Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about Amtrak

With new Amtrak service to the Quad Cities moving forward, can't you almost taste the Quad Cities-style pizza? Photo: Martha Williams, Time Out Chicago

Federal FAST Act Commitments Secured for Amtrak Route to the Quad Cities, and More

By John Greenfield | Jun 27, 2019 | 1 Comment

Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth got the Federal Railroad Administration to agree to expediting the Quad Cities project, as well as getting other federal officials to renew their commitment to eliminating traffic fatalities.

Midwest Amtrak Routes Will Get More Bike-Friendly With Onboard Racks

By John Greenfield | Jun 7, 2019 | 7 Comments

Vertical bike racks are coming to all state-supported routes in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana, starting in mid-2020.

Metra Electric trains during the Polar Vortex. Photo: Jeff Zoline

Recent Metra-pocalypses Are a Wake-up Call That We Need Better Transit Funding

By John Greenfield | Mar 5, 2019 | 18 Comments

If the multiple service disruptions, culminating in last week's Union Station fiasco, don't convince lawmakers that our transit system needs an overhaul, nothing will.

An Amtrak train pulls into Glenview Station. Photo: Jeff Zoline

Glenview is Spending More Than Half a Million to Oppose Amtrak’s Hiawatha Expansion

By John Greenfield | Jan 22, 2019 | 36 Comments

Is it an understandable move, or just absurd NIMBYism?

Amtrak’s Midwestern Service Got More User-Friendly This Summer

By John Greenfield | Aug 7, 2018 | 13 Comments

Upgrades include easier transfers, students discounts, and bike- and pet-friendly service.

A highly realistic rendering of Musk's "electric pod" proposal. Image: Jonathan Roth

City Announces Competitors for O’Hare Express, Including Noted Transit Hater Elon Musk

By John Greenfield | Feb 7, 2018 | 17 Comments

Three other teams are also in the running to build the controversial luxury service.

Photo: Pierce County Sheriff's Office via the Urbanist

STREETSBLOG USA

What the Amtrak 501 Derailment Says About America’s Failure to Prevent Train Crashes

By Angie Schmitt | Dec 19, 2017 | No Comments

While the investigation is just beginning, initial reports indicate that the train entered a tight curve at too high a speed.

Bringing a bike on board a Blue Water train. Image: MDOT

A Car-Free Road Trip on Amtrak’s Blue Water Line Hits a Speed Bump

By John Greenfield | Aug 29, 2017 | 13 Comments

The last-minute cancelation of bike-on-board service left us scrambling to make other plans.

“Summer by Rail” Train and Bike Blogger Checks Out Chicago Infrastructure

By John Greenfield | May 18, 2016 | No Comments

National Association of Railroad Passengers intern Elena Studier is taking a 38-day-trip around the country on Amtrak with her bicycle to document the current state of the U.S. passenger rail system and its connectivity with cycling. It’s a timely journey, since we’re now living in an era when an increasing number of Americans are interested […]

Amtrak’s Hiawatha Line to Milwaukee Is Launching Roll-On Bike Service

By John Greenfield | May 2, 2016 | 10 Comments

It just keeps getting easier to combine bike and train trips in Chicago. Last month, after years of lobbying by advocates (including Streetsblog’s Steven Vance) the South Shore Line, which runs between Chicago and South Bend, Indiana, finally launched a bikes-on-board pilot. Now Amtrak, which already allows unboxed bikes on all routes within Illinois (reservations […]

STREETSBLOG USA

House Votes to Slash Amtrak Funding Just Hours After Horrible Crash

By Angie Schmitt | May 13, 2015 | No Comments

Just hours after seven people were killed and hundreds injured in an Amtrak derailment near Philadelphia, the U.S. House voted to cut funding for the passenger rail service. Early reports suggest the derailment was caused by excessive speed — exactly the type of crash that could be avoided with a new safety system that Amtrak is in […]

Load more stories