Northeast Corridor

Amtrak trains have resumed normal speeds along the busy Northeast Corridor between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The trains operated at reduced speeds Tuesday due to the earthquake centered in Virginia. Amtrak crews inspected stations, tracks and overhead lines before returning to normal operation Wednesday.

Amtrak is taking aggressive steps to expand and modernize its service this year, including having the first of 70cq new locomotives built to eventually power the entire regional fleet in the Northeast. The electric locomotives, which can operate at speeds of up to 125cq miles per hour between Washington and Boston -- up from 110 miles per hour on some trains -- will replace units that have been in operation for up to 30 years and traveled an average of 3.5cq million miles. The first of the new locomotives are expected to be in service next year.

Amtrak is cutting its lowest Acela Express one-way fares up to 25 percent to lure leisure travelers on board as the eroding economy undercuts ridership on Northeast Corridor trains usually packed with business travelers. Passengers who buy their tickets at least 14 days in advance can ride between Boston and New York for as little as $79, down from $93. Or they can ride between New York and Washington, D.C., for as little as $99, down from $133. The sale-priced tickets are nonrefundable, are not eligible for upgrades to first-class accommodations, and must be used for travel between March...

Amtrak is taking aggressive steps to expand and modernize its service this year, including having the first of 70 new locomotives built to eventually power the entire regional fleet in the Northeast. The electric locomotives, which can operate as fast as 125 miles per hour between Washington and Boston - up from 110 miles per hour on some trains - will replace units that have been used as long as 30 years and traveled an average of 3.5 million miles. The first of the new locomotives are expected to be in service next year.

WASHINGTON - Amtrak, the taxpayer-supported passenger railroad, has hired KPMG LLP to assist in developing a business and financial plan to have 220-miles-per-hour service between Washington and Boston by 2040. KPMG will lead a team of consultants that will help identify funding sources and maximize private investment, Amtrak said. "It is a transformational project, and we have some great expectations in terms of private-sector interest," Al Engel, Amtrak's high-speed rail vice president, said at a press conference yesterday.

YOU WOULDN'T guess from John Sununu's cherry-picked data ("Off the rails on Amtrak's crazy train," Op-ed, Sept. 5) that Northeast Corridor capital investments consume $350 million annually - 25 percent of Amtrak's federal funding. This excludes heavy overhauls on the corridor's rolling stock and work on planning for a new Boston to Washington high-speed line. Instead, Sununu implies that long-distance trains consume the bulk of Amtrak's federal grants. He calls Northeast Corridor trains "profitable," but this is true only if one leaves out the just-noted...

Amtrak is taking aggressive steps to expand and modernize its service this year, including having the first of 70 new locomotives built to eventually power the entire regional fleet in the Northeast. The electric locomotives, which can operate as fast as 125 miles per hour between Washington and Boston - up from 110 miles per hour on some trains - will replace units that have been used as long as 30 years and traveled an average of 3.5 million miles. The first of the new locomotives are expected to be in service next year.

US Senator John F. Kerry and several other members of Congress are asking federal transportation officials to redirect $2.4 billion in high-speed rail funds to projects on the Northeast Corridor. The Northeast lawmakers said in a letter sent yesterday to US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood that the funds not being used by Florida would be put to good use on rail projects between Boston and Washington, D.C. The letter said that 250 million rail passengers use the corridor each year and that ridership is expected to increase 60 percent by 2030.

Travelers are having an easier time making it up and down the East coast as Amtrak gets more trains back on line following Hurricane Irene. Amtrak's Keystone Service is operating again Thursday between Harrisburg, Pa. and New York, via Philadelphia. The Ethan Allen Express is ferrying riders again, although Amtrak is providing alternate transportation through the hardest-hit stretch of the route, between Albany and Rutland, Vt. Routes connecting Chicago with New York and Boston are also running as scheduled.

Amtrak passengers are facing delays of up to an hour between Boston and Washington after two cars of a commuter train derailed near New York City's Penn Station Tuesday. Only one track is available in each direction. Keystone service will temporarily operate between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pa., only. New Jersey Transit spokeswoman Courtney Carroll says no one was injured when the last two cars of a 10-car commuter train jumped the tracks around 8 a.m. Carroll says Train 3823 was heading toward Trenton when the derailment occurred.

Power may be out for up to a week after a record-shattering October storm dumped heavy, wet snow across the state, particularly in western and central Massachusetts, officials and utilities warned Sunday. Gov. Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency, allowing him to mobilize the National Guard to help hard-hit cities and towns. Hundreds of soldiers were out Sunday helping chainsaw crews remove fallen trees so utility workers could get to downed wires. "It's not only a lot of snow, but a lot of the heaviest wettest snow that you ever want to see out there," said Peter Judge,...

YOU WOULDN'T guess from John Sununu's cherry-picked data ("Off the rails on Amtrak's crazy train," Op-ed, Sept. 5) that Northeast Corridor capital investments consume $350 million annually - 25 percent of Amtrak's federal funding. This excludes heavy overhauls on the corridor's rolling stock and work on planning for a new Boston to Washington high-speed line. Instead, Sununu implies that long-distance trains consume the bulk of Amtrak's federal grants. He calls Northeast Corridor trains "profitable," but this is true only if one leaves out the just-noted...

Travelers are having an easier time making it up and down the East coast as Amtrak gets more trains back on line following Hurricane Irene. Amtrak's Keystone Service is operating again Thursday between Harrisburg, Pa. and New York, via Philadelphia. The Ethan Allen Express is ferrying riders again, although Amtrak is providing alternate transportation through the hardest-hit stretch of the route, between Albany and Rutland, Vt. Routes connecting Chicago with New York and Boston are also running as scheduled.

With Amtrak service halted and hundreds of flights canceled in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene, stranded travelers flocked to buses yesterday to get out of Boston. Lines snaked around the terminal in South Station as passengers tried to snag a seat on BoltBus, Peter Pan, Lucky Star, and other bus lines that resumed operations yesterday after canceling service over the weekend. Tee Snowiss, 73, of Pembroke Pines, Fla., was supposed to fly out of Boston to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., yesterday afternoon after attending a wedding in New Hampshire.

WASHINGTON - Amtrak, the taxpayer-supported passenger railroad, has hired KPMG LLP to assist in developing a business and financial plan to have 220-miles-per-hour service between Washington and Boston by 2040. KPMG will lead a team of consultants that will help identify funding sources and maximize private investment, Amtrak said. "It is a transformational project, and we have some great expectations in terms of private-sector interest," Al Engel, Amtrak's high-speed rail vice president, said at a press conference...

Amtrak trains have resumed normal speeds along the busy Northeast Corridor between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The trains operated at reduced speeds Tuesday due to the earthquake centered in Virginia. Amtrak crews inspected stations, tracks and overhead lines before returning to normal operation Wednesday.

WASHINGTON -- Amtrak supporters in Congress yesterday questioned whether the railroad's board had the authority to fire David Gunn as president last week and said he should be reinstated. "I hope the board will reinstate Mr. Gunn until all the legal issues are resolved," said Senator Charles Schumer, Democrat of New York, who testified before the House railroad subcommittee. "There is no legal consensus that the board had the power to fire Mr. Gunn. " Amtrak chairman David Laney defended both Gunn's firing and the board's right to do so, saying Gunn had refused to "go in...

WASHINGTON -- Amtrak would have to end all of its cross-country routes, service between Chicago and New Orleans, and the Auto Train to Florida under big cuts in taxpayer subsidies approved yesterday by a House subcommittee. The proposal was part of a transportation bill that would reduce Amtrak's budget by more than half and limit federal subsidies to $30 per passenger per ride. The cuts, which would require House and Senate approval, would not apply to most Amtrak service in the Northeast corridor and shorter corridor routes in the Midwest and California.

Amtrak passengers are facing delays of up to an hour between Boston and Washington after two cars of a commuter train derailed near New York City's Penn Station Tuesday. Only one track is available in each direction. Keystone service will temporarily operate between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pa., only. New Jersey Transit spokeswoman Courtney Carroll says no one was injured when the last two cars of a 10-car commuter train jumped the tracks around 8 a.m. Carroll says Train 3823 was heading toward Trenton when the derailment occurred.

WASHINGTON — Massachusetts and 23 other states, the District of Columbia, and Amtrak are vying for $2.4 billion in federal aid that became available when Florida’s governor canceled a higher-speed rail project in his state, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said yesterday. The deadline for applications for the funds was Monday. The Transportation Department is reviewing 90 applications seeking a total of $10 billion, LaHood said. “They know that high-speed rail will deliver tens of thousands of jobs, spur economic development across their communities, and create...