Trains on Northeast Corridor Come to Standstill

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration announced it has awarded $16.4 billion for 25 passenger rail projects along the Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington, D.C.

Throughout the course of its four-plus decade history, Amtrak has drawn the scorn of detractors who saw the federally-subsidized passenger railroad is a drain on taxpayers. Now, millions of dollars in losses on the railroad’s food and beverage service have given more ammunition to opponents. For its part, Amtrak said it plans to eliminate losses on food and beverage service over the next five years. Whether that will silence critics in Congress who next year will have the opportunity to fund — or not fund — Amtrak remains to be seen. “Amtrak has been working to implement a strategic plan

Amtrak set a new ridership record in Fiscal Year 2013, carrying 31.6 million passengers, the railroad announced. This year’s record breaks the high mark set during Fiscal Year 2012, when the railroad carried 31.2 million passengers. The latest record is the 10th ridership record the railroad has set in the last 11 years. Trains operating on the Northeast Corridor saw a 0.2 percent decline in ridership while state-supported trains saw a 2.2 percent increase in riders. Amtrak’s network of long-distance trains experienced a 0.4 percent increase in the number of passengers. In addition to ridership gains, the railroad also posted