Amtrak Slashing Service. Will It Be Permanent?

Citing a “need to be smart about how we deliver our service in this market environment” as well as “to demonstrate that we are using our resources efficiently and responsibly” because “Congress is not going to support us indefinitely to run mostly empty trains,” Amtrak Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer Roger Harris, in a June 15 letter to employees, announced drastic service cuts taking effect Oct. 1, 2020, the beginning of the railroad’s Fiscal Year 2021.

Amtrak: Additional Funding Needed to Maintain Service Levels

Amtrak submitted a letter to Congress outlining an additional $1.475 billion in supplemental funding needed in FY 2021. The additional funding is necessary for Amtrak to operate minimum service levels across the passenger rail network and continue capital investments for the future, the letter said.

Commentary

From Anderson to Flynn to … ?????

As Amtrak enters it 50th year, many of its schedules bear little resemblance to the service that was offered a mere two months ago. President and CEO Richard Anderson is out (though serving in a transitional role), and William Flynn is in. Will that change at the top mean much to Amtrak customers and supporters? The COVID-19 pandemic has knocked out a large portion of Amtrak service, as well as much local transit. Still, the nation will come back to life in some fashion, someday. How will Amtrak participate in the recovery? Anything can happen in these unpredictable times. What could happen in Amtrak’s possibly most-pivotal year?

Amtrak Continues Testing on New Acela Fleet

Amtrak’s new Acela fleet, scheduled to enter service on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) in 2021, continues to progress with its high-speed testing at Transportation Technology Center near Pueblo, Colo., as the first Acela prototype completed another milestone by traveling at speeds up to 165 mph, although the train’s initial top operating speed will be 160 mph.

Amtrak: Clear or Restricting Signals This Summer?

As states begin or continue the process of allowing more businesses and public facilities to open, some members of the traveling public wonder how many trains Amtrak will run this summer. Amtrak is running fewer trains than ever on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) and other corridors, as part of the shutdown of much of the nation’s activity in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. At this writing, a few places have loosened some of the virus-related restrictions, while others are planning how and when to do so. Amtrak will probably return to a level of service approaching the schedule at the beginning of March someday, on some lines if not all of them, but nobody knows when. Apparently not even Amtrak is sure and, for some trains, Amtrak lacks the authority to make those decisions.

Feinberg, Koos Nominated to Amtrak Board

President Donald J. Trump on May 18 announced his intent to nominate Sarah E. Feinberg and Chris Koos to Amtrak’s Board of Directors.

Amtrak Press Conference: Special Podcast Series—The Coronavirus and the Rail Industry

Highlights from Amtrak’s April 23, 2020 press conference with new President and CEO Bill Flynn, Board Chair Tony Coscia and Senior Executive Vice President Stephen Gardner. The three answer questions about Amtrak’s

Transit Agencies’ #SoundTheHorn Campaign Aims to Honor Essential Workers

Amtrak, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), NJ TRANSIT, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and other regional bus and ferry operators have launched #SoundTheHorn—a coordinated effort to simultaneously sound their vehicle horns at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 16 to honor heroic transportation and other essential workers across the country.

Amtrak CARES Act Appropriation: $1.02B

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is making more than $1 billion under the recently enacted Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act available to Amtrak “to support the railroad’s activities to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the spread of COVID-19) in the U.S. and its impacts on operations and business.”

A “Sully” Moment For Amtrak’s Anderson

As America increasingly is sheltering in place, losing unprecedented numbers of jobs and retirement savings, fearful of COVID-19, and facing a stress level unfamiliar except to those who have endured war zones, Amtrak and its workforce face only unpleasant choices if the railroad and their jobs are to survive. Fare-paying passengers have vanished—almost entirely on Northeast Corridor Acela trains; significantly on all others.

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