Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about Amtrak

Amtrak Looking to Handle Growing Demand for Bikes on Board

By Angie Schmitt | Jun 18, 2013 | No Comments

Amtrak can be a great option if you want to travel to another city sans car. But if you want to take your bike on board an Amtrak train, on most routes you’ll have to dismantle it, at least partially, and fit it in a box that for a $10 fee can be stowed with […]

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FRA Responds: Amtrak Will Be Able to Use “Proven” Trainsets

By Tanya Snyder | Apr 24, 2013 | No Comments

On Monday, we featured a Systemic Failure post about FRA regulations in our morning round-up from the Streetsblog Network. Systemic Failure indicated — and Streetsblog repeated — that the FRA was unwilling to change its rules to allow Amtrak to use “off-the-shelf” trainsets and other equipment. The Systemic Failure post consists almost entirely of the FRA’s own words, from its […]

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How Amtrak Can Provide World-Class Service on the Northeast Corridor

By Tanya Snyder | Apr 18, 2013 | No Comments

Yesterday was a tough day to try to get attention for a Senate hearing on the future of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. After all, at least one senator had gotten a poisonous letter and everyone on Capitol Hill was on high alert. What’s more, the Amtrak hearing coincided with the vote on gun control, one of […]

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Drivers Cover Just 51 Percent of U.S. Road Spending

By Angie Schmitt | Jan 23, 2013 | No Comments

There’s a persistent misconception in American culture that transit is a big drain on public coffers while roads conveniently and totally pay for themselves through the magic of gas taxes. And that used to be true — at least for interstate highways, a fraction of the total road network. But that was many, many failed […]

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Mica’s New Post Gives Him a Good Vantage Point For Sniping at Amtrak

By Tanya Snyder | Jan 3, 2013 | No Comments

Perhaps Rep. John Mica’s most remarkable legacy as chair of the House Transportation Committee is the single-minded focus he gave to attacking Amtrak. Under the guise of wanting it to succeed, Mica has repeatedly excoriated it as a “Soviet-style monopoly” and a waste of taxpayer dollars. He’s tried to sell off its only profitable line, […]

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What Would Meaningful Amtrak Reform Look Like?

By Tanya Snyder | Nov 29, 2012 | No Comments

For the past two years, Amtrak has been under constant attack from House Transportation Committee Chair John Mica (R-FL), who has used his gavel to bully the rail company. He likes to call it a “Soviet-style” monopoly and he goads it for losing money on everything from long-distance routes to food service. His vitriolic diatribes […]

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