Category: Amtrak News (Page 1 of 3)

Amtrak customers now benefit from more flexible and affordable fares

October 27, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Washington, D.C. – Based on extensive customer research, and in an effort to better meet customer needs, Amtrak has introduced a new, simplified fare structure with more flexible and affordable options. The simpler fare structure launched this week and builds on other recent improvements Amtrak has made to the booking experience.

The new fare structure reduces fare types from three categories to two and serves to provide a more consistent booking experience with fare types that are clearly differentiated and easy-to-understand:

Flex: For customers who want a more flexible travel option, these tickets are fully refundable if canceled, and can be changed without fees before departure[1].
Value: For customers who know their travel plans and want a more affordable option, these tickets are at a lower price than Flex tickets, non-changeable and receive a 75% refund if canceled.

In addition to simplifying the fare structure, benefits of the new approach also include:

Flex fares will often be available starting at lower prices than previously offered.
Occasional sale fares at an even deeper discount (these will be non-changeable and receive a 50% refund if canceled).
Any refunds of credit card purchases will be made to the original form of payment, rather than as an eVoucher.[2]

These changes to Coach and Acela Business tickets make it easier for Amtrak customers to choose the ticket type that best fits their travel needs. Non-Acela Business and First Class tickets were already fully refundable and changeable with no additional fees. Tickets purchased prior to the launch of the new simplified fare structure remain subject to the fare rules and conditions that were in effect when the ticket was purchased.

Amtrak Airo Trainsets Ordered to Meet Surging Demand

August 22, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Washington, D.C. – Amtrak executed a contract option to order 10 additional Amtrak Airo trainsets as demand for passenger rail travel exceeds expectations. This brings the total contract order to 83 trainsets. The first Amtrak Airo trainset is scheduled to debut in 2026 and these new trains will operate on routes throughout the country. The Amtrak Airo trainsets are being manufactured in California by Siemens (OTC: SIEGY) A.G. of Germany.

Currently in production, the new trains will elevate the customer journey. Features include:

💺 Spacious, Comfortable Seats: Loaded with features and improvements:
- Dedicated power, USB-C ports, seatback tablet and phone holders, bigger and sturdier tray tables and adjustable cup holders.
- Contoured seat cushions, enhanced leg room, individual arm rests and adjustable headrests – all with a focus on ergonomics.
🗺 Trip and Train Navigation: Bolder, color-coded signage to identify amenities and differentiate classes of service, both on board and on the platform.
🌍 Greener Impact:
- More fuel efficient, producing 90% less particulate emissions in diesel operations.
- Dedicated water stations on each trainset, providing chilled and filtered hydration, while reducing the need for disposable plastic bottles.
🤳 Modern Tech: New 5G Wi-Fi and digital information systems.
♿ Enhanced Accessibility:
- Spacious and accessible restrooms, vestibules and Café cars with integrated boarding equipment for customers with reduced mobility.
- Inductive hearing technology to assist with onboard announcements.
🍽 Café Car: Contemporary food service allows for a grab-and-go experience.
🚽 Restrooms: Touchless with spacious, accessible interiors.
💻 Business Class: Increased space between customers, offering double and single seats, wider arm rests, additional outlets, footrests and improved ambiance.
💡 Lighting: Enhanced lighting provides a softer yet functional interior with individual reading lights at each seat.
🧳 Luggage: Access to ample storage space for baggage.

Click the link below to watch the video!

Alstom to supply 60 single level coach cars to the Connecticut Department of Transportation

August 10, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

August 9, 2023 – Alstom (OTC: ALSMY)and the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) confirmed an order for 60 single-level rail coach cars valued at approximately €285 million (approximately USD $315 million) with options to build an additional 313 cars, as part of CTDOT’s coach renewal program for its statewide rail system. Delivery is scheduled to begin in 2026.

The agreement calls for the delivery of fully customised, sustainable, next-generation commuter rail cars specifically designed for North America, providing riders with safe, comfortable, 125 mph commuter rail service. The new vehicles will all be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and American Public Transportation Association (APTA) requirements.

The vehicles will have a convenient two-by-two seating configuration with foldable tables and easy access for wheelchair passengers. The new cars will also provide an enhanced passenger experience with convenient overhead luggage racks, workstation tables and a bicycle storage area, safe and reliable wi-fi access, real time information on upcoming stops, conveniently located power and USB access, and the most current cybersecurity safety features. In addition, passengers will enjoy panoramic balcony-style windows at wheeled mobility spaces, allowing for the flow of natural sunlight through the car’s interior, giving riders great views.

Texas Central and Amtrak Seek to Explore High-Speed Rail Service Opportunities

August 9, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Washington, D.C. – Texas Central Partners (“Texas Central”) and Amtrak are seeking opportunities to advance planning and analysis work associated with the proposed Dallas-Houston 205-mph high-speed rail project to further determine its viability. Amtrak has cooperated with Texas Central on various initiatives since 2016 and the two entities are currently evaluating a potential partnership to further study and potentially advance the project.

The proposed approximately 240-mile route would offer a total travel time of less than 90 minutes between two of the top five major U.S. metropolitan areas and would complement future, new and improved corridor and long-distance service in the southern region.

Texas Central and Amtrak have submitted applications to several federal programs in connection with further study and design work for the potential Dallas to Houston segment, including the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure Safety and Improvements (CRISI) grant program, the Corridor Identification and Development program, and the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail (FSP-National) grant program.

Amtrak has worked with Texas Central since 2016 when it entered into agreements to provide through-ticketing using the Amtrak reservation system and other support services for the planned high-speed rail line.

In addition to current Amtrak service in Texas and planned station improvements, Amtrak submitted grant applications for daily Sunset Limited service and the extension of the Crescentfrom Mississippi through Louisiana and Texas. Amtrak supports Kansas DOT’s Heartland FlyerExtension Corridor Identification and Development (Corridor ID) application that will connect Wichita and communities across Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas to the Amtrak network. Amtrak also supports Texas DOT’s applications for the Texas Triangle (Dallas – Fort Worth – Houston – San Antonio) routes.

Data Finds Overwhelming Support for Passenger Rail in America

August 7, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

WASHINGTON, District of Columbia – Amtrak published survey findings today that demonstrate strong support from American voters for continued passenger rail investments, including infrastructure renewal and service expansion. Conducted by the Mellman Group and commissioned by Amtrak to better understand America’s interest in intercity passenger rail service, findings show consistent support for passenger rail across geographic location, age, race and gender.

Survey highlights include:

92% say it’s important for the United States to invest in passenger rail safety and service improvements;
86% believe in the importance of a strong American passenger rail system;
83% support passenger rail investments identified by Congress in the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (i.e. modern trains, aging tunnel and bridge replacements, new routes, etc.); and
81% want their state to invest in bringing more passenger rail service to their local area.

The 2023 survey was conducted by the Mellman Group and surveyed 1,000 registered U.S. voters. View the executive summary here.

Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn’s Message on Empire Builder Train Derailment in Montana

September 26, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

We are in mourning today for the people who lost their lives due to the derailment of the Empire Builder train Saturday, near Joplin, Montana, on the BNSF Railway, as well as the many others who were injured. We have no words that can adequately express our sorrow for those who lost a loved one or who were hurt in this horrible event. They are in our thoughts and prayers.

We are fully cooperating with the investigation, working closely with National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Railroad Administration, local law enforcement and response agencies. We share the sense of urgency to understand why the accident happened; however, until the investigation is complete, we will not comment further on the accident itself. The NTSB will identify the cause or causes of this accident, and Amtrak commits to taking appropriate actions to prevent a similar accident in the future.

Amtrak’s immediate and sustained focus is on doing everything we can to help our passengers and crew, especially the families of those who were injured or died, at this painful and difficult time. Our Incident Response Team has been initiated. We have sent emergency personnel and Amtrak leadership to the scene to help support our passengers, our employees and their families with their needs. Individuals with questions about their family and friends aboard this train should call 800-523-9101. We have also established a Family Assistance Center in Great Falls, Montana, and we will have family assistance liaisons at that site to reach out to those injured and their families to make sure they get what they need. We have dispatched nurse case managers to support those hospitalized. As soon as Amtrak has permission, we will access the accident site to retrieve the personal effects of our passengers and crew.

We want to extend our deep gratitude and sincere appreciation to the Joplin and greater Liberty County communities and other Montana counties and their selfless first responders, hospital staff and law enforcement for their immediate and ongoing help to support of all those aboard the Empire Builder for responding with such urgency, compassion and patience.

CSX Files Expanded Application to Acquire Pan Am Railways

July 7, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

CSX Corp. (NASDAQ: CSX) has announced that it submitted an amended and supplemented application to the Surface Transportation Board (STB) as part of the previously announced agreement to acquire New England’s Pan Am Railway’s Inc. (Pan Am). The amended application provides all of the additional details of the proposed transaction requested by the STB in their May 26, 2021 ruling.

The combination of CSX and Pan Am provides benefits to many stakeholders in New England, as evidenced by the over 80 letters of support that shippers, elected officials and business organizations have submitted to the STB. CSX has also worked to reach agreements with other rail operators and organizations in the region to ensure that the transaction results in enhanced competition and a strengthened rail network in the Northeast.

The proposed transaction would result in significant investments in the region’s rail infrastructure. Over the next five years, CSX would invest to upgrade and modernize the Pan Am system, which will make the New England rail network more efficient and safer for operations, communities and passenger rail.

New England will also benefit from CSX’s track record as leader in environmental performance. CSX will operate Pan Am with a smaller, more reliable and more fuel-efficient fleet, significantly reducing fuel consumption and improving rail’s environmental footprint in the region.

CSX’s operating model will benefit passenger and commuter carriers in New England as well as shippers as the company commits to maintaining or improving existing passenger service that operates on Pan Am. CSX has a long-standing history of working cooperatively with Amtrak and other passenger rail partners as evidenced by the significant improvement in contractual on-time performance with Amtrak since CSX has implemented its new operating model.

Headquartered in North Billerica, Massachusetts, Pan Am owns and operates a highly integrated, nearly 1,200-mile rail network and has a partial interest in the more than 600-mile Pan Am Southern system. Pan Am’s network across New England has access to multiple ports and large-scale commodity producers. The transaction will expand CSX’s reach in Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts while adding Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine to its existing 23-state network.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is subject to regulatory review and approval by the Surface Transportation Board.

Amtrak Releasing Six 50th Anniversary Commemorative Painted Locomotives

March 17, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Amtrak fans across the country may soon spot a few freshly painted locomotives featuring new anniversary logos rolling down the tracks as America’s Railroad® celebrates 50 years of service this year. The first of six different commemorative 50^th anniversary locomotives has already entered service on the national network.

“We chose locomotives already budgeted for new paint as part of our life cycle preventative maintenance program and used the opportunity to celebrate this significant milestone on the most iconic component of our business,” said Amtrak President Stephen Gardner. “The locomotive designs uniquely honor our heritage and our vision of connecting communities, economies and families nationwide.”

The commemorative locomotive list includes:

P42 #46 in “Phase V 50^th” – The standard Amtrak livery for the past two decades with our “Connecting America for 50 Years” slogan including a large golden yellow 50.
P42 in “Midnight Blue”: An all new one-of-a-kind paint scheme celebrating the dedication and commitment of our employees moving people around the clock and across the nation.
P42 in “Phase VI” – The first adaptation of the latest Amtrak livery phase on a P42.
P42 in “Phase I” – A rendition of Amtrak’s first livery phase dating back to 1972.
P42 in “Dash 8 Phase III” – The award-winning livery designed for the Dash 8 locomotive fleet in the early 90s, adapted for the first time to a P42 locomotive.
ALC-42 #301 in “Day 1” scheme – A historic throwback to the unique design created for the first day of operations on May 1, 1971, applied to Amtrak’s newest locomotive.

Each P42 locomotive is being painted and overhauled at the Amtrak Beech Grove shops in Beech Grove, Ind., rolling out over the coming months and entering service across the national network. Employees will also ensure that these locomotives are maintained to high performance and safety standards. ALC-42 #301 is currently being manufactured by Siemens in Sacramento, Calif. and is expected to be delivered in April to undergo testing in the Northeast Corridor before entering service on the national network.

In addition to the commemorative locomotives, 50^th Anniversary collectible items are also now available for purchase at the Amtrak store, including t-shirts, glasses, a challenge coin, pins and other celebratory Amtrak gear.

Amtrak 50th – Paint Scheme and Livery History

Stadler Wins Tender to Deliver 59 Trains to Spanish State-Owned Rail Operator RENFE

March 9, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

The Spanish state-owned rail operator RENFE has awarded Stadler a contract to deliver 59 commuter trains, which also includes the spare parts and maintenance for 15 years. This award is one of the batches in the bidding for the high-capacity trains tendered by the Spanish operator. Stadler proposes to maximize the capacity by using double-deck coaches with a scalable length from 100 to 120 meters and from 160 to 240 meters. The Iberian-gauge trains will operate on 3 kV DC overhead lines reaching a maximum speed of 140 km/h. They will provide the commuter service in the largest Spanish cities.

This is the first time that RENFE will order trains from Stadler. The new trains shall be developed and produced in Stadler’s plant in Valencia. The contract envisages an option for 44 additional units as well as their maintenance.

Iñigo Parra, CEO Stadler Valencia, said: “We’re excited about the decision from RENFE and their trust in Stadler. We were chosen to provide trains in our factory in Spain for the Spanish commuter service – this makes us proud.”

Stadler Cal Train rendering of the double decker coaches

Amtrak Expands Carry-On Pet Program to Weekday Acela Trains

March 3, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

WASHINGTON – Amtrak announced today the expansion of its pet program allowing customers to travel with their dogs and cats up to 20 pounds onboard weekday Acela trains for only $26 or 800 Amtrak Guest Rewards points. Previously available for only weekend trips, there will be eight pet spaces for sale per departure (one per customer) and are booked on a first-come, first-served basis.

Pets will be allowed in all cars, except for First Class or Café cars. Pets must remain in a carrier at all times and carriers should remain under their seat. Amtrak continues to welcome service animals on board at no charge. To confirm pet eligibility, all customers must read and sign a Pet Release and Indemnification Agreement for each travel segment.

This new amenity is part of several recent upgrades on the Acela, including the expansion of the Reserved Seating offering for Acela Business Class customers, which allows travelers to view and select their seats before traveling, including those available in the Quiet Car, and provide a snapshot of the overall of the train’s capacity. In addition, Amtrak has continues its enhanced cleaning protocols at stations and on trains and new measures to deliver a New Standard of Travel, including:

Requiring face coverings: Per federal law and Amtrak policy, all customers and employees must wear a face mask or covering that fully covers the entire mouth and nose, fits snugly against the side of the face, and secures under the chin at all times while onboard and in stations.
Air Quality: All of our trains are equipped with onboard filtration systems with a fresh air exchange rate every 4-5 minutes.
Physical distancing: Signage has been displayed at our busiest stations to indicate safe distances in high traffic areas. In addition, protective plastic barriers have been installed at customer counters at our busiest stations.

More than 174,300 pets and their human companions have traveled around the country since the program launched on the Northeast Corridor in October 2015. The program has also generated more than $4.338 million in revenue since its inception. For more information visit Amtrak’s Pet policy

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