Northeast Corridor

Amtrak was awarded $450 million on Monday for major improvements that will make Philadelphia-to-New-York trains the fastest in the country. The money was part of $2 billion for high-speed rail projects awarded Monday by the U.S. Department of Transportation, after the new governor of Florida rejected the money earlier this year. In addition to the Amtrak funding, $345 million was awarded to Northeastern states for projects designed to speed travel in the heavily traveled Boston-to-Washington corridor.

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.

These days, there is a lot of gloomy talk when the words Amtrak and federal budget are mentioned in the same breath. Some politicians in Washington favor a rapid reduction in taxpayer spending on the rail-passenger system. To remain solvent, Amtrak has been forced this year to reduce the frequency of some trains. But if there is any part of Amtrak's nationwide network where officials believe it is mandatory to try to improve service, it is the Northeast Corridor. And while nothing is certain yet about how much federal funding Amtrak will get for the 1996 fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1, Amtrak officials say service in the Northeast for the foreseeable future will be largely unaffected by any budget cuts.

Home to 56.3 million people, the nation's capital, and powerful financial, media and academic institutions, the Northeast region produces 20 percent of America's GDP and 27 million jobs, but is only 2 percent of the nation's landmass. The mega-sprawlopolis is most clearly defined by the intensity of its sky glow at night, light pollution symbolic of the profligate energy consumed by short-haul flights and millions of automobiles. Amtrak owns and operates the Northeast Corridor from Washington to Boston.

The Northeast Corridor, 456 miles of track between Washington and Boston, is the most heavily traveled section of rail in the country, carrying more than half of Amtrak's passengers. It's also the deadliest. On Jan. 4, 1987, a northbound Amtrak passenger train blasted into a Conrail train, killing 16 and injuring 175. Last week, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded after a year- long investigation that the collision was caused by the "impairment from marijuana" of the engineer and brakeman of a Conrail locomotive that went through three warning signals before pulling into the path of the Amtrak train.

Amtrak customers who hate listening to obnoxious passengers booming into their cell phones can take heart - the railroad has expanded its "quiet car" program under which one car on Northeast Corridor trains is designated as a no-cell-phone car. The railroad announced this month that on weekdays the policy has been extended to all but three trains. The quiet cars usually will be the first coach car behind the locomotive. On weekends, no quiet cars are available. Amtrak first tried the concept in January 2000.

Amtrak hopes to make train service on its Northeast and Keystone corridors faster and more reliable with 70 new locomotives ordered from Siemens Mobility for $466 million. Siemens Mobility, a division of the German electronics and transportation giant Siemens AG, said Friday that it would assemble the locomotives at its light-rail manufacturing plant in Sacramento, Calif., with some components produced in plants in Norwood, Ohio, and Alpharetta, Ga. The first "Amtrak Cities Sprinter" locomotives, based on Siemens' "EuroSprinter" locomotives in service in Europe and elsewhere, are scheduled to be delivered in 2013.

Amtrak officials today unveiled a vision for true high-speed service along the Northeast Corridor, with trains that could travel between Philadelphia and New York in 38 minutes. The proposed new high-speed service between Washington and Boston, with trains that could travel at 220 miles per hour, would require its own dedicated tracks and a new route north of New York away from the congested seacoast, said Amtrak president Joseph Boardman. The proposed high-speed system would cost about $117 billion and take up to 30 years to complete, according to Amtrak's proposal.

Amtrak unveiled its version of the French bullet trains yesterday, speeding up travel starting in October for passengers in the Northeast corridor. For Philadelphians, "Acela," the new $2 billion train service that will go as fast as 150 mph, primarily chops travel time between here and Boston. The high-speed takes four hours, 28 minutes to Boston, which is two hours, 11 minutes faster than the Metroliner. The trips to Washington and New York are only minutes less than their current times.

Amtrak is seeking $1.3 billion in federal funds for major improvements to the heavily traveled Northeast rail corridor, including $450 million to make Philadelphia-to-New-York trains the fastest in the country, the passenger railroad service said Monday. A recent decision by the new governor of Florida to reject federal money for high-speed rail development there made it possible for Amtrak to seek the high-speed-rail funding. The $450 million sought for the Philadelphia-New York stretch would pay for signal and track upgrades, improved power substations and overhead wire systems to increase capacity, and boost speeds between Morrisville and New Brunswick, N.J. The changes would allow Amtrak to increase service between New York and Philadelphia and increase the speed of trains on part of the route to 160 m.p.h.

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.

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.

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.

A pedestrian was struck and killed by an Amtrak Acela Express train Thursday in Sharon Hill, an Amtrak spokeswoman said. The Acela was carrying 162 passengers and crew as it left Philadelphia at 12:10 p.m., bound for Washington. The accident occurred about 10 minutes later. No injuries were reported aboard the train, the spokeswoman said. Amtrak service was delayed about 30 minutes along the Northeast Corridor between Philadelphia and Wilmington as trains were routed onto a single set of tracks.

Amtrak and SEPTA was delayed or suspended south of Philadelphia as investigators this afternoon probed the death of a trespasser struck on the tracks. An unidentified person was struck by an Amtrak Acela Express about 12:20 p.m. in Sharon Hill, Delaware County, said an Amtrak spokeswoman. Amtrak service was delayed about 30 minutes along the Northeast Corridor between Philadelphia and Wilmington as trains were routed onto a single set of tracks. SEPTA service on the Wilmington-Newark Line was temporarily suspended.

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.

By Bob Previdi Whether you are an environmentalist, a train enthusiast, or just someone who wants fast, efficient transportation between major cities, there seems to be agreement that the United States must find a better way to bring high-speed rail service to the Northeast. The University of Pennsylvania and Amtrak have some bold ideas on the subject. But the price tag just for Amtrak's proposals - $117 billion over 30 years - has raised concerns from Rep. John Mica (R., Fla.)

Twelve of the 16 SEPTA railcars stuck in Trenton during Hurricane Irene will be sidelined for weeks as water damage is repaired, SEPTA officials said Tuesday. Caught by the unexpected rise of a creek that was "not on our radar screen," SEPTA rail operations managers realized too late that the trains could be in harm's way. They say they will shuffle cars in SEPTA's 365-car fleet to deal with the shortage created by the missing 12 on the Trenton line. The rapid rise of the Assunpink Creek, which flows next to the tracks near the Trenton station, left 16 SEPTA cars stranded.

Twelve of the 16 SEPTA railcars stuck in Trenton during Hurricane Irene will be sidelined for weeks as water damage is repaired, SEPTA officials said Tuesday. Caught by the unexpected rise of a creek that was "not on our radar screen," SEPTA rail operations managers realized too late that the trains could be in harm's way. They say they will shuffle cars in SEPTA's 365-car fleet to deal with the shortage created by the missing 12 on the Trenton line. The rapid rise of the Assunpink Creek, which flows next to the tracks near the Trenton station, left 16 SEPTA cars stranded.