The event will honor this landmark train station’s role in shaping the city over the last century while celebrating the 20-year anniversary of its historic redevelopment in 1988. The Centennial Celebration includes an open house featuring an expansive display of historic locomotives, private rail cars and current Amtrak equipment, as well as memorabilia exhibits and drawings for free Amtrak trips.

For the past century, Washington Union Station has stood as a symbol of the importance of transportation in the nation’s capital. The original construction took four years to complete and included 34 platforms and 60 miles of track. While the first train actually arrived at Union Station from Pittsburgh on Oct. 27, 1907, the official opening did not occur for nearly a year.

When the station, designed by famed architect Daniel Burnham, first opened, six railroads brought passengers to Washington.

World War I and World War II troops destined for overseas service passed through the station, stopping at the USO Lounge, on their way to war. It hosted presidents and royalty and housed a bowling alley and a hotel. President Taft first used the Presidential Suite, and President Truman traveled by charter train from Union Station to Philadelphia for the 1951 Army-Navy football game. At the height of rail travel during World War II, 100,000 people passed through the station daily.

After falling into disrepair in the late 1970s, Congress called upon then-Secretary of Transportation Elizabeth Dole who worked with then Amtrak president, W. Graham Claytor, Jr., to develop a plan to restore the station to its former glory.

Through a public/private partnership, the station was completely renovated and re-opened to much fanfare on September 29, 1988. Since that day Union Station has grown to become the most-visited destination in Washington, D.C., and has become a model for the re-development of historic train stations across the country.

Amtrak began operations at Union Station on May 1, 1971 and since that time the station has hosted Presidential Inaugurals and university graduations as well as the December 2000 launch of America’s first high-speed train, Acela Express. More than 32 million visitors pass through the station every year including shoppers and diners as well as subway and rail passengers, making it the most visited site in Washington, D.C.

Today, Union Station serves as the southern-most point for Amtrak’s most popular route, the Northeast Corridor between Washington, New York and Boston. Last year, 10 million passengers traveled along the Northeast Corridor on Amtrak. Four million of those passengers traveled to or from Washington through Union Station.

Amtrak operates 200 trains in and out of Union Station every weekday.

Both the House and the Senate have approved the Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act, which includes the money for Amtrak.

“The work on this authorization bill spanned nearly three congresses and does change the existing conditions for Amtrak, the rail industry and the states,” Kummant said.

“Apart from safety enhancements, the bill creates for the first time a state and federal funding partnership which places rail passenger service on a more equal footing with other modes, and encourages rail corridor development. Passage of this bill is a significant statement by Congress that will positively affect the traveling public for generations to come.”

The $12.9 billion includes $5.3 billion in capital grants, $2.9 billion in operating grants and $1.9 billion for grants to states for intercity passenger rail development. The bill must now be signed into law by the President, and Congress will need to pass annual appropriations bills to provide the funding levels authorized in the bill.

In addition to authorizing spending for rail expansion, the legislation reauthorizes and toughens rail safety programs, including requiring rail companies to equip cars with “positive train control” systems to help avoid collisions.

“Provisions in the bill that mandate positive train control across the industry will provide significant safeguards for the traveling public,” said Chairman of the Amtrak Board Donna McLean. “Amtrak prides itself as a leader in safety innovations. The Board supports the requirements of the bill and implementing them will be our highest priority.”

– Railfanning.org News Wire

Douglas L. Thompson, 60, pleaded guilty earlier to a one-count Information charging theft from a program receiving federal funds in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before Magistrate Judge John M. Facciola. The case is set for a further status hearing on Oct. 3 before Judge James Robertson. Thompson faces a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and an obligation to make restitution for the amounts embezzled from Amtrak.

Under the voluntary Sentencing Guidelines, Thompson faces between 12 and 18 months of incarceration and a fine of between $3,000 and $30,000.

According to a Statement of Offense adopted as part of the plea proceedings, beginning in 2006, Thompson was one of the employees primarily responsible for maintenance of the Manual Credit Card System (“MCCS”) — an accounting system that permits Amtrak personnel to give manual refunds to a customer’s credit card. The system is typically used to give a customer’s credit card a refund in situations where traditional swipe-card readers are not available, such as when a customer is refunded for a purchase made from Amtrak while aboard a train.

Thompson manipulated the MCCS system so that he could award credits to his personal credit cards without making a corresponding purchase from Amtrak. Thompson applied these false “refunds” to nine different credit cards, each of which were in his own name, officials said.

Over the course of two years, Thompson gave himself more than 244 bogus “refunds” with an aggregate value of $74,029.04.

– Railfanning.org News Wire

The rail safety conference, which was first held in 1990, provides a forum for improving rail safety. Conference delegates will present papers and discuss different aspects of railroad safety, including accident prevention, environmental responsibility and international harmonization of infrastructure.

“Safety is the railroad industry’s number one priority and this conference will help us better appreciate new methods for improving our safety record,” said Edward R. Hamberger, President and CEO of the Association of American Railroads (AAR), the trade association for the major freight railroads in the United States, Canada and Mexico as well as Amtrak. “Railroads have an enviable safety record that is the direct result of commitment to programs and practices aimed to reduce accidents and protect employees.”

“At the same time, the rail industry is always looking to improve its safety methods, and this conference provides a unique opportunity to make that happen.”

In 2007, U.S. railroads recorded their safest year to date, according to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The train accident and grade crossing collision rates were the lowest since 1980, down 71 and 77 percent.

The conference will be hosted by the AAR, the National Center for Intermodal Transportation, the University of Denver, the International Union of Railways, the Railway Association of Canada, The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, and the Transportation Technology Center.

Attendees representing more than 20 countries including, Australia, China, Germany and Russia, will participate in three days of plenary sessions, followed by technical visits to the Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, Colo., and the Union Pacific Historic Steam Shop in Cheyenne, Wyo.

– Special to Railfanning.org News Wire

That’s the upshot of “Root Causes of Amtrak Train Delays,” a new report from the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General. The DOT IG issued the report in response to a request from the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee.

More than 70 percent of the miles traveled by Amtrak trains are operated over tracks owned by other railroads.

Federal law requires that, except in emergencies or as otherwise ordered by the Secretary of Transportation, passenger trains must be given “preference over freight transportation in using a rail line, junction or crossing.”

In testimony before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in April, Amtrak President and CEO Alex Kummant said, “Poor on-time performance translates directly into greater operating costs and lost revenues for Amtrak.” He added, “Freight train interference delays and slow orders are the two biggest components of all delay minutes to Amtrak trains in FY 2007.”

With respect to the host railroads, the report concludes, “We found several root causes of Amtrak train delays that, if addressed, would improve Amtrak’s OTP [on-time performance] and financial viability.” The report further noted that major performance improvements to passenger rail could be achieved almost immediately through improved host-railroad dispatching management and operating discipline, recommendations that would benefit passenger rail as well as freight shippers.

Kummant said in April, “Good on-time performance is possible when host railroads use targeted operating and maintenance practices and give appropriate attention to the timely delivery of Amtrak trains.” Kummant also said, “The operating discipline of all trains on a route improves, because a well run railroad naturally expedites its own trains, as well as ours.”

A DOT IG report released earlier this year confirmed the importance of on-time performance to Amtrak, finding that poor performance on host railroads costs Amtrak in excess of $100 million annually. Amtrak applauds both the congressional interest in this serious problem and the DOT IG’s attention to these issues and hopes that this report and its recommendations will lead host railroads to work collaboratively with Amtrak to improve the on-time performance of passenger trains.

In a related development, members of the Illinois Congressional delegation sent a letter to the CEO’s of three major freight railroads, BNSF, Canadian National and Union Pacific, requesting that they prepare and deliver a plan to achieve on-time performance of passenger trains on their tracks of at least 85 percent. Citing poor on-time performance on Illinois-supported Amtrak trains, the letter also asks that the railroads identify what actions can be taken to create an immediate improvement in on-time performance.

Named for their design that features an upper level with windows on all sides as well as overhead, dome cars provide passengers with panoramic views of passing scenery. The dome car is temporarily assigned to the Adirondack, and provides views of fall foliage and Lake Champlain as the train travels through upstate New York and across the border into Canada. The refurbished vintage “Great Dome” car seats 90 passengers and is 85 feet long.

The dome section runs the full length of the car, an unusual feature, since the more common type of dome encompassed less than half the length of the car.

“The arrival of the “Great Dome” car into New York State is certainly welcome news for our passengers who plan to travel through the Empire region,” said Mike DeCataldo, Amtrak’s General Superintendent, Northeast Division. “I encourage all New York residents and our friends in Canada to take advantage of this rare opportunity to witness and experience train travel in a unique and breathtaking manner,” he added.

The car will operate northbound from Albany to Montreal on Thursdays, Saturdays and Mondays. It returns south from Montreal on Fridays, Sundays, and Tuesdays. No trips are made on Wednesdays. All passengers traveling on the Albany-Montreal segment of the route are welcome to enter the dome car to enjoy the view. Seats in the dome car are not reserved and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

About the “Great Dome Car

The only remaining dome car in Amtrak service, car number 10031, which is a Great Dome car previously used on the Chicago-Seattle Empire Builder when the train was operated by the Great Northern Railway and the Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad (later the Burlington Northern Railroad).

It was among six similar Great Dome cars built in 1955 by the Budd Company for the Great Northern and carried the name “Ocean View,” car number 1391. All six of the cars were conveyed to Amtrak in 1971, with this car first being given the number 9361. It was renovated in 1985, renumbered 9300, and used in daily service on the Amtrak Auto Train to and from the Washington, D.C., and Orlando, Fla., areas through 1994.

According to a website hosted at www.trainweb.org, four others of this series of Great Domes survive. The “Glacier View” is in use by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (the successor to the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway) as an inspection and theatre car; Grand Luxe Rail Tours owns the former “Mountain View” and “River View” cars and has renamed them “New Orleans” and “Copper Canyon” for their nationwide tours, frequently using Amtrak crews and locomotives. The former “Prairie View” is owned by Holland America Westours and has been renamed “Deshka” for use in Alaska.

Great Dome 10031 is usually used in charter service on the West Coast and rarely operates east of the Rocky Mountains.

The 2004 hurricanes heavily damaged the Sanford station, and Amtrak plans to begin improvements early next year utilizing the current footprint. Amtrak representatives announced that the renovated Auto Train terminal will undergo between $6 and $7 million in improvements.

The new facility will provide seating for 600 passengers and is intended to improve the function, process and flow of the station, vehicles, and site.

“The Auto Train facility in Sanford has been unacceptable and inadequate for more that two years since being storm damaged,” said U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Fla. “Efforts to improve the Sanford Auto Train station by Amtrak are long overdue. Seminole County and the City of Sanford have also agreed to work together to improve transportation access to the new
facility.”

Mica is working with State and local officials to obtain funding assistance for road improvements serving the Sanford Auto Train Station. Improvements are necessary to accommodate the increasing traffic in the community.

The Auto Train has been operated by Amtrak since 1983, between Sanford and Lorton, Va. The daily Auto Train can accommodate 300 vehicles and 600 passengers, and has been running near capacity in the last year.

Mica is the Republican Leader of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, which has jurisdiction over the nation’s rail infrastructure.

Amtrak’s plans to upgrade Sanford station were discussed during a recent meeting with Mica. Attendees the meeting included Seminole County Chairwoman Brenda Carey, Sanford Mayor Linda Kuhn, Florida Department of Transportation District Five Secretary Noranne Downs, professional staff from the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Amtrak representatives.

– Railfanning.org News Wire

Pacific Surfliner Service and Related Thruway Motorcoaches

Normal service will resume Sept. 16, starting with northbound Train 775 and southbound Train 784 and their related Amtrak Thruway Motorcoaches.

Pacific Surfliners and their connecting Thruway Motorcoaches between Los Angeles and San Diego were not affected by this service interruption.

Coast Starlight, Trains 11 & 14

The northbound Coast Starlight, Train 14, originated in Santa Barbara September 16, with alternate transportation provided between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. The southbound Coast Starlight, Train 11, is expected to operate through from Seattle to Los Angeles September 16, with normal service in both directions expected to resume on September 17.

A Metrolink commuter train and a Union Pacific freight train collided on on Sept. 12 near Chatsworth, Calif., killing 25 peopel and injuring more than 130 more. As a result, Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner trains with connecting Thruway Motorcoach buses will not operate north of Los Angeles Sept. 15 and Sept. 16.

Pacific Surfliner Service and Related Thruway Motorcoaches

There will be no service by Pacific Surfliners and their connecting Thruway Motorcoach buses on September 15 and 16, between San Luis Obispo and Goleta, California, and Los Angeles, pending restoration of the route. No alternate transportation is available.

Pacific Surfliners and their connecting Thruway Motorcoaches will operate normally between Los Angeles and points south to San Diego.

Coast Starlight, Trains 11 & 14

The Coast Starlight will originate and terminate in Santa Barbara on September 16 and with alternate transportation provided between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles.

Pacific Surfliner Service and related Thruway Motorcoaches

Normal service will resume in the afternoon, starting with northbound Train 775 and southbound Train 784 and their related Amtrak Thruway Motorcoaches.

Morning trains between Los Angeles and Goleta/San Luis Obispo are cancelled. These are northbound Trains 799, 763 & 769 and southbound Trains 768 & 774.

Amtrak Pacific Surfliners and their connecting Thruway Motorcoaches between Los Angeles and San Diego have not been affected by this service interruption.

Coast Starlight, Trains 11 & 14

The northbound Coast Starlight, Train 14, will originate in Santa Barbara on September 15, with alternate transportation provided between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. The southbound Coast Starlight, Train 11, is expected to operate through from Seattle to Los Angeles on September 15, with normal service in both directions expected to resume on September 16.

Amtrak regrets any inconvenience. This information is correct as of the above time and date. Information is subject to change as conditions warrant. Passengers are encouraged to call 800-USA-RAIL or visit Amtrak.com for schedule information and train status updates.