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Amtrak

By adamg - 3/9/24 - 11:03 pm

Not everything that goes wrong on the T is the T's fault, it seems. First it was the little duck and today, the T says, it had to shut the Orange Line between Forest Hills and Back Bay after an overhead Amtrak power line unspooled or snapped or something near Ruggles, causing problems for the neighboring subway line. Read more.

By adamg - 11/26/23 - 2:33 pm
Sparks raining down at South Station

Sparks raining down at South Station.

Adriana Lacy was at South Station around 1 p.m. when a shower of sparks and flames burst downward at South Station: Read more.

By adamg - 11/12/23 - 2:17 pm
Copter over Northeast Corridor tracks in Roslindale

It only seems like the copter's gotten tangled in the wires along Rowe Street.

A fed-up citizen filed a 311 complaint this morning about that helicopter Amtrak hired to survey the power lines along the Northeast Corridor, which had been slowly moving north, but which is now hovering low over Roslindale again, specifically, Rowe Street: Read more.

By adamg - 11/10/23 - 11:21 am
Helicopter seen through the trees

Forest Hills awoke today to the sound of a helicopter inching its way up Hyde Park Avenue, and as one 311 reporter complained. "looking into resident back yards." Read more.

By adamg - 4/13/23 - 6:18 pm
Smoke rising above Cummins Highway and Hyde Park Avenue

Smoke rising from near tracks at Hyde Park Avenue and Cummins. Photo by Richard Ovesen.

Ed Baur reports a brush fire off Rowe Street and Cummins Highway set a couple of sheds on fire. Read more.

By adamg - 4/10/23 - 9:49 am
Access ramp at Back Bay asks people not to have sex in front of it

Neal noticed an interesting request marked on a wheelchair "bridge plate" at the Amtrak/commuter-rail platform at Back Bay.

By adamg - 3/7/23 - 9:43 am

Amtrak has run the Downeaster train up to Portland for more than 20 years, but New Hampshire officials only just realized people could buy alcohol not purchased at a New Hampshire state liquor store while the train briefly passes through, and they are just not having it, the Portland Press Herald reports: Starting March 20, alcohol sales on the train will be halted while in the Granite State because state law bars the sale of alcohol not purchased in state, and Amtrak stocks up in Maine.

By adamg - 10/3/22 - 9:47 am

Amtrak reports Northeast Corridor delays due to "a nationwide positive train control system outage." The system, which links trackside sensors with locomotives, is designed to stop trains that get too close to other trains or which are going too fast for the tracks they're on.

By adamg - 3/6/22 - 1:13 pm

A Norfolk Southern coal train derailed on the Northeast Corridor tracks in Aberdeen, MD, forcing Amtrak to halt most service, including all Acela trains, south of Philadelphia. Amtrak says it's hoping to restart full service on Monday, but that depends on whether they can get the tracks rebuilt and all that coal off the tracks by then.

By adamg - 1/13/22 - 10:07 am

Trains reports that Amtrak and CSX have reached an agreement that will let Amtrak start running more trains between Boston and Albany. Read more.

By adamg - 8/11/21 - 9:16 pm

Amtrak is advertising to a certain demographic with a possibly shaky grasp of geography via a Facebook page that proclaims Boystown, The West Village, Provincetown, and more are just an Amtrak away.

By adamg - 6/3/21 - 11:37 am
New Acela train

Next-gen Acela passing through Readville on a test run last September.

But this time, not on the Orange Line. The Washington Post reports Amtrak is delaying the introduction of new Acela trains by a year partly because it turns out they need some work due to the fact they're incompatible with the Northeast Corridor's tracks and overhead power lines. But, of course, Amtrak is also blaming Covid-19.

By adamg - 3/31/21 - 10:23 pm

With President Biden proposing large new investments in rail service, Amtrak has come out with a map that shows new rail service west to Albany and north to Manchester, NH by 2035. Read more.

By adamg - 3/5/21 - 6:21 pm

Amtrak reports that starting next month, you'll be able to sleep on your way down to Washington (or back up) in a private room: Read more.

By adamg - 1/28/21 - 3:24 pm

Shortly before 2:30 p.m. near Pagel Playground at the Jamaica Plain/Roslindale line, Stanley Staco reports. Both MBTA and Amtrak trains were affected; overhead power was shut off. Read more.

By adamg - 9/28/20 - 5:00 pm
Avelia

New train pases through Readville.

One of the first of the 28 new trains that Amtrak plans to replace the current Acela trains with made it to the end of the Northeast Corridor at South Station today. Read more.

By adamg - 8/5/20 - 10:32 am

Update: Trains are running again, but with diesel locomotives in place of the usual electric engines.

Amtrak reports falling trees did a number on the Northeast Corridor in Connecticut: Read more.

By adamg - 4/11/20 - 9:16 pm

Amtrak has halted Downeaster service due to the Covid-19-related decline in demand.

By adamg - 3/23/20 - 7:58 am

Amtrak has cancelled all Acela Express service due to a lack of demand caused by coronavirus restrictions. You can still take a slower Acela Regional train to points south, but Amtrak is now running 40% fewer of them (the railroad has also reduced Downeaster service to and from Maine).

By adamg - 3/15/20 - 1:32 pm

Starting Monday, Amtrak is cutting its Northeast Corridor service to Saturday schedules; there just aren't as many people riding Acela these days.

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