Biden – an Amtrak evangelist – could be a lifeline for a rail agency in crisis
Joe Biden says he loves Amtrak. But if elected president, his love for the rail agency may be put to the test. Amtrak is facing a crisis. The coronavirus has led to scores of riders abandoning its trains, causing huge drops in revenue. The agency has cut back on service and high profile projects are facing delays. As Mr. Biden — a longtime Amtrak rider and perhaps its most famous advocate — rolls toward Election Day, rail supporters want to hear more about what a potential Biden administration would do to solve the crisis. [nytimes.com]
Amtrak ended FY20 with half of previous year’s revenue, exec says
Latest projections show that Amtrak ended fiscal-year 2020 with $1.24 billion in annual ticket-sales, just 53 percent of the previous fiscal year’s sales. Amtrak President and CEO William Flynn recently updated members of a U.S. Senate committee on the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on Amtrak’s finances and operations, as well as actions taken to address losses in ridership and revenue. Prior to the pandemic, Amtrak was on track to generate passenger revenue greater than operating costs for the first time in it’s history, Flynn said. [progressiverailroading.com]
Proposed rail service from Boston would stop short of Albany
A push to enhance passenger rail service across Massachusetts could see as many as nine round-trips per day between Boston and Pittsfield, a city about 10 miles from the New York state line. Extending the new service to the Albany Capital Region would give residents another way to travel to Boston. There currently is no direct air service between Boston and Albany, and Amtrak currently operates a single round trip over the route, the Boston section of the Lake Shore Limited. [masstransitmag.com]
VIA Rail to increase self-service ticketing functions
Work has begun on implementation of an inventory management, reservation and ticketing platform for Canada’s VIA Rail. Dutch software company Sqills is to supply its S3 Passenger platform under a 10-year contract awarded last year. S3 Passenger will offer multi-channel integration to streamline VIA Rail’s back-end processes and provide more commercial flexibility. This will include the roll-out of functions for self-service seat selection and reservation, easier sales of onboard services, and offering ticket exchange or refund tickets without needing staff intervention. [railwaygazette.com]
