Amtrak

CARBONDALE, Ill – Illinois’ partnership with Amtrak will more than double state-sponsored passenger rail service downstate, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich announced. Beginning Oct. 30, state-supported roundtrips will increase from three daily roundtrips to seven daily roundtrips between Chicago and downstate destinations – including the Saluki, the new Chicago-Carbondale train. The expanded service comes after news that all state-sponsored Amtrak routes posted record ridership levels for Illinois’ Fiscal Year 2006; the expansion includes an additional round-trip on the Chicago-Carbondale line. Tickets for the new routes went on sale Sept. 25. “Amtrak is an affordable travel option, and in many communities it’s

WASHINGTON – The Amtrak Board of Directors on Aug. 29 appointed Alexander Kummant as President and CEO. The veteran railroad and industrial executive will assume duties Sept. 12. Kummant previously served as a Regional Vice President of the Union Pacific Railroad, overseeing 6,000 transportation, engineering, construction, mechanical, and other employees supporting an 8,000-mile rail network. He also served as the Union Pacific’s Vice President and General Manager of Industrial Products, a $2 billion revenue business. In leading both units, Kummant was responsible for substantially improved customer service, on-time delivery of client products, and significant gains in financial and operational performance.

WASHINGTON – Enjoying a quick bite to eat on the train is now even more convenient as Amtrak has introduced wireless electronic credit card processing terminals to complete credit card transactions in all Acela Express café cars. Using the new devices, service attendants are now able to get instant authorizations from credit card companies. Previously, attendants needed to hand write ticket and passenger information on paper forms for credit card acceptance. The processing terminals accept all major credit cards, and there are no minimum purchase requirements. For purchases under $25, receipts are issued only when requested by the customer. Currently,

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Amtrak station here was recently honored with a special award for Safety Excellence in recognition of the station’s safety performance in maintaining an injury-free workplace for more than 25 years. “It gives the City of Kissimmee a tremendous sense of pride to have an employer in our community that has such an impressive track record and places a high premium on safety issues for both the public and its employees,” said Kissimmee Mayor Linda Goodwin-Nichols. The Kissimmee Amtrak Station serves two of Amtrak’s Silver Service trains – the Silver Meteor and the Silver Star, traveling between

WASHINGTON — Amtrak Keystone Corridor trains, which operate between Harrisburg, Pa.; Philadelphia; and New York, continue to attract more riders, thanks to recent significant capital investments along the corridor underwritten in part by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Amtrak said. During the month of June, the Keystone service carried 72,091 passengers — a 20 percent increase over June 2005. Since the beginning of Amtrak’s fiscal year (Oct. 1, 2005) through June 30, 2006, Keystone ridership has increased nearly 13 percent to 615,124 passengers, according to Amtrak. "The Keystone service trains are continuing to deliver reliable service for our passengers every day,