Articles by Todd DeFeo

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About Todd DeFeo
Todd DeFeo loves to travel anywhere, anytime, taking pictures and notes. An award-winning reporter, Todd revels in the experience and the fact that every place has a story to tell. He is owner of The DeFeo Groupe and also edits Express Telegraph and The Travel Trolley.
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Commuter Rail

Mica: SunRail ‘a dramatic evolution step for central Florida’

December 30, 2013 Todd DeFeo

Officials in Florida are hoping the new SunRail commuter line will spur economic growth and reduce congestion on Interstate 4. But, when the line opens for service next year, it’ll also be the first step in a larger rail network that may one day include a high-speed rail connection. “This is a dramatic evolution step for central Florida. It’s the first time we’re building a fixed transit system — a regional one — with the ability of being able to connect into high-speed (rail),” The Associated Press quoted U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., as saying. Florida Gov. Rick Scott previously

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Commuter Rail

New York Mayor, Officials Take First Ride on 7 Train Extension

December 23, 2013 Todd DeFeo

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other officials on Friday took the first ride on the 7 line extension, six years after workers started construction. The $2.4 billion project, which is set to be completed next summer, is the first subway expansion project in more than six decades that is funded by the city. The extension of the 7 line is a key component of the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project, officials contend. With the roughly one-mile-long extension, the 7 line will continue to a new terminus near 34th Street and 11th Avenue on Manhattan’s Far West Side. Currently, the

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Commuter Rail

With No Funding, No Rail Link to Orlando Airport, Newspaper Reports

November 27, 2013 Todd DeFeo

It will be at least five years before SunRail trains connect with Orlando International Airport because there is no source of funding for the estimated $100 million it will cost to build the connection, the Orlando Sentinel newspaper reported. Despite that, SunRail officials are looking at a Orlando Utilities Commission-owned spur, which runs alongside airport property and could be expanded to two tracks, as a possibility for a rail link between the airport and the commuter rail system, the newspaper reported. “This is a startup commuter-rail system. It’s going to evolve over time,” the newspaper quoted Steve Olson, a spokesman

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Amtrak

Amtrak Train Gets Lost in Philadelphia Suburb

November 20, 2013 Todd DeFeo

Critics often lament Amtrak is on the wrong track, but this is ridiculous. A New York-bound Amtrak train, No. 644, last week ended up on a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) track, according to reports. The train, which just departed Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station, stopped in Cynwyd Line, Pa., a suburb located about eight miles outside of Philadelphia, according to published reports. After the mishap, the train’s 130 passengers were put on another train and transported to New York. In a statement, according to Philly.com, Amtrak said an “investigation was launched and the crew has been held out of work

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Amtrak

Amtrak Loses $72 Million in FY 2012 on Food and Beverage Service

November 14, 2013 Todd DeFeo

ATLANTA — While Amtrak has reduced how much it is losing on food and beverage service, the passenger railroad still lost $72 million in Fiscal Year 2012, according to a recent report from the inspector general. Nearly all of the loss — $71.5 million — was on the railroad’s long-distance routes. The railroad did see an $800,000 profit on the Northeast Corridor. The Auto Train was the biggest loser, hemorrhaging more than $13 million during the year, according to the inspector general’s report. The railroad’s food and beverage losses have totaled more than $1 billion over the last 12 years,