Amtrak

Amtrak said Saturday afternoon that it had resumed service in the Northeast Corridor -- and on its Keystone Service, across Pennsylvania -- after a temporary suspension because of earlier power outages. "Passengers should expect residual delays along these routes," Amtrak said. SEPTA reported at 11:45 a.m. Saturday that delays on its regional rail lines were gradually coming to an end. It said it was resuming regular train service after earlier disruptions caused by Amtrak power problems.

The Amtrak police force abides by local procedures for handling cases in which an individual appears to be a threat to himself or others. At 30th Street Station, we would abide by the Philadelphia police force's procedures. Rick Remington Amtrak spokesperson

Amtrak's board of directors has selected Anthony R. Coscia as its new chairman. Coscia, 53, of North Caldwell, N.J., is a real estate finance attorney who previously served as chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Coscia, appointed to the nine-member Amtrak board by President Obama in 2010, replaces fellow Democrat Thomas C. Carper, of Illinois, whose term expired Saturday.  

Here we go again. Just a few months ago, the Congress rejected President Reagan's proposal to eliminate Amtrak, and he is back with the same idea. For whatever reason, the President seems obsessed with the desire to abolish Amtrak. The Inquirer's Dec. 16 editorial calling the selling of Amtrak a "fiscal fantasy" is right. Amtrak provides a vital service to our country, and by all means it should be continued in its present form. Amtrak and its employees have, since its inception, continuously improved service and productivity.

Amtrak wants a federal judge to invalidate the 39-m.p.h. speed limit set by Pennsauken on trains passing through the township. The National Railroad Passenger Corp., which operates Amtrak, sued the township Friday, arguing that federal regulations regarding train speeds supersede any state or local laws. Concerned about public safety in the wake of plans to build the so-called Gamblers' Express train line between Philadelphia and Atlantic City, Pennsauken passed an ordinance on Oct. 27, 1986, imposing the 39-m.

With highways clogged and gas prices soaring, U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy (D., Pa.) sees Amtrak as a commuting option for his Bucks County constituents who work in New York. Amtrak, however, does not share Murphy's view. The financially strapped national railroad sees its limited Northeast Corridor seats as best utilized by full-fare spot travelers, not daily commuters paying discounted monthly rates. Yesterday, those philosophies were set on a possible collision course when Murphy amended a funding bill to force Amtrak to consider increasing stops and lowering fares for riders using Bucks County's only Amtrak station.

SEPTA has put on hold the emergency alternative service plan it had developed in anticipation of a strike Wednesday against Amtrak by the Brotherhood of Maintenance & Way Employes. "With Amtrak and the BMWE agreeing yesterday to a one-week extension of the Wednesday 12:01 a.m. strike deadline, we have suspended for the time being implementation of the plan," said Stephan Rosenfeld, SEPTA assistant general manager of public affairs. Plans to begin passing out pamphlets this morning at SEPTA regional rail stations to commuters on the R1 Airport, R2 Newark/ Wilmington, R5 Downingtown/Paoli, R6 Cynwyd, R7 Trenton and R8 Chestnut Hill lines have been suspended as well.

SOMETIMES in government, it takes more than words to bring about change. Earlier this month, President Bush, frustrated that Congress had not moved on his proposed reforms to the passenger rail system, said that subsidies for Amtrak should be eliminated starting Oct. 1. Since then, something interesting has happened: lawmakers, journalists and citizens are starting to talk seriously about the future of passenger trains in America. Many have been critical of the changes the president and I have proposed.

Amtrak set another ridership record for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, carrying 31.2 million passengers. Ridership was up 3.5 percent from the previous year, while ticket revenue grew by 6.8 percent to a record $2.02 billion. The ridership record was the ninth in the last 10 years. The national railroad, created in 1971 after private railroads went bankrupt, required a federal subsidy of $1.42 billion for operating costs, capital expenses and debt-service. That was down from $1.48 billion in 2011 and $1.57 billion in 2010.

The Bush administration has now put bankruptcy of America's national railroad near the top of its to-do list. The White House plan to dismantle Amtrak and replace it with a system of poorly funded state railroad systems represents a desperate, dangerous policy that ignores the need for more - not less - rail travel as motorists face skyrocketing gas prices. America does need to consider whether rail service can be made more viable in rural and other areas where motoring or flying is preferred.

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - The commuter train derailment and collision that left dozens injured outside New York City was not the result of foul play, officials said Saturday, adding that a fractured section of rail is being studied to determine whether it is connected to the accident. The crash damaged the tracks and threatened to snarl travel in the Northeast Corridor. The crash also caused Amtrak to suspend service between New York and Boston. National Transportation Safety Board member Earl Weener said Saturday that the broken rail is of substantial interest to investigators and a portion of the track will be sent to a lab for analysis.

Amtrak faces a "crisis of success," unable to keep up with the growing demand for service on the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak president Joseph Boardman says. "We've used up the legacy capacity of the existing railroad while further depleting its infrastructure assets, leading us to a major coming investment crisis that, without a solution, will mean strangled growth and deteriorating service," Boardman told a Senate committee Wednesday. Amtrak, setting ridership records every year, needs about $2 billion annually for upkeep and growth on the corridor, far more than the $260 million a year it has been spending, Boardman said in calling for a long-term federal plan for funding the railroad.

DESPITE its program of informational "safety blitzes" at stations where rail trespassing is frequent, SEPTA rail deaths are up so far this year from six in the first quarter of 2012 to eight in 2013. Overall, they have climbed from 10 (two confirmed suicides) in 2010 to 14 (six suicides) in 2011 to 15 (two suicides) in 2012. New Jersey Transit, on the other hand, has seen a dramatic decline in accidental rail deaths, from 14 in 2010 to nine in 2011 to one in 2012 and one so far in 2013.

The Obama administration will weigh 15 alternatives for improved passenger rail service between Boston and Washington, ranging from modest upgrades to a new high-speed Northeast Corridor that would allow trips between Philadelphia and New York City in about 40 minutes. The 15 "preliminary alternatives" were unveiled Tuesday by the Federal Railroad Administration. The FRA plans to come up with a single "preferred alternative" by mid-2015, complete with cost estimates and possible construction schedules.

After 100 years of watching trains pass without stopping, Philadelphia Zoo officials are trying to restore passenger rail service to the zoo. A new study proposes a SEPTA station at 34th Street and Mantua Avenue, a short walk from the zoo's south entrance. Although the zoo was built on its West Philadelphia site in 1874 partly because of handy rail access, the original Zoological Garden station at 34th Street and Girard Avenue closed in 1902, a victim of Pennsylvania Railroad expansion.

The Obama administration will weigh 15 alternatives for improved passenger rail service between Boston and Washington, ranging from modest upgrades to a new high-speed Northeast Corridor that would allow trips between Philadelphia and New York City in about 40 minutes. The 15 "preliminary alternatives" were unveiled Tuesday by the Federal Railroad Administration. The FRA plans to come up with a single "preferred alternative" by mid-2015, complete with cost estimates and possible construction schedules.

In the Region A.C. to hold fantasy-sports tourneys   New Jersey will allow casinos in Atlantic City to run fantasy sports tournaments this year after an attempt to legalize betting on professional and college games in the state was blocked by a federal judge. New Jersey's Division of Gaming Enforcement announced temporary regulations that will allow the casinos to accept entry fees and pay out winnings for fantasy sports games. The regulations will run for 270 days starting on April 22 with the intention of becoming permanent, according to the announcement.

Amtrak's board of directors has selected Anthony R. Coscia as its new chairman. Coscia, 53, of North Caldwell, N.J., is a real estate finance attorney who previously served as chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Coscia, appointed to the nine-member Amtrak board by President Obama in 2010, replaces fellow Democrat Thomas C. Carper, of Illinois, whose term expired Saturday.  

A person was struck and killed by an Amtrak train Tuesday night in Bucks County, an agency spokeswoman said. The person, whose gender and age were unavailable, was hit by a southbound Acela train 2175 around 10 p.m. in the area of SEPTA's Croydon Station, said Amtrak spokeswoman Vernae Graham. Service remained disrupted between Trenton and Philadelphia at 11:30 p.m., Graham said. Police and the Bucks County coroner were investigating the death. - Robert Moran