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Amtrak to pay $265M for Philadelphia crash that killed 8
PHILADELPHIA — Amtrak will pay $265 million to settle claims related to a crash last year that killed eight people and injured more than 200 others when a speeding train derailed on a curve. The settlement allows victims to have their awards in hand by June instead of waiting years for lawsuits to play out, […]
Biden announces new funding for Amtrak Northeast Corridor
WILMINGTON — Federal officials are announcing new funding for Amtrak’s passenger rail system and stressing the need for continued investment in America’s transportation infrastructure. Vice President Joe Biden scheduled a stop Friday at the train station in Wilmington, Delaware, which bears his name, to announce new funding to improve infrastructure and efficiency along Amtrak’[...]
Amtrak: New ‘Sprinter’ locomotives have cut delays nearly 25 percent
NEWARK, N.J. — The introduction of 70 new locomotives on Amtrak’s most heavily traveled line three years ago has contributed to a reduction in engine-related delays of nearly 25 percent, the national passenger railroad said Thursday. The last of the ACS-64 locomotives, called the Amtrak Cities Sprinter, is being rolled out this month. They were […]
Some Amtrak victims say federal findings hard to believe
WASHINGTON — Victims of last year’s deadly Amtrak derailment aren’t buying the findings of federal investigators that the train’s engineer likely lost his bearings because he was distracted by an incident with a nearby train. Through lawyers, they called the National Transportation Safety Board’s cause determination frustrating, disappointing and hard to believe. One lawy[...]
Feds: Amtrak engineer went ‘from distraction to disaster’
WASHINGTON — The speeding Amtrak train that crashed in Philadelphia last year, killing eight people, most likely ran off the rails because the engineer was distracted by word of a nearby commuter train getting hit by a rock, federal investigators concluded Tuesday. The National Transportation Safety Board also put some of the blame on the […]
Officials: Amtrak engineer hit brakes seconds before crash
CHESTER, Pa. — The engineer of an Amtrak passenger train applied the emergency brakes five seconds before it struck a backhoe sitting on the same track, killing the backhoe operator and a track supervisor, federal officials said. The train was going 106 miles per hour in a 110 mph zone, the National Transportation Safety Board […]
Rep. Cummings seeks progress on Baltimore rail station redevelopment
Rep. Elijah Cummings is pushing for Amtrak officials to make progress on the long awaited redevelopment of Baltimore’s Penn Station. The Baltimore Sun reports that Amtrak CEO Joseph Boardman said Friday that nine firms are interested in the project, but it remains unclear when it would be completed. Amtrak wants to redevelop the upper floors […]
C&O Canal program puts park advocates aboard Amtrak trains
CUMBERLAND — The National Park Service is seeking volunteers to tell Amtrak passengers about the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. The agency said in a statement Wednesday that volunteers have been providing narration aboard Amtrak’s Capitol Limited train between Cumberland and Washington, D.C., since 2012. They tell passengers about the history of the […]
Train safety system is installed along Northeast Corridor
PHILADELPHIA — Safety technology that can prevent crashes like a deadly passenger train derailment in May has been activated on Amtrak tracks between Philadelphia and New York. Officials say the technology called Positive Train Control, or PTC, was activated over the weekend, completing the safety system along the railroad’s busy Northeast Corridor. PTC was activated […]
With ‘deconstruction,’ Baltimore hopes to improve views from trains
Baltimore announced its latest step in trying to improve the impression the city leaves on travelers coming into and departing town on Amtrak or MARC trains. On Monday, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, city officials and community members celebrated the start of “deconstruction” of properties on the east side of the 2000 block of East Biddle Street. […]
Amtrak to introduce bag fees for passengers exceeding limits
Amtrak is boarding a baggage fee bandwagon that has generated billions in revenue for the airline industry. The passenger train operator will start on Thursday charging $20 to passengers who exceed limits for carry-on and personal items. Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said the fees will help enforce the company’s established polices, preserve space on crowded […]
Teen hit by train north of DC was taking photos on tracks
BOYDS — Friends and family say a Maryland teen struck and killed by an Amtrak train was taking photographs with his girlfriend and her sister. Sixteen-year-old John Martin DeReggi Jr. and his girlfriend were being photographed by her twin sister at a picturesque spot in Boyds, a town about 20 miles north of the nation’s […]
