Amtrak Chicago – St. Louis trains now running at up to 90 mph
After a delay of more than three years, trains on Amtrak’s St. Louis to Chicago route are finally running regularly at speeds of up to 90 mph. About 15 minutes have been trimmed off trips between the two cities that typically took up to 5 1/2 hours. Amtrak, which ran at speeds up to 79 mph under the previous schedules, actually began operating most trains on the route at the higher speeds last summer to determine the feasibility of the speed increase. [gmtoday.com]
Senators call for study of additional Amtrak service in Northwest
In a boost to efforts to reestablish Amtrak service along the former North Coast Hiawatha route, a bipartisan group of eight U.S. senators have asked the Federal Railroad Administration to establish a group to study additional service in the Pacific Northwest. The group would study daily long-distance service, explore options to restore additional routes, and find ways for Amtrak to work with local organizations. It would build on the efforts of the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority, a group of Montana counties trying to bring back service along the state’s southern tier. [trains.com]
Private company offers LaGuardia AirTrain alternative
A private sector company is proposing a way to deliver rail service to LaGuardia Airport and improve Northeast Corridor and Empire Corridor rail with higher frequency and higher performance service. In a letter sent to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and shared with regional transit authorities, AmeriStarRail proposes a three-phased approach that will eventually provide Metro-North passengers with direct connections to JFK and Long Island Rail Road passengers with direct connections to LaGuardia. [masstransitmag.com]
Texas fights bullet train developer use of eminent domain
The Texas attorney general’s office has put its weight behind a landowner’s case against the company’s developing a controversial Dallas-Houston bullet train, arguing they can’t force people to sell parcels needed for the high-speed rail project. Weighing in on the matter at the invitation of the Texas Supreme Court, the AG’s office offered the latest twist in the nearly decade-long fight over the 240-mile line. While the project has picked up support from leaders of urban areas, it’s encountered hard resistance from residents of the rural counties on its proposed path. [texastribune.org]
Ontario forms commission to look into Ottawa LRT challenges
The September 2019 opening of Ottawa, Ontario’s Confederation Line (Line 1) was supposed provide the city with better connections. However, the past two years have brought a series of incidents ranging from delays in service to maintenance issues and two derailments in a six-week window that have compounded into a range of concerns about the line that have resulted in provincial government launching an inquiry into these challenges. [masstransitmag.com]
