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.
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WASHINGTON – “The entire Amtrak team joins me as we mourn the loss of Larry Willis, a true champion of the nation’s transportation network and the workers who make it possible. Larry was a strong advocate for Amtrak and believed in the need for a robust, modern, well-funded national passenger rail network for the nation. Our thoughts are with Larry’s family, his TTD and labor colleagues, and all of those in the transportation industry that were touched by Larry’s deep passion and fierce advocacy for transportation workers during this difficult time.”
WASHINGTON – Today, Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn announced that Stephen Gardner has been appointed President, effective Dec. 1, 2020. Gardner’s appointment is part of a broader set of actions taken under Flynn’s leadership, working with the Board of Directors, to ensure that Amtrak is well positioned for success in fiscal year 2021 and beyond.
WASHINGTON – For customers planning travel this winter and beyond, Amtrak has launched its fifth annual “Track Friday Sale” offering half off fares with prices as low as $15. Customers can save up to 50% beginning Friday, Nov. 27 through Monday, Nov. 30 for future travel between Dec. 8, 2020, and April 30, 2021, on select trains nationwide including the Acela, Northeast Regional, Empire Builder, Amtrak Cascades and many other popular routes throughout the country.
WASHINGTON – Amtrak has worked steadily over the past fiscal year to prioritize customer safety, advance infrastructure and fast-track technology improvements even as the ongoing pandemic caused a devastating drop in ridership and revenue. Amtrak quickly pivoted to handle this unprecedented challenge and ensure customers and employees remained healthy, while also continuing to focus on improving intercity passenger rail for the future.
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.
NEW YORK – As Amtrak continues to deliver a New Standard of Travel to simplify and safeguard the travel experience, customers and employees will experience new updates at New York Penn Station. This includes the installation of an Ultraviolet Germicidal irradiation (UVGI) system in one of the Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) units in the Amtrak concourse, refreshed platforms and new wayfinding signage in advance of the January opening of the Moynihan Train Hall.
