; the city of Toronto, Ontario, and the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) bolster transit system outreach efforts; and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) tests new fare gates.
Amtrak and the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority (PNRAA) on March 22 released the findings of a two-year analysis examining the potential for rail services between Scranton, Pa., and New York.
Louisiana Amtrak passenger service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans is one step closer to reality now that the Surface Transportation Board (STB) has approved Canadian Pacific’s (CP) $31 billion acquisition of Kansas City Southern (KCS). Also, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) will receive $2 million to use drones and sensors to monitor and analyze railroad infrastructure; and Maryland’s FY24 budget includes a significant funding commitment for the Southern Maryland Rapid Transit (SMRT) project.