Amtrak

OAKLAND — The last of the Talgo-manufactured railcars used in the operation of Amtrak Cascades service between Eugene, Oregon and Seattle, Washington returned to service on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2007, after undergoing repairs at the maintenance facility in Seattle. All Amtrak Cascades train schedules will be effective with Amtrak’s Fall/Winter Timetable that takes effect on Oct. 29. In early August, small cracks were discovered in welds of the upper portion of the car body structure suspension support system of several cars. WSDOT, Amtrak and Talgo agreed to remove the trains from service as a precaution. “We are glad the Talgo

OKLAHOMA CITY – An Oklahoma City woman was surprised by TV cameras, reporters and prizes today at both ends of the Amtrak Heartland Flyer route in Oklahoma and Texas. Marilea Hoffmann was chosen by reservation number to represent the half-millionth passenger when she boarded the train at the Paul Adams Memorial Platform in Oklahoma City. A second surprise greeting occurred at the Intermodal Transportation Center in Fort Worth, where she received another round of gifts and was met by her daughter, Nancee Hoffmann of Keller, Texas. “I’ve been riding the train since the beginning,” Marilea Hoffmann told reporters in Oklahoma

OAKLAND – Amtrak has received approval from the Federal Railroad Administration to make recommended repairs on the Talgo-manufactured railcars used in the operation of Amtrak Cascades service between Eugene, Ore. and Bellingham, Wash. As the trainsets are repaired, they will be rotated back into service one at a time starting this weekend. All trainsets will be expected to be repaired by early November. Amtrak anticipates that train schedules will return to normal in time for the busy Thanksgiving travel season. “We have determined the appropriate solution and are moving forward with the repairs,” said Nora Friend, Talgo’s spokesperson. “Once the

WASHINGTON — Beginning this fall, passengers traveling on select Amtrak routes will have the option of lingering over five-course dinners, sleeping in luxurious suites and enjoying personal butler service. The premium service is being made possible by a new partnership between GrandLuxe Rail Journeys, the country’s premier, private rail tour operator, and Amtrak, the national passenger rail service. This is the first time in history that luxury accommodations have been offered on multiple Amtrak routes throughout the country. Called GrandLuxe Limited, the new service uses a separate, private, seven-car luxury train attached to several regularly scheduled Amtrak trains. The GrandLuxe

OAKLAND — Additional Amtrak railcars — coming from as far away as the East Coast — have arrived in the Pacific Northwest as a substitute for Talgo railcars that are sidelined because of a maintenance issue, Amtrak said. Motorcoaches are also available, with buses covering some of the scheduled train frequencies. New schedules will start Wednesday, Sept. 5. “One of the advantages of Amtrak as an operator of state-supported service is a nationwide equipment pool with experts in operations and scheduling,” said Kurt Laird, the Seattle-based Amtrak District Superintendent. “We are working closely with the states of Washington and Oregon in order to restore frequencies using