#amtrak

#amtrak

Tuesday marks the first work day since Amtrak shifted rail traffic from the 115-year-old bridge in the Northeast Corridor to a track that crosses the new Portal North Bridge over the Hackensack River. Train capacity is cut by more than half as NJ Transit operates with significantly fewer trains due to the project. Rail traffic between Newark and Seacacus is being funneled into only one track, which is meant to withstand trains in both directions.

From Montreal to Miami, Amtrak routes from Moynihan Train Hall turn New York City into a launchpad for mountain towns, Southern cities, Canadian culture hubs and classic East Coast destinations - no airport chaos required. Whether you're heading out for a Northeast getaway or a multiday rail ride south or west, Penn Station connects travelers to nearly 160 cities. Here's where each major line can take you and what's worth seeing along the way.

It's hard to separate the impact and the legacy of the railroad from the United States itself. According to the Association of American Railroads, there are over 140,000 miles of track in the U.S.-the most extensive rail network of any country in the world. But there's one passenger train route that outshines the rest in both scope and beauty: the California Zephyr.

Beginning in early March, Amtrak will restore all suspended and combined Empire Service trains between New York Penn Station and Albany-Rensselaer-months earlier than originally expected. The decision will bring back three daily round-trip trains that vanished last year and marks a rare commuter win in a stretch otherwise defined by tunnel repairs and transit headaches. So why did service disappear in the first place? Blame the East River Tunnel.

Before I'd spent 140 hours on overnight trains in the US and Europe, I had no idea what to expect of my 30-hour journey from New York City to Miami in October 2021. For my first overnight Amtrak trip, I was set on having a bed in a private space. So I spent $500 on a roomette accommodation - the cheapest private cabin I could find.

More than 18,000 Amtrak workers will receive a $900 bonus before the end of the year, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced on Thursday evening. Funding for the bonuses will come from Amtrak's executive leadership team bonus packages, the statement said. The federal administration urged executive leadership "to forgo 50% of the bonus packages that would have been paid out under the misplaced priorities of the previous executive bonus structure."

Amtrak's rail service between Albany and Boston is running again as of Dec. 1, reopening after a months-long closure cause by a summer landslip. The restored Lake Shore Limited line offers one daily train in each direction, according to a release. From Boston, the train departs South Station at 12:50 p.m. and arrives in Albany-Rensselaer at 6:10 p.m. The Albany-Rensselaer train departs at 3:27 p.m., and pulls into Boston at 8:32 p.m. The route also stops in Pittsfield, providing a convenient option for Berkshires-bound travelers.

In the first incident, a man identified as a frequently seen transient in the area was seen standing next to the railroad tracks in the area of 37th Avenue and East 9th Street when he was struck and killed by an Amtrak train at around 9:40 am Tuesday. As the Chronicle reports, city workers had been in the area clearing a homeless encampment, but the man who died was not a resident of that encampment. He was, however, reportedly known to stay in encampments nearby.

You could almost mistake it for an ad. Last week, the far-right Georgia representative Marjorie Taylor Greene was on the Amtrak Crescent traveling from the nation's capital to her home state, and she was enchanted. "The sweetest people run the train," she posted on X, alongside a video of the autumnal landscape rushing by. "And the morning views of my north Georgia mountains made me smile and warmed my heart."

In October 2021, I booked a round-trip ride between New York City and Miami on Amtrak's overnight sleeper train for the first time. In total, I spent 60 hours on the rails. On the way to Miami, I spent 30 hours in a $500 roomette accommodation, a 20-square-foot enclosed private space with a foldout table, two chairs that fold out into a bed, and an additional bed that pulls down from the ceiling.

So why do so many people still treat it as a failure - and what would it take to shift the dialogue and deliver the rail investment that American riders deserve? We love this video essay from Wendover Productions, which offers a nuanced take on why headlines about disappointing new Acela trains and political posturing about Amtrak's "failure" to turn a profit are missing the forest for the trees.

Amtrak is experiencing a major system outage, affecting its booking services and leaving travelers stranded. The nationwide passenger railway network, which spans more than 750 miles coast to coast, began encountering issues around 12 p.m. ET. Commuters reported being unable to purchase tickets through the Amtrak app or website, causing delays and uncertainty for those planning to travel. App users are seeing alerts that say: 'Let's try again. 'We are temporarily unable to process your request.'

When America's first steam locomotive with regular passenger service set out in 1830, it was cause for celebration. The engine, nicknamed the Best Friend, traveled six miles along the Charleston-Hamburg Railroad in South Carolina and back again on Christmas Day. "We flew on the wings of the wind," the Charleston Daily Courier remarked in its account of the trip, "before any of us had time to determine whether or not it was prudent to be scared."

The train ended up being delayed nearly an hour for maintenance, and even when our track was set, the board didn't update for several minutes.

Andy Byford, the former president of the New York City Transit Authority, is now a special advisor to the Amtrak Board of Directors for the redevelopment of Penn Station.

"Little bags of pretzels? No way! Tiny windows? I don't think so! Middle seats? Get outta here! Take the train instead," the narrator shouts, adding, "Over 18 inches of seat-but you'll only need the edge!"

Amtrak's USA Rail Pass allows riders to take 10 trips across the country for a flat fee of $500, enabling exploration of more than 500 destinations.