Amtrak

Amtrak has rejected a proposed private transcontinental passenger train that would have also carried vehicles.

A heavy-duty truck hauling rocks collided with an Amtrak passenger train carrying 129 people near San Antonio on Tuesday.

Amtrak would lose government-backed preference in legislation seeking faster freight service.

A proposed private passenger train will make the Los Angeles to New York City trip in less than 72 hours – and carry tractor-trailers and their drivers. 

The Federal Railroad Administration has awarded $16.4 billion to 25 passenger rail projects, many of which are in the busy Northeast corridor. Freight rail may also benefit from the projects.

The National Transportation Safety Board says more frequent track inspections could have helped prevent a fatal September 2021 Amtrak derailment that was caused by “poor track conditions.”

The Surface Transportation Board will look into whether freight rail operations are affecting the on-time performance of Amtrak’s passenger rail service between New Orleans and Los Angeles.

Passenger rail advocates call for swift action to resolve Amtrak’s substandard on-time performance for its Sunset Limited service. But freight rail supporters say better data is needed to assess what the problems are.

A roundup of recent news items from Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific, Amtrak and the Surface Transportation Board.

Amtrak and other stakeholders are asking the Surface Transportation Board to hold off on a November hearing on Amtrak’s request to restore Gulf Coast service because of a potential settlement.

Thanks to a federal grant, the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University will be working with four other colleges to develop climate-resiliency strategies and tools for U.S. freight and passenger railroads.

Recent filings to the board from various parties focus on wo bears the burden to show if or how Amtrak service between Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans would affect freight operations.

The Surface Transportation Board will conduct a three-day hearing in late September to find out from Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern directly about issues related to the railways’ proposed merger.

The STB is sifting through hundreds of pages on the perceived advantages and disadvantages of a merger between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern.

Comparing Amtrak and Freight Railroads

The Surface Transportation Board has granted Amtrak’s request to access limited confidential data from CSX and Norfolk Southern as the board mulls Amtrak’s request to establish Gulf Coast passenger rail service. The board also ordered mediation among all parties.

The Federal Railroad Administration is now requiring the Class I railroads, Amtrak and commuter railroads to submit fatigue risk management plans annually to the agency.

The Federal Railroad Administration has established a Climate Challenge initiative, which is targeting net-zero greenhouse gas emissions for the industry by 2050.

The evidentiary hearing before the Surface Transportation Board, which was originally scheduled for two days, will likely tack on two more days as the board collects lots of data and testimony over how Amtrak’s service could affect freight and port operations.

FreightWaves rounds up recent freight rail-related news items.