NEW YORK – Amtrak announced today that it is partnering with NYC & Company, the official destination marketing organization and convention and visitors bureau for the five boroughs of New York City, to promote train travel to New York City via the Moynihan Train Hall. NYC & Company and Amtrak will use programmatic advertising, social media, out of home, radio, influencers, and other digital assets to promote the ease, comfort and convenience of traveling by Amtrak to New York City from the other major cities in the Northeast Corridor. The campaign reinforces Amtrak’s national brand message that its Acela and Northeast Regional service is the easiest way to get to New York – Just an Amtrak Away.
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SEATTLE – After intensive system testing, crew qualifications, and safety certification in partnership with Sound Transit and the Washington State Department of Transportation, Amtrak Cascades service will resume on the Point Defiance Bypass on November 18. The inland bypass parallels I-5 between the Tacoma Dome Station, Lakewood, JBLM, DuPont and Nisqually.
Amtrak Board Chair Tony Coscia:
“The passage of this bipartisan infrastructure bill provides historic levels of investment for intercity passenger rail in this country and the start of a whole new era for improved and expanded Amtrak service. We are grateful to President Biden and Congress for their belief in Amtrak and the power of passenger rail to help tackle the climate crisis, create economic opportunity and good-paying jobs, and expand mobility for our nation. We look forward to working with Secretary Buttigieg, our state, commuter and host railroad partners, and communities across America to rebuild and improve the Northeast Corridor and launch the next generation of Amtrak service in cities and towns across America.”
Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn:
“Passenger rail offers the transportation solutions this country needs, and Amtrak is ready to make it happen. This bill will allow Amtrak to advance significant infrastructure and major station projects on the NEC, purchase new passenger rail equipment and develop new rail corridors, bringing passenger rail to more people across the nation. As demonstrated by their commitment to rail in this bill, President Biden and Congress believe in the future of rail and Amtrak and we will move quickly to advance these projects.”
Amtrak announced today that it is introducing over 200 new kiosks in more than 150 stations across the country for an improved customer experience. Amtrak’s new kiosks will feature an updated user interface consistent with other Amtrak digital channels that allows for a minimum touch experience for the most common in-station transactions. The Amtrak kiosks will begin with a Northeast rollout, starting in Washington Union Station, the Joseph R. Biden Jr. Railroad Station in Wilmington, DE and Moynihan Train Hall in New York City, and continue through the Midwest and into California throughout Autumn 2021.
Amtrak and Penn Station Partners will gather to host a groundbreaking ceremony today with Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Deputy Administrator Amit Bose, Governor Larry Hogan, Senator Ben Cardin, Senator Chris Van Hollen, Mayor Brandon Scott and other local officials and community members to mark the commencement of the redevelopment of Baltimore Penn Station and platform expansion project as part of Amtrak’s $150 million investment to improve customer experience and grow passenger rail.
“The Senate’s passage of the Infrastructure Bill represents more than just this country’s greatest level of investment in Amtrak and infrastructure in the past 50 years. It also highlights America’s commitment to updating the rail network and improving the passenger experience for years to come.
Amtrak is ready to rebuild core infrastructure, replace equipment and, with the FRA and state partners, bring more Amtrak service to more people across the nation, creating thousands of new jobs and reducing America’s carbon footprint.
Separately, Congress needs to ensure that Amtrak gets the on-time performance and preference from our host railroads that the law requires so we can achieve the growth in reliable service that our nation needs,” said Amtrak Board Chair Tony Coscia.
Today, federal, state and local leaders highlighted the 150th anniversary of the Baltimore and Potomac (B&P) tunnel’s groundbreaking and unveiled new plans to enhance and advance the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program. Additionally, Amtrak announced the new tunnel will be named after Frederick Douglass, the late Maryland-born and world-renowned abolitionist leader.
Based on our initial review, the INVEST in America Act is a bold commitment to a stronger Amtrak and more sustainable transportation system that America needs. The bill authorizes the robust funding necessary to allow Amtrak to better serve the country. It provides additional funding to help advance the recently released Amtrak Connects US vision to bring more trains to new customers and underserved communities, and address Amtrak’s aging bridges, tunnels, and fleet. In addition, the bill would help Amtrak enforce its statutory right to preference so that passengers arrive on time and ensure fair and expeditious access to rail lines to expand service.
If enacted, these provisions will strengthen Amtrak to deliver the 21st century intercity passenger rail network that America needs. We thank the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for their commitment to Amtrak and look forward to working with all of Congress and our partners to bring more sustainable and equitable rail service to communities throughout the nation.
As currently proposed, the acquisition of Pan Am by CSX represents a significant threat to the American traveling public which relies on Amtrak and our state partners to deliver frequent, reliable and sustainable intercity passenger rail service. Unfortunately, we believe the proposed merger, in its proposed form, will negatively impact current passenger train service and future routes in Massachusetts and Northern New England that are identified in the Amtrak Corridor Vision. Our goal, as outlined in the vision, to provide new rail service to over 160 more communities and 20 million more passengers annually by 2035 aligns with the Biden administration’s infrastructure investment blueprint and any merger’s impacts on this goal should be considered by the Surface Transportation Board during its review.
Amtrak’s primary considerations – as it would be with any railroad acquisition – are simple. First, Amtrak wants to ensure on-time performance of Amtrak trains over any impacted routes. Second, we want to ensure we will have a good partner in seeking to improve and expand existing state-supported and long distance services as well as planned expansions to new routes. After reviewing the CSX application, it is clear that the proposed merger, in its current form, will adversely impact the performance of Amtrak trains and threaten future growth opportunities. As the STB evaluates the proposed Pan Am-CSX merger, we urge the Board to recognize that intercity passenger transportation is a critical factor in maintaining and growing rail connections between communities, economic growth, social equity and sustainability.
