Amtrak
Month: October 2012
Commuter Rail
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo Announces Restoration of Limited Commuter Railroad and Subway Service
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced that beginning this afternoon, both Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad will begin to provide limited service on part of their respective networks. The Governor also announced that beginning Thursday morning, there will be limited subway service on several routes, supplemented by a bus shuttle between Downtown Brooklyn and Midtown. There will be no subway service between 34th St in Midtown and Downtown Brooklyn. Earlier today, Local, Limited-Stop and Express Bus service began operating as close to a normal weekday schedule as possible. As was the case yesterday, bus service will operate on a fare-free basis today. Access-A-Ride also began limited service today, as
Commuter Rail
NJ Transit Reopens River Line Light Rail Service
The Christie Administration announced today that River Line light rail service will resume service starting at 3 p.m. today, making trips every 30 minutes between the Walter Rand Transportation Center in Camden and Trenton Transit Center. The restoration of this light rail service continues the Christie Administration’s ongoing storm assessment and restoration efforts related to N.J. Transit. Due to significant damage across the State’s public transportation network, N.J. Transit rail and Access Link service will remain suspended until further notice. Newark Light Rail and Hudson Bergen Light Rail service also remain suspended until further notice. While bus service within the Camden area resumed service today, all other NJ TRANSIT bus
Commuter Rail
N.J. Transit’s Infrastructure Severely Damaged in Hurricane Sandy
Hurricane Sandy has greatly damaged N.J. Transit’s infrastructure across the state, officials said. “The N.J. Transit system has experienced unprecedented devastation in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Destruction summarizes the impact to rails, rail yards, bus depot and critical operation centers,” N.J. Transit Board Chairman and NJ Department of Transportation Commissioner James Simpson said. “With the break of daylight, N.J. Transit began to inspect and assess the full extent of the damage. Our employees are committed to restoring the system as safely and efficiently as humanly possible.” Early inspections reveal damage includes but is not limited to the following: Two tug boats collided with the North Jersey Coast Line’s Raritan
Commuter Rail
Governor Cuomo Directs MTA to Move Forward with System-wide Shutdown
The MTA has been directed by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to begin an orderly shutdown and suspension of all subway, bus and commuter railroad service at 7 p.m. Sunday. The decision was made to protect customers, employees and equipment from the wrath of Hurricane Sandy as the strong storm continues its march up the east coast. MTA Chairman and CEO Joseph J. Lhota announced that service on NYC Transit subways will be curtailed beginning at 7 p.m., and the bus network within the following two hours. Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad will start their finals trains by 7 p.m. from terminal locations. Subway and rail road stations will
Transit
MARTA Signs Contract With New GM/CEO
ATLANTA — MARTA has signed a contract with its next general manager and chief executive officer. The five-year contract with Keith T. Parker includes a $320,000 base salary with automatic, one-year renewable options. Parker is eligible to receive a $25,000 annuity for each year of his contract if he remains in the post until June 30, 2017, and could also receive compensation for meeting, or exceeding predetermined performance goals set by the MARTA Board. “I am honored and humbled to be selected as MARTA’s next GM/CEO and am eager to begin working with our employees, customers, and transit stakeholders to provide efficient and effective transit service to the region,” Parker
Amtrak
Report: Drug, Alcohol Use Among Amtrak Employees ‘Trending Upward’
Drug and alcohol use among Amtrak employees “has been generally trending upward since 2006,” an alarming trend that increases the likelihood of a serious wreck, the railroad’s inspector general warned in a recently released report. In 2011, Amtrak’s combined positive test rate was roughly 51 percent higher than the industry average, its worst year since 2007, according to the report. The increase in drug use poses a risk to not only Amtrak employees, but also to the traveling public, the inspector general warns. The new report was released just before the railroad set a new annual ridership record, carrying more than 31.2 million passengers during Fiscal Year 2012. At the
World
Amtrak
Amtrak: Book Early For Thanksgiving Travel
WASHINGTON – Amtrak, anticipating its busiest travel day of the year, is urging passengers to book their Thanksgiving holiday tickets early for best availability and pricing. The busiest travel days that are likely to sell out are the Tuesday and Wednesday before and the Saturday and Sunday following Thanksgiving. In time for this year’s Thanksgiving holiday, Amtrak will offer two new service expansions. Starting Nov. 1, the Downeaster will offer expanded rail service to Freeport and Brunswick, Maine. Tickets for this new service go on sale Oct. 1. In addition, tickets are now available for new Amtrak Thruway bus service in Eastern North Carolina that will provide rail connections for
CSX
CSX Corp. Declares Quarterly Dividend
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Oct. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Earlier today, the board of directors of CSX Corporation (NYSE: CSX) approved a $0.14 per share quarterly dividend on the company’s common stock. The dividend is payable on December 14, 2012, to shareholders of record at the close of business on November 30, 2012.