Amtrak – Page 39 – Railfanning.org

MDOT and Amtrak Break Ground for New Station in Pontiac

July 23, 2010 Railfanning.org News Wire

PONTIAC, Mich. – Top officials with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and Amtrak joined representatives of the city of Pontiac and Greyhound today to break ground for the new Pontiac Transportation Center, which will serve intercity rail and bus passengers. The intermodal station project is funded with $1.4 million from the state’s Comprehensive Transportation Fund account. Located at 51000 Woodward Ave., the facility will serve as a hub for travel, including the six daily Amtrak Wolverine Service trains to and from Detroit and Chicago. More than 300,000 passengers have taken Wolverine Service trains this fiscal year. “We believe that

Amtrak Virginia Introduces Additional Service between Richmond and Washington

July 9, 2010 Railfanning.org News Wire

RICHMOND, Va. — Beginning July 20, Amtrak Virginia expands daily round-trip service between Richmond and Washington. With this new train, hourly morning departures are available from Richmond’s Staples Mill Station to the Northeast Corridor and more convenient afternoon return trips are available from Washington, DC. The total number of morning departures from Richmond to Washington is now five, with six return departures available in the afternoon and evening. The new frequency between Richmond and Washington is the second state-supported train in Virginia which became Amtrak’s 15th state partner with the launch of service between Lynchburg and the Northeast Corridor last

Amtrak Joins DHS Rail Security Initiative

July 3, 2010 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON—Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano launched the first phase of DHS’ nationwide “See Something, Say Something” campaign and announced a new national information-sharing partnership with Amtrak as part of the Department’s nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) initiative during a whistlestop train tour—highlighting the public’s role in keeping our country safe and the Obama administration’s commitment to bolstering surface transportation security. “Implementing a national suspicious activity reporting partnership with Amtrak and expanding the ‘See Something, Say Something,’ campaign strengthens our ability to guard against terrorism and crime,” said Secretary Napolitano. “These initiatives enable us to provide frontline security

Amtrak Announces Actions Implemented to Put MARC Passengers First

July 2, 2010 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – At a special “Meet the Managers” event today at Washington Union Station, Amtrak President and CEO Joseph Boardman directly informed MARC passengers of some of the actions the railroad is implementing to put passengers first and take care of their needs in the event of a MARC commuter train breakdown. “Amtrak is in the business of moving people and we must never forget that,” Boardman said. “Passengers come first and the equipment comes second.” Amtrak is taking the following actions now and will continue to work with MARC to identify additional measures to improve customer service: Water Supply

New Amtrak Board Members Recognize America’s Railroad is Key to Future of Passenger Rail

June 29, 2010 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – The three newest members of the Amtrak board of directors recognize that Amtrak, and its national network of high-speed and intercity passenger trains, are key to the future of passenger rail transportation in America. Anthony R. Coscia, Bert DiClemente and Jeff Moreland were nominated by President Obama and recently confirmed by the United States Senate. They are expected to soon assume their new responsibilities guiding and overseeing America’s railroad. “We welcome our newest board members with confidence they will contribute their considerable knowledge and experience to advance Amtrak’s growth strategy and efforts to make the nation’s railroad safer,

Amtrak Inspector General Announces Sentencing in Fraud Case

June 26, 2010 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Amtrak Inspector General Ted Alves, in conjunction with United States Attorney Zane David Memeger of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, announced today the sentencing of George Susini, a former Amtrak contractor. Susini was sentenced as a result of his receipt of stolen Amtrak refund credits which had been illegally posted to his personal credit cards. During his sentencing, he admitted to having received the credits which he spent to maintain a lifestyle that he could not afford. Susini was sentenced to five years probation, a fine of $3,000, and the payment of restitution in the amount of $72,487

Amtrak, Metra, TSA and Local Law Enforcement Deploy Across Chicago Area Rail Stations

June 25, 2010 Railfanning.org News Wire

CHICAGO – During today’s morning and evening commutes, Amtrak Police, Metra Police, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel and law enforcement officers from more than 100 federal, state, local and rail police agencies are being deployed at more than 100 passenger rail stations in Illinois and the neighboring states of Wisconsin and Indiana in an exercise of expanded counterterrorism and incident response capabilities. The multi-force security surge across Chicagoland and in two other states is not in response to any threat or incident. Rather, today’s deployment is part of Operation ALERTS (Allied Law Enforcement for Rail and Transit Security), a coordinated

Amtrak Apologizes to MARC Passengers

June 23, 2010 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – On June 21, MARC Train 538 lost power soon after leaving Washington Union Station, resulting in loss of air conditioning and “uncomfortable conditions for passengers” who waited about two hours for a resolution. “On behalf of Amtrak, I extend my most sincere apologies to the passengers of Train 538 for having to withstand unacceptable conditions and inconveniences during this service disruption,” President and CEO Joseph Boardman said. “We fell short of providing the service we strive to deliver. “In conjunction with the Maryland Transit Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration we are conducting a thorough investigation of the

Amtrak is Working on the Railroad in Chicago

June 17, 2010 Railfanning.org News Wire

CHICAGO – Amtrak is using $115 million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to improve tracks, buildings and control systems in Chicago this construction season, as part of a $1 billion construction program to fund capital projects designed to rebuild the critical infrastructure of America’s Railroad. “We are investing in our infrastructure in Chicago to improve our operations and support the growing demand to travel by Amtrak,” said President and CEO Joseph Boardman. He noted America’s intercity passenger railroad posted a ridership increase of more than seven percent nationally in the last nine months, including double-digit increases

Amtrak: National Rail Plan Needs to Recognize the Value of Amtrak’s Intercity Passenger Rail Network

June 12, 2010 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – Amtrak is urging the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to be bold and unambiguous in its vision for the future of the national rail system, including the Amtrak network, as it develops a long-range National Rail Plan (NRP). “Amtrak’s existing national intercity passenger rail system should be recognized in the NRP as the foundation for the development of an expanded network of high-speed and conventional rail services spanning key corridors across the United States,” said Amtrak Vice President, Policy and Development Stephen Gardner. Gardner explained that Amtrak is America’s intercity passenger railroad and the only high-speed rail service provider