PORTLAND, MAINE – The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA) announced today that the Amtrak Downeaster will begin operating four round-trip trains between Brunswick, ME and Boston, MA every day beginning on Monday, July 20, 2020 as it enters Phase 2 of service restoration.
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WASHINGTON – With a new normal, comes a new way for consumers to travel – and with that new travel comes new standards to uphold. With a full-time medical director and public health and safety team, Amtrak has studied, analyzed and made improvements to the Amtrak travel experience – from beginning to end.
WASHINGTON – Amtrak is leading the way by setting a new standard of travel with enhanced safety and cleaning measures. In an effort to simplify and safeguard the travel experience, several cleaning, contact-free and convenience measures have been implemented into every part of the customer journey — from time of booking to the moment of arrival.
At this time, various states are undertaking specific safety precautions at stations for customers arriving from out of state. Check with each state for specific guidance. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has urged residents of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to refrain from non-essential travel for 14 days.
“Replacing the century-old moveable Portal Bridge will eliminate delays and permit faster journeys for passengers on the Northeast Corridor. We deeply appreciate the strong partnership with NJ TRANSIT, the Federal Railroad Administration and the Federal Transit Administration on this critical project and thank Senators Schumer, Menendez, and Booker and the entire Congressional delegation of both states, Governors Murphy and Cuomo and all the elected leadership in both New Jersey and New York for their continued support and advocacy for finally fixing this critical single-point of failure on the nation’s busiest railroad.”
We speak for everyone at Amtrak when we say: Black Lives Matter. The inequitable treatment of African Americans and people of color at the hands of the police, criminal justice system and broader institutions must stop. We stand with the African American community to denounce inequality as we fight against systemic racial injustice. To lead this change, we are investing resources and developing strategies to increase fairness, equity, and equality at Amtrak. As part of these efforts, we are creating and funding a Diversity and Inclusion Council to create strategic accountability for results, provide oversight and promote company-wide communication on progress. The work doesn’t stop there, we know we don’t have all the answers, but we look forward to further discussion and engagement to fully build and achieve a diverse and inclusive Amtrak.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has awarded two Northeast Corridor (NEC) grants to Amtrak as part of its $302.6 million in the State of Good Repair grants to help repair and rehabilitate railroad infrastructure and other assets across the country for 12 projects in nine states. Totaling more than $63 million, the two grants will help fund the Portal North Bridge Project and the Winans to Bridge Improvement project.
WASHINGTON – Amtrak submitted a letter to Congress outlining an additional $1.475 billion in supplemental funding needed in FY 2021. This additional funding is necessary for Amtrak to operate minimum service levels across the passenger rail network and continue capital investments for the future. The funds would also support Amtrak’s 17 state partners on the National Network and nine commuter and state partners on the Northeast Corridor.
WASHINGTON – Beginning June 1, Amtrak is restoring Acela service on the Northeast Corridor on a modified schedule in response to anticipated increased demand. Modified service will include the restoration of three weekday Acela roundtrips. Northeast Regional frequencies will also be increased from eight to 10 roundtrips.
