Amtrak

Amtrak said it will operate a modified schedule on Northeast Corridor trains Sunday because of damage, debris and delays leftover from the storms of Friday night and early Saturday morning. Service between Philadelphia and Washington was stopped for a time on Saturday because of trees falling on tracks and power lines, but service was restored later in the day. Repairs and debris removal will continue Sunday, so passengers should expect delays, especially between Baltimore and Washington.

A person was struck and killed today by northbound Amtrak train in Claymont, Del. Danelle Hunter, an Amtrak spokeswoman, said the person was hit about noon by a train en route to Boston from Richmond, Va., with 429 passengers on board. Due to the fatality, Amtrak was operating on only one track through the area, causing delays of 30 to 45 minutes. Trains on SEPTA's Wilmington/Newark line also were experiencing delays of about 20 minutes.

The Christie administration, which killed a trans-Hudson rail tunnel because of fears of cost overruns, will pay its "fair share" of a proposed Amtrak tunnel project linking New Jersey and New York City, Christie's transportation chief said Friday. The payment would probably be a user fee to share the tunnels that Amtrak proposes as part of its $14.5 billion Gateway project, state transportation commissioner James Simpson said. Simpson, in Voorhees to address the Chamber of Commerce of Southern New Jersey, declined to predict how much of the cost New Jersey would be willing to shoulder.

All aboard as Amtrak celebrates the 5th annual National Train Day on Saturday at 30th Street Station. The Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale will perform at 11 a.m. During the celebration, kids can rock out at the celebration's Ernie and Neal concert and also visit the AmtraKids Depot, where there will be giveaways and prizes. Visitors can take tours of private trains and Amtrak equipment. Amtrak ambassadors will discuss their experiences working with the trains. French chef Michael Richard will give cooking demonstrations.

As Amtrak continues to set ridership records, chief executive Joseph Boardman said Wednesday that new rail tunnels to New York are "critical" to meeting growing passenger demand. Amtrak is seeking $35 million this year to advance plans for its $13.5 billion Gateway proposal to increase rail service on the Northeast corridor by adding two tunnels under the Hudson, replacing the century-old Portal Bridge near Newark, and expanding Pennsylvania Station in New York. The Gateway project, which Amtrak hopes to complete by 2025, is a key part of Amtrak's effort to increase capacity on the overloaded Northeast corridor.

A Birdsboro man was jailed Friday after being charged with cutting signal lines and attempting to steal copper wire from an Amtrak rail line in West Whiteland Township, Chester County. James F. Martin, 40, was jailed after he was unable to post $75,000 bail following a preliminary arraignment in Phoenixville District Court. He was charged with theft by unlawful taking, risking catastrophe, criminal trespass, and related counts, according to court records. He was spotted by an Amtrak repair technician about 1 p.m. at the Whitford Rail Station in Exton.

Question: We recently traveled on Amtrak's California Zephyr from Chicago to Sacramento. It was not a good experience. When we entered the sleeper bedroom, it was readily apparent that the visual depiction on the Amtrak website was a gross exaggeration. The condition of the car was very poor. We soon realized that the latch on the bathroom door had a problem. When my wife tried to operate the latch from inside the bathroom, she found that she was trapped. The door could be opened only from the outside.

In the Region Fed notes signs of economic growth An informal business survey by the Federal Reserve shows the final weeks of 2011 were the U.S. economy's strongest since it appeared to be slipping toward recession in late spring. For the Philadelphia region, according to the Fed's so-called Beige Book, manufacturing grew modestly, holiday retail sales generally increased, and car dealers reported strong sales growth. But, banks, real estate, and service-sector firms planned for slow growth in 2012, and many voiced concerns over the lack of a housing recovery, Europe's economic woes, and indecision on federal budget issues.

Amtrak may lay off nonunion workers to cut costs and increase funding to such projects as an upgraded reservations system, a spokesman said. Amtrak last month offered voluntary buyouts to management employees and is still reviewing the results. If the railroad decides it needs additional savings, it will begin "involuntary separations" for some management employees, spokesman Steve Kulm said. The railroad has about 3,000 nonunion workers in its 20,500-person workforce. Although Amtrak ridership has set records for eight of the past nine years, federal funding for rail operations was cut by Congress for the fiscal year that started Oct. 1. And all money for high-speed rail projects in the fiscal year was eliminated.