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Amtrak Sets Ridership Record in 2013

October 16, 2013 Todd DeFeo
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
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Amtrak investing $35 million in Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station

August 26, 2013 Railfanning.org News Wire
PHILADELPHIA — Amtrak is making a $35 million investment to upgrade the historic 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. The upgrades, according to Amtrak, will improve the passenger experience and improve pedestrian mobility in and around the facility. The upgrades also meet long-term infrastructure needs of the 80-year-old station. “30th Street Station is an iconic fixture in Philadelphia,” Stephen Gardner, Amtrak vice president of Northeast Corridor infrastructure and investment development, said in a statement. “As stewards of this national historic landmark we are committed to maintaining its status as a first-class facility for passengers and further integrating the station into the
Amtrak

Amtrak Continuting to Make Upgrades to Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station

August 25, 2013 Railfanning.org News Wire
PHILADELPHIA – Amtrak will continue work this summer and fall on several upgrades at Philadelphia 30th Street Station to improve the passenger experience, tend to the long-term infrastructure needs of the nearly 100year-old building and improve pedestrian mobility in and around the facility. The projects represent about a $35 million investment. “30th Street Station is an iconic fixture in Philadelphia,” said Stephen Gardner, Amtrak vice president of Northeast Corridor infrastructure and investment development. “As stewards of this national historic landmark we are committed to maintaining its status as a first-class facility for passengers and further integrating the station into the
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Amtrak: New Locomotives Advancing in Testing Program

July 29, 2013 Railfanning.org News Wire
PUEBLO, Colo. – The new Amtrak Cities Sprinter (ACS-64) electric locomotives are now in a comprehensive and rigorous testing program, and are being put through the paces before entering Northeast service this fall. Amtrak President and CEO Joe Boardman, Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo and Siemens Rail Systems President Michael Cahill traveled to the U.S Department of Transportation (DOT) Transportation Technology Center (TTC) facility in Pueblo, Colo., to get an update on the testing program and to observe a testing demonstration. “These locomotives are the new workhorses of the Amtrak fleet in the Northeast and they must meet our performance-based
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Central Florida’s SunRail scheduled to open next year

July 26, 2013 Todd DeFeo
ORLANDO, Fla. – Work on Central Florida’s first commuter rail line is progressing, and the line is expected to open by next year. Work to convert the corridor for use by SunRail remains ongoing and the headway is quite apparent. For example, new platforms are nearing completion at the Amtrak stations in Orlando and Winter Park; the stations will continue to serve the national passenger railroad once SunRail starts operations. As part of the 12-stop, 32-mile first phase, trains will operate between DeBary, north of Orlando’s city center, and Sand Lake Road in Orlando. When the second phase opens in
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Amtrak CEO: Time for ‘dedicated, multi-year federal operating and capital funding’

May 7, 2013 Todd DeFeo
Amtrak turned 42 years old this month, and the railroad’s president says it is time for a “dedicated, multi-year federal operating and capital funding for Amtrak and intercity passenger rail.” The national railroad, created as a result of the President Richard Nixon-signed Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970, took over passenger service from struggling railroads, and its first train, The Clocker, departed from Union Station in New York at 12:05 a.m. on May 1, 1971. Today, the railroad operates 305 weekday trains across a network of 21,100 rail miles. “With record ridership and strong financial performance, Amtrak is successfully fulfilling
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Amtrak Auto Train Launches Priority Vehicle Offloading

April 23, 2013 Railfanning.org News Wire
WASHINGTON – Amtrak Auto Train now offers a new upgrade option for passengers who want to speed up their journey. Passengers can purchase an upgrade to Priority Vehicle Offloading and their vehicle will be one of the first 20 offloaded from the train. Vehicle counts can total 200-300 per train. This new service will help passengers get to their destination sooner. Priority Vehicle Offloading can be purchased now and is available for travel beginning April 29. For a $50 fee, Priority Vehicle Offloading is available by calling 877-SKIP-I-95 or for purchase at any staffed station. This upgrade can be added
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Amtrak: Northeast Corridor Faces Investment Crisis

April 22, 2013 Railfanning.org News Wire
WASHINGTON — The success of the Northeast Corridor (NEC) has used up much of the legacy capacity of the existing railroad and depleted its infrastructure assets leading to a “major coming investment crisis that, without a solution, will mean strangled growth and deteriorating service” for 260 million intercity and commuter rail passengers who rely on it each year, Amtrak President and CEO Joe Boardman told a Congressional committee today. “We have pushed the current NEC infrastructure about as far as it can go, but the end of demand and growth is nowhere in sight. A new model for investment is
Amtrak

Amtrak: Ridership Growth Continues In FY 2013

April 11, 2013 Railfanning.org News Wire
WASHINGTON — Amtrak ridership increased in the first half of FY 2013 (Oct. 2012 – March 2013) and March set a record as the single best month ever in the history of America’s Railroad®. In addition, October, December, and January each set individual monthly records. Rebounding strongly from service disruptions caused by Superstorm Sandy and other severe weather, Amtrak ridership grew 0.9 percent in the first six months of FY 2013 as compared to the same period the prior year. In all, 26 of 45 routes posted ridership increases and Amtrak expects to end the fiscal year at or above