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.
The Amtrak Police Department (APD) presented a Lodi, California Police Officer with the prestigious “Life Saving Medal” for her swift and heroic actions that saved a man’s life within seconds of being hit by an oncoming freight train. The Officer, a 14-year veteran of the force, was honored at the Lodi Police Station during an award ceremony on Monday hosted by APD and California Operation Lifesaver, a non-profit railroad safety education organization.
On Aug.12, the Officer spotted a man in a wheelchair stuck on the railroad tracks near Lodi Avenue. As the crossing gates activated and were coming down, she got out of her patrol car and ran to assist. After unsuccessfully attempting to free the wheelchair, with only seconds to spare, she physically pulled the man out of the chair and the two fell backwards just a few feet away from the oncoming 250-ton freight train locomotive. The 66-year-old man is recovering from serious injuries to both of his legs as a result of the incident.
“This incident had the makings of a double tragedy had it not been for the extraordinary courage and quick actions of the Officer,” said Amtrak Police Chief Sam Dotson. “The citizens of Lodi are very fortunate to have a public servant like this on duty in their community. The ‘Life Saving Medal’ recognizes her bravery in saving a fellow human being without hesitation for her own safety.”
During the ceremony, Lodi Police Chief Sierra Brucia called his officer a true hero.
Presenting the “Life Saving Medal” was Captain Douglas Calcagno from the Amtrak Police Department’s Western Division. Awards were also presented to the Officer by Steve Walker a California Operation Lifesaver Board member, and Eric Walker and Joe Petito with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in California.
The ceremony closed out Rail Safety Week 2020, observed in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
State of Good Repair grant financing will help fund projects in New Jersey and Maryland
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has awarded two Northeast Corridor (NEC) grants to Amtrak as part of its $302.6 million in the State of Good Repair grants to help repair and rehabilitate railroad infrastructure and other assets across the country for 12 projects in nine states. Totaling more than $63 million, the two grants will help fund the Portal North Bridge Project and the Winans to Bridge Improvement project.
“Improving infrastructure in this country is vital to strengthening the economy and providing a safer, more reliable travel experience as we look towards recovery,” said Amtrak President and CEO Bill Flynn. “We thank the FRA, and our state and NEC partners for their invaluable support in awarding us these grants.”
A total of $55.1 million of the State of Good Repair grant issued by the Federal Railroad Administration was awarded towards the Portal North Bridge Project to replace the century old two-track swing bridge in Kearny, New Jersey with a fixed span. Serving as a critical link for intercity and commuter customers traveling to or from New York City, the current bridge was used by 450 daily trains with passengers making more than 200,000 daily trips on Amtrak’s intercity and New Jersey Transit’s commuter rail services in 2019.
The new bridge is designed as a 2.44-mile modern fixed structure that will eliminate the failures associated with aging infrastructure that causes delays across the NEC. A higher clearance (more than 50 feet above the Hackensack River), will eliminate the need for the bridge to open, allowing for faster operating speeds (from 60 to 90 mph), improved performance and greater reliability for an upgraded customer experience. Early construction of the new bridge began in Fall 2017 and was completed on time and on budget. NJ TRANSIT is seeking a Core Capacity grant from the Federal Transit Administration that would allow major construction to begin as soon as next year.
The Portal North Bridge Project is a key component of the Gateway Program and is identified as a regional priority in the NEC Commission’s five‐year capital plan.
Additionally, as part of a separate project, Amtrak, in partnership with Maryland Department of Transportation, Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA), is also slated to receive $8 million to rehabilitate and upgrade a five‐mile section of track that is part of the Amtrak‐owned NEC mainline near Baltimore.
The project will restore Track A to 90 mph speeds, up from 60 mph, to shorten trip times, improve ride quality, and provide operational flexibility. The work will include upgrades from Winans to Bridge interlockings, replacing timber ties with concrete, installing heavier rail and laying new ballast. Bridge interlocking is located at the north end of West Baltimore Station and Winans is at the south end of Halethorpe Station. These upgrades will enable high‐speed operations on all four tracks on this segment.
The project will also enable service to be maintained while tracks are taken out of service to allow support for construction elements of the B&P Tunnel Replacement project. This work is included in the Northeast Corridor Commission’s five‐year capital plan as a regional priority. To learn more about these and other critical infrastructure projects Amtrak is working on, visit nec.amtrak.com/readytobuild/.
Other grant awards include Amtrak shared joint applications with Connecticut DOT for the WALK Bridge Replacement in Norwalk, Connecticut and Substation 41 Reconstruction in Kearny, NJ as led by NJ TRANSIT as well as other NEC related projects in New York and Pennsylvania. In addition, grants were awarded to various projects in California, Illinois, Michigan and North Carolina that provide benefits to Amtrak and its Long Distance and/or State-Supported customers.
DENVER, Nov. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — United Airlines (UAL), the U.S. carrier with the most service to Germany, today announced it will begin its 15th daily nonstop flight between the United States and Germany from its hub at Denver International Airport. The airline announced it will begin year-round service between Denver and Frankfurt, Germany, beginning May 2, 2019, subject to government approval. Tickets are now available for purchase on united.com.
United’s new service between Denver and Frankfurt is the only nonstop service from Denver to Germany by a U.S. carrier and is the airline’s ninth flight between the United States and Frankfurt. United currently operates daily nonstop service between Frankfurt and its hubs in Chicago, Houston, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington Dulles.
Denver (DEN) – Frankfurt (FRA) starts May 2, 2019
Flight
Frequency
City Pair
Depart
Arrive
Aircraft
UA 182
Daily
DEN – FRA
3:40 p.m.
09:20 a.m. +1day
Boeing 787
UA 181
Daily
FRA – DEN
11:05 a.m.
1:20 p.m.
Boeing 787
From Denver, United will connect more than 60 cities across the Western United States including Las Vegas, Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Seattle to Frankfurt.
“United is committed to expanding our global network for our customers and our employees and we are excited to continue this growth with the addition of new service between Denver and Frankfurt,” said Patrick Quayle, United’s vice president of International Network. “From the mid-continent United States to the rest of the world, United offers customers more choice and more international flights and destinations than any other carrier.”
United Airlines has served the Denver community since 1937 and is the only airline to continuously operate service in Denver – operating 6.5 million flights and serving more than 580 million customers.
“We are appreciative to have such a great partnership with United Airlines and that they continue to grow and invest in Denver with the addition of this new year-round transatlantic service,” said DEN CEO Kim Day.
United Airlines in Germany
United Airlines has continuously served Germany for more than 28 years, when the airline began daily service between Frankfurt and its Chicago and Washington Dulles hubs. In addition to United’s new daily service between Denver and Frankfurt, the airline offers customers daily, year-round service to Frankfurt from its hubs in Chicago, Houston, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington Dulles. United also operates daily nonstop service from Munich to Chicago, Houston, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington Dulles, and year-round nonstop service between New York/Newark and Berlin/Tegel. Additionally, United offers seasonal service between Munich and San Francisco. All flights are conveniently timed to connect at United’s U.S. hubs with an extensive connecting network to destinations throughout the United States and beyond.
United Airlines in Denver
Denver International Airport, a United hub since 1937, offers customers more than 400 flights daily across its domestic network and more than 15 international flights to key business and leisure destinations in five countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas. The airport is the region’s key gateway to international economic and tourism development.
Customers traveling to the U.S. from Frankfurt can conveniently connect to hundreds of U.S. destinations including easy connecting services between Denver and Jackson Hole and Aspen, popular ski destinations for European visitors.
About United
United Airlines and United Express operate approximately 4,700 flights a day to 356 airports across five continents. In 2017, United and United Express operated more than 1.6 million flights carrying more than 148 million customers. United is proud to have the world’s most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark/New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates 760 mainline aircraft and the airline’s United Express carriers operate 546 regional aircraft. The airline is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 193 countries via 28 member airlines. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United’s parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol “UAL”.
SOURCE United Airlines
For further information: United Airlines Worldwide Media Relations, 872-825-8640, media.relations@united.com
CHICAGO, Nov. 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — United Airlines today announced it will operate its newest Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner on six trans-Atlantic routes from its New York/Newark hub beginning in March 2019. United was the first North American airline to take delivery of the 787-10, and is also the first airline in the world to have the entire family of Boeing’s 787-8, 787-9 and 787-10 Dreamliners in its fleet. United’s 787-10 features 44 United Polaris® business class seats, 21 United® Premium Plus seats, 54 Economy Plus seats and 199 standard Economy seats. Tickets will be available for purchase on Dec. 3, for travel beginning March 30.
“United is proud to offer more seats between New York and Europe than any other carrier and our Boeing 787-10 aircraft based in New York/Newark will enable us to connect even more New York City customers to Europe and beyond,” said Patrick Quayle, United’s Vice President of International Network. “We are thrilled to announce six international cities that will be served with this aircraft and we look forward to offering our customers all of the comforts and services of our most advanced aircraft.”
Offering more service than any other U.S. airline from New York to Germany and Israel, United currently offers daily nonstop service to Frankfurt and twice-daily nonstop service to Tel Aviv. United also operates daily service from New York/Newark to Barcelona, Brussels, Dublin and Paris.
Investing in customer-friendly advancements onboard
In addition to United’s signature all aisle access Polaris business class and United Premium Plus seats, United is investing in several customer-friendly advancements onboard. The aircraft features updated lighting patterns that mimic sunrise and sunset and are designed to help customers in each cabin fall asleep and wake up more adjusted to new time zones. A brand new seatback entertainment system is also available at every seat, which includes:
Split screen capabilities allowing customers to watch a movie and view the flight map simultaneously.
A relax mode for customers who want to customize a selection of soothing videos and relaxing audio playlists.
The world’s most extensive suite of accessibility features on a seatback entertainment system, which accommodates any level of vision, as well as provides support for customers with hearing and mobility issues.
Movie and television recommendations based on remaining flight time and previously watched content.
United previously announced its first 787-10 aircraft will begin operating between New York/Newark and Los Angeles and San Francisco in January 2019.
The Boeing 787-10 is 18 feet longer than the 787-9 and can carry more passengers and more cargo. The -10 aircraft can fly up to 6,430 nautical miles, while using 20 percent less fuel than older generation airplanes. United currently operates 25 787-9 and 12 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft. The airline expects to take delivery of 14 787-10 aircraft over the next two years. For more information on United’s 787-10, and other fleet updates visit United’s Fleet Newsroom.
About United
United Airlines and United Express operate approximately 4,700 flights a day to 356 airports across five continents. In 2017, United and United Express operated more than 1.6 million flights carrying more than 148 million customers. United is proud to have the world’s most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark/New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates 760 mainline aircraft and the airline’s United Express carriers operate 546 regional aircraft. The airline is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 193 countries via 28 member airlines. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United’s parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol “UAL”.
SOURCE United Airlines
For further information: United Airlines Worldwide Media Relations, +1-872-825-8640, media.relations@united.com
For further information: United Airlines Worldwide Media Relations, 872-825-8640, media.relations@united.com
