Amtrak to increase service as demand returns
Amtrak has unveiled its summer schedule, expanding its frequencies and train services to accommodate what’s expected to be a busy travel season amid rising gas prices. The new schedule features the most Acela train frequencies since the onset of the pandemic, while Northeast Regional departures reach close to 80% of pre-pandemic levels. Four long-distance trains’ daily service will also be restored. The schedule expansion was made possible by Amtrak’s hiring initiative that brought on 1,500 new employees in 2022. [progressiverailroading.com]
DC Metro ridership is outpacing projections
Washington DC’s Metro ridership is outpacing transit agency projections, raising optimism after significant drops in fare revenue while putting pressure on the system to solve a train shortage and alleviate crowding. The number of passengers on the Metro rail and bus systems combined is 40 percent higher than agency expectations set more than a year ago. Ridership in recent weeks has doubled since March 2021, coming as many offices across the Washington area have reopened for work. Metro said the return to offices, higher gas prices and rebounding tourism are fueling the growth. [washingtonpost.com]
California lawmakers block $4.2B in bullet funds
Democratic lawmakers in California are refusing to pass over $4 billion to fund the state’s high-speed rail project that would connect San Francisco to Los Angeles. The California High-Speed Rail Authority has $1.5 billion on hand, but needs the $4.2 billion cash infusion to provide stable planning and to make advanced purchases of items like trainsets. A state-appointed peer review group had mixed feelings about the project in an April letter to legislative leaders. Gov. Gavin Newsom wants the Bakersfield-to-Merced route to be carrying passengers by 2030. Assembly Democrats, however, are still worried the project will ultimately stall and lead to nowhere. [rtands.com]
U2’s Bono gives ‘freedom’ concert in Kyiv metro
Irish rock group U2’s frontman Bono and his bandmate The Edge performed a 40-minute concert in a metro station in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Sunday and praised Ukrainians fighting for their freedom from Russia. “Your president leads the world in the cause of freedom right now … The people of Ukraine are not just fighting for your own freedom, you’re fighting for all of us who love freedom,” Bono told a crowd of up to 100 gathered inside the Khreshchatyk metro station. He was referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. [reuters.com]
