NEW YORK – As part of its 50th anniversary, Amtrak, in partnership with Empire State Development (State of New York), has expanded its footprint in New York City with the opening of Moynihan Train Hall, located inside the Farley Post Office building, between 31st and 33rd Street directly across 8th Avenue from New York Penn Station. The new station, combined with recent improvements to New York Penn Station, will relieve crowding, improve passenger comfort and security, and offer an enhanced facility that will better serve Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor (NEC) and long-distance travelers, and commuter rail passengers.
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“Amtrak’s Moynihan Train Hall will deliver the world-class rail travel experience our customers deserve when traveling to and from this incredible city. The beautiful vistas, modern design, new amenities and enhanced accessibility features showcase the kinds of improvements Amtrak is undertaking across our network. Amtrak dreamed up this plan 35 years ago and we deeply thank the Governor, Senator Schumer and the New York Congressional delegation, and all out partners for helping to make it a reality.”
LOS ANGELES – Amtrak announced that Metrolink, Southern California’s passenger train service, awarded Amtrak a four-and-a-half-year contract for commuter train operations services that will begin on January 1, 2021 and expire on June 30, 2025. As part of the contract, Amtrak will provide and manage engineers and conductors to operate Metrolink trains, playing a significant role in safety and customer service. Amtrak’s proposal was selected from a field of five proposers.
NEW YORK – Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT have completed the second and final phase of the Ticketed Waiting Area refresh at New York Penn Station at the Amtrak Concourse on the Upper Level and 8th Avenue side of the Station. The project, which includes a $7.2 million total joint investment between Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT, features new furniture and fixtures, including seats with electrical and USB outlets to charge devices, an upgraded ceiling complete with new LED lighting, a new information desk and a second entrance in close proximity to the NJ TRANSIT concourse, offering easy access towards the 7th Avenue side of the Station, two PIDS (Passenger Information Display Systems) boards that will display NJ TRANSIT departure information, and a lactation suite for nursing mothers. Amtrak undertook the first steps to refresh the Ticketed Waiting Area in 2019 when it opened a Starbucks coffee bar in the space to provide customers with the opportunity to purchase refreshments and removed the exterior information booth to improve customer flow.
BRATTLEBORO, VT – Amtrak today announced it is in discussions with the Town of Brattleboro, NECR Railroad and the State of Vermont on its proposal for a new, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant Brattleboro Station, including a new station building, platform and track changes. The new station will feature the first level boarding platform in Vermont. Measuring approximately 48 inches above track, the proposed platform will allow customers to move on or off a train without having to step up or down. Additional ADA-compliant amenities include parking, ramps and steps up to the platform level, lights, signage, a new waiting room with an attached restroom and covered outdoor seating.
PORTLAND, ME -The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA), has announced that the Amtrak Downeaster will operate a regular full schedule, which currently includes four daily round-trips between Brunswick and Boston, throughout the upcoming holiday travel period including Thanksgiving Day. Enhanced safety and cleaning measures remain in place. In past years, an abridged holiday schedule was offered, but the full schedule provides more options for travelers this year and supports social distancing. Customers are encouraged to book tickets early to guarantee availability.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced that the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), in partnership with Amtrak and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), has received $15.9 million through the FRA’s Federal-State Partnership for the State of Good Repair Grant program to improve signals on the Amtrak-owned Harrisburg line, also known as the Keystone Line.
WASHINGTON – The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has awarded two FY20 Federal-State Partnership for State of Good Repair grants to Amtrak and Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) to help repair and rehabilitate railroad infrastructure and other assets in the state of Connecticut as part of the ongoing Amtrak and CTDOT partnership. Totaling nearly $145 million, the two grants will lead to the replacement of the Amtrak-owned Connecticut River Bridge Replacement project, which will receive $65.2 million, and the CTDOT owned Walk Bridge replacement project will receive $79.7 million, which will eliminate slow orders, and raise the maximum speed at which trains can travel along the bridges.
ORANGE, Calif.– Amtrak Pacific Surfliner continues to deliver a new standard of travel by helping customers travel safely and comfortably this Thanksgiving. To provide more flexibility for customers and increase available seats on peak travel days, the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner is offering an additional round-trip that will operate between San Diego and Los Angeles on 11/25 and 11/29.
OAKLAND, Calif. – To safely manage an expected increase in travelers on the Capitol Corridor train route around the Thanksgiving holiday, reservations will be required on trains that travel between Auburn/Sacramento and San Jose, California. Reservations are also required on connecting bus routes serving San Francisco, Reno, South Lake Tahoe, Santa Cruz, Napa, and other Northern California destinations. Capitol Corridor customers are encouraged to plan ahead and book early.
