All articles tagged with #amtrak
The US lacks true high-speed rail due to historical underfunding, geographic challenges, and strong lobbying from auto and aviation industries. Recent developments include Brightline's bankruptcy and the launch of Amtrak's NextGen Acela, which offers limited speed improvements but faces significant hurdles.
Amtrak Cascades will debut its new Airo trainsets on September 30, 2026, making the Pacific Northwest the first region in the country to use the fleet. Manufactured by Siemens, the trains feature modern amenities and advanced monitoring systems. Initially, two trainsets will operate four daily trips between Vancouver, British Columbia, Seattle, Portland, and Eugene, with the full rollout of eight sets expected by early 2027.
A backup fiber-optic cable cut by construction crews in New Jersey knocked out a U.S. air-traffic-control system, triggering ground stops and hundreds of flight delays at airports across the Northeast, including NYC, Newark, Philadelphia, Boston and others. Verizon isRepairing the damaged line, with officials warning the fix could take up to 13 hours as flights gradually resume and disruptions cascade into services and travel plans.
A measles case tied to an Aug. 27 Amtrak trip from Sedalia to Chicago exposed at least 251 people in Jackson County, Missouri, prompting quarantines for 10 unvaccinated individuals and a broad contact-tracing effort spanning Missouri and Kansas, underscoring falling vaccination rates and the need for herd immunity to prevent further spread.
California public health officials warn of possible measles exposure across Alameda, Butte, Kern, Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Joaquin counties after an unvaccinated traveler rode Amtrak trains and via thruway buses, prompting exposure notices for passengers and stations along the route. The case highlights the ongoing measles resurgence linked to vaccine hesitancy and the push for MMR vaccination, with authorities coordinating with federal and local partners to identify and notify those potentially exposed.
Amtrak will introduce two Airo trainsets on the Cascades route (Vancouver BC–Seattle–Portland–Eugene) starting September 30, 2026, as the first phase of a fleet replacement through early 2027. A total of eight Airo sets were ordered for the corridor, with four daily trips that stop in Bellingham. The trains offer 300+ seats, improved Wi‑Fi, sealed gangways, and slimmer, non‑reclining seating. Earlier, 26 cars were removed from the Cascades fleet in March 2025 due to corrosion, and Amtrak plans additional deployments on northeast routes in late 2027.
Amtrak released updated designs for a Bridgeport maintenance facility that would access the site through Rate Field’s Lot G,-owned by ISFA, prompting concerns from ISFA and local residents about parking and transparency. Amtrak says the project would create about 3,000 jobs (400 permanent) and requires coordination with Chicago for road closures, while ISFA explores redevelopment options and keeping the White Sox in Bridgeport amid a lease that could run through 2030.
ISFA officials said they were blindsided by Amtrak’s plan to build a $900 million Midwest Maintenance Facility on a rail yard immediately west of Rate Field in Bridgeport, which would occupy parts of Parking Lots C and G and could change parking, traffic and fan access starting next season. Amtrak says the 24‑hour maintenance yard would modernize operations and notes a railroad easement to a ramp on ISFA property; the project could affect Rate Field’s future as minority owner Justin Ishbia pursues a new South Loop riverfront stadium. ISFA can’t block the plan but plans to learn more and push for transparency, while local officials and residents express concerns about air quality, noise and disruption and urge keeping the Sox in Bridgeport. Community meeting scheduled to discuss details.)
A NYC-based professional commutes to a DC-based role twice a week by Amtrak, turning up to eight hours of travel into a productive work block, supported by advance tickets and a DC-area family to balance life in both cities.
SEPTA suspended service on three Regional Rail lines — Chestnut Hill East, Fox Chase, and Norristown/Manayunk — due to downed Amtrak wires at the 16th Street Junction in North Philadelphia. Southbound trains will terminate at Fern Rock, with riders directed to the B to reach Center City; northbound trains will end at Suburban Station. Expect up to 20 minutes of delay as repairs are underway, with outages anticipated to last until 2 p.m. on Monday.
Dozens of Bridgeport residents and local officials protested outside Rate Field to oppose Amtrak's plan to build a 24/7 maintenance facility near homes, arguing it would devastate the neighborhood and bypass a full environmental review; the plan would relocate the yard from along the Chicago River to a site west of Rate Field, potentially swapping areas with a South Loop stadium project. Amtrak says the yard is needed for current and future fleets and would reduce emissions and noise, while opponents highlight health risks and call for a proper environmental assessment.
Dozens of Bridgeport residents and local officials gathered to oppose Amtrak’s plan for a 24/7 maintenance facility adjacent to Rate Field, warning it could bypass environmental reviews and harm the neighborhood’s health and quality of life; the plan is linked to a broader development push including a potential White Sox stadium move to the South Loop, with officials calling for site reconsideration and a formal environmental assessment.
A plan from a billionaire-backed group to develop The Railyards in the South Loop envisions a riverfront White Sox stadium built on an Amtrak rail yard, with Amtrak moving its maintenance yard to Bridgeport and the development potentially including housing, health care, and a Northwestern Medicine center. The project is in early feasibility, and Bridgeport leaders have criticized it as a betrayal of the neighborhood, calling for public funds to be redirected to the existing Guaranteed Rate Field instead; the Sox’s current lease at Rate Field runs through 2029, and the outcome will depend on a formal feasibility review and approvals.
Bridgeport residents at a public meeting criticized Amtrak’s plan to relocate its Midwest maintenance facility from the South Loop to a new yard beside the White Sox stadium, warning about pollution, noise and traffic; the $900 million project is funded with federal grants and private backing from Justin Ishbia, and it has sparked speculation about a possible White Sox move from Bridgeport, though officials say a direct link is not guaranteed.
Amtrak’s Line 2 tube of the East River Tunnel between Manhattan and Queens reopened after more than a year of interior rehabilitation spurred by Superstorm Sandy damage. The three-mile tunnel was rebuilt with a new fixed-track system, upgraded drainage, improved signal, power and fire/safety systems, and redesigned emergency walkways. Line 1 will close later this year for the same work, with the entire East River Tunnel rehab targeted to finish by the end of 2027.