STB ponders future of Gulf Coast passenger trains
The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has began hearing testimony on whether to let Amtrak resume passenger service linking New Orleans and Mobile. Freight haulers CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway, and the Alabama State Port Authority, contend Amtrak’s return would interfere with their traffic and access. Damage from Hurricane Katrina has idled Amtrak Gulf Coast service since 2005. The freight companies argue that Amtrak should have to make as much as $440 million in improvements before running passenger trains. [apnews.com]
Maryland maglev foe seeks to drive up proj costs
With days remaining in the Maryland General Assembly session, a state senator is seeking to make it more expensive for a developer to pursue a high-speed rail project between Baltimore and Washington, DC. Sen. Pam Beidle hopes to introduce a measure aimed squarely at Baltimore-Washington Rapid Rail (BWRR), the company seeking to build a maglev system between the two cities. Under her proposal, any firm that uses condemnation to acquire land for a maglev project would be required to pay 25% of the associated costs to the jurisdiction where the land is located. [marylandmatters.org]
SoCal sees commuter service restored and expanded
For the first time since the start of the pandemic, Metrolink has brought back service to 24 trains and added two new trains to its daily schedule. The expanded service started Monday. It arrives as more workers across the Southland leave their kitchen tables and home offices and head back to the workplace — and as gas prices have been soaring to record highs. The average price for a gallon of regular gas in California on Monday was $5.85. Before the pandemic, Metrolink’s lines transported roughly 40,000 riders daily. [latimes.com]
Amtrak unveils interiors for new Acela trains
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Amtrak, and rolling stock manufacturer Alstom have reached a milestone in the project to put new Acela trainsets into passenger service. Together they have unveiled the interiors of the fleet that will carry passengers on the Northeast Corridor (NEC), connecting New York, Washington and Boston. This milestone was marked with a media event in Philadelphia. [railway-news.com]
