Amtrak
911 call center says is misidentified crossing before derailment of Chicago bound Amtrak train
(Source: Associated Press, November 21, 2023) A 911 call center on Monday took some responsibility for an Amtrak train derailment last week in southwestern Michigan, saying it misidentified a crossing and contacted a different railroad to warn that a car was stuck on tracks. As a result, the train’s engineer had no warning about the stranded vehicle…
Read MoreHouse subcommittee advances bill that would slash funding for rail
(Source: Progressive Railroading 07/14/2023) A House subcommittee on July 12 advanced a fiscal-year 2024 appropriations bill that would slash funding to the Federal Railroad Administration, Amtrak and several rail-related programs. The Republican-led House Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Subcommittee (T-HUD) approved the bill, which would provide $90.2 billion in discretionary spending to the U.S. departments…
Read MoreBLET, SMART-TD join to fight Amtrak on COVID mandate
CLEVELAND, November 23, 2021 — The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) are challenging Amtrak over its actions in implementing its COVID-19 vaccine policy without the bargaining mandated by the Railway Labor Act. The unions filed suit…
Read MoreNTSB: Amtrak train was traveling below speed limit
(Source: Progressive Railroading 09/28/2021) The Amtrak train that derailed Sept. 25 near Joplin, Montana, was traveling between 75 and 78 mph, below the speed limit for passenger trains on that section of track, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced yesterday. The NTSB’s 14 investigators yesterday began their first full day of assessing the site to determine the potential cause…
Read MoreFRA publishes final rule setting Amtrak performance standards for host railroads
(Source: Federal Railroad Administration press release, November 16, 2020) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today published a final rule setting forth metrics and a minimum standard to measure the performance and service quality of Amtrak intercity passenger train operations, including metrics relating to on-time performance and train delays, customer…
Read More