Amtrak – Page 43 – Railfanning.org

Five Finalists Selected in Missouri Name the Train Contest

December 24, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

ST. LOUIS — One of five finalist names will soon provide the moniker for Amtrak’s passenger rail service between St. Louis and Kansas City. Those names are Missouri Rail Blazer, Missouri River Runner, River Cities Corridor, ShowMeMO and Truman Service. Online voting begins today and goes through Jan. 23. Contest judges selected five finalist names from a pool of more than 8,300 name submissions. In cases where duplicate names were submitted, a random drawing was held to choose a finalist. The finalists are: Missouri Rail Blazer — Betty Crancer of Sunset Hills Missouri River Runner — Keith Kohler of Glendale

Amtrak Adds Trains, Staffing, Security for Inauguration Day

December 24, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – Amtrak has expanded capacity by adding trains and cars to maximize available space for service to and from Washington, D.C., during the inauguration of the nation’s 44th president on Jan. 20. The extra trains and cars will be added to Northeast Corridor Amtrak trains on January 20, with a majority of the extra capacity available southbound toward Washington in the morning and northbound from Washington in the afternoon and evening. All Amtrak trains in the Northeast require reservations and ticket purchases prior to boarding. Supplementing Amtrak service in the Washington, D.C. area will be commuter rail service in Maryland

Chicago Hub and Other Services Affected by Severe Weather

December 23, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

CHICAGO — Severe weather from Chicago to the Pacific Northwest has caused Amtrak rail infrastructure and railcar issues, affecting deployment cycles for equipment and train crews, the railroad said. Several trains to and from Chicago are being canceled in order to prepare to properly re-deploy equipment and crews. Illinois Service Lincoln Service Train 305 will be combined with Lincoln Service Train 307 to originate in Chicago on December 23. Illini Train 393, the afternoon departure from Chicago to Carbondale on December 23, and Saluki Train 390, the morning departure from Carbondale to Chicago on December 24, are both cancelled, with

STB to Hole Hearing on Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008

December 23, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board announced it will hold a public hearing on Feb. 11 to allow interested persons to comment on the Board’s new responsibilities in the recently passed Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008. The Act enhances the Board’s role in various types of disputes between the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak), commuter rail operators, host railroads over which they operate, or States that seek to use Amtrak equipment or services with respect to cost allocations, quality of service, compensation, liability, and other terms for provision of service.

Obama, Biden to Travel by Train to Washington

December 19, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden will travel to Washington by train to kick off a series of events for inauguration week, officials said.

Amtrak and KDOT Agree on Scope of Study

December 9, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

CHICAGO — The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) and Amtrak have agreed on the scope of the Amtrak Expansion Feasibility Study. KDOT has budgeted $200,000 for the study. The study will identify capital requirements and operating costs needed to provide state-sponsored passenger rail service between Kansas City, Oklahoma City and Fort Worth. The study will consider factors such as potential schedules, railcar and locomotive availability and capital needs for rail improvements to accommodate passenger service. As part of the study, BNSF Railway will analyze the capacity of the route because a passenger rail service would have to share the tracks

Amtrak Selects Transportation Industry Veteran as President & CEO

November 25, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s Board of Directors has selected Joseph Boardman, a nationally recognized transportation industry professional, to become president and chief executive officer of the company, effective Nov. 26. Boardman offers nearly 34 years of experience in the surface transportation industry at city, county, state, and federal government levels; most recently as the administrator at the Federal Railroad Administration, officials said. He succeeds Alex Kummant, who resigned Nov. 14. “In an attempt to maintain the momentum at Amtrak, while finding a permanent CEO candidate, the board has appointed Mr. Boardman for one year, but will conduct a search in the

St. Louis Opens $26.4 Million Transportation Hub

November 24, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

ST. LOUIS – The City of St. Louis and Amtrak are pleased to announce the official grand opening of the Gateway Transportation Center (GTC), the city’s new $26.4 million multimodal transportation hub. Mayor Francis G. Slay, Comptroller Darlene Green, Amtrak Board Member Thomas Carper, Greyhound, Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), Citizens for Modern Transit and other local officials dedicated the facility located at 430 South 15th Street. For nearly twenty years, a multimodal station to connect Amtrak, Greyhound, MetroLink and Metro Bus service has been an important concept in the overall design of St. Louis City’s transportation systems, but until

Amtrak Restores Auto Train Service Nov. 22

November 21, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – Amtrak announced that Auto Train service will resume Saturday, Nov. 22, from both its terminals. The Auto Train carries passengers and their automobiles between Lorton, Va., and Sanford, Fla. The service was temporarily suspended Nov. 19 when cracks were found in the underframes of the rail cars that carry automobiles. No passenger-carrying cars were affected. “Although no incidents resulted from these cracks, we suspended service in the interest of safety,” Amtrak acting President and CEO William Crosbie said. We deployed welders and materials to both Auto Train facilities and worked round-the-clock in 12-hour shifts to resume this very

Amtrak California Prepares for Busy Thanksgiving Travel Week

November 20, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

OAKLAND – Amtrak, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) anticipating the busiest travel week of the year, are planning ahead for Thanksgiving by adding extra train cars and encouraging passengers traveling throughout California to make their reservations early. The week of Thanksgiving — Tuesday, November 25 to Monday, December 1 — is typically Amtrak’s busiest travel period of the year, carrying more than 665,000 passengers last year systemwide. To accommodate more passengers traveling during this holiday week, more capacity will be added to the Amtrak San Joaquin, Amtrak Pacific Surfliner and Capitol