Cardhouse’s tips for travelling cross-country by train pulls no punches about the shortcomings of Amtrak — or the shortcomings of fellow passengers, for that matter. Practical if a wee bit cynical. Still seems to prefer it to flying: “Anyway, on a train you can get up, stretch your legs, walk up and down the train […]
Speaking of Dan Zukowski, he’s impressed with new Amtrak chief Alexander Kummant, particularly for his argument (briefly made here) that public investment in passenger rail promotes economic development. Mr. Kummant’s comment signals a shift in the conversation. It’s no longer about “subsidies” for passenger trains; it’s about spurring economic development by answering demands for better […]
Dan Zukowski rode Amtrak’s California Zephyr in August 2005, during a time when Amtrak’s future was in some doubt. That three-day trip has now been distilled into a ten-minute video: Via Dan Zukowski.
Minnesota Public Radio on Amtrak, passenger rail in the Midwest, and the possibility of high-speed rail between Minneapolis and Chicago. Rail service between major centres — especially when they’re at a great distance from one another — compares poorly to air travel in terms of both cost and speed, but along the Empire Builder’s line […]
Rail stocks soared yesterday when it was revealed that Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway is now the largest single shareholder in BNSF. Apparently, people think he knows something. But rail stocks have been hot for a while. Former VIA Rail chairman Jean Pelletier won another court case last month, this one a wrongful-dismissal case against the […]
A CSX derailment this morning in Oneida, New York caused a propane explosion that closed a highway and suspended Amtrak service in the area. Meanwhile, on Saturday night two men were struck and killed by a CSX train in Smithfield, North Carolina. And on Sunday morning, two people were killed when the car they were […]
CN and its striking conductors and yard workers reached a tentative deal yesterday, before the federal government could legislate an end to the strike (previously). The union is urging workers to return to work while the deal’s details are disseminated and voted upon. A train accident in northern England that killed one passenger and injured […]
Amtrak’s new president, Alex Kummant, has been on the job for four months now — time enough for him to have been briefed up on what he’s up against. And time for him to be able to outline, in an Associated Press article, what those challenges (federal funding, freight networks near capacity) and opportunities (expanding […]
Amtrak’s dining car service is the focus of this piece by ABC News’s Bill Redeker, who compares the streamlined dining service on the California Zephyr — basically, reheating prepared meals — to the “classic” dining service still in existence on everyone’s favourite long-distance train, the Empire Builder. Amtrak’s using the streamlined service to save money: […]
Amtrak’s new president and CEO, Alexander Kummant, announced a major change to the corporation’s management Monday, firing four top officials (including the CFO, police chief, marketing VP and communications head) and transferring a fifth, the Associated Press reports (Houston Chronicle, Boston Globe). Last Friday the New York Times reported the firings in advance of the […]
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