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“Summer by Rail” Train and Bike Blogger Checks Out Chicago Infrastructure
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 in getting around without having to rely on driving.
May 18, 2016
Amtrak’s Hiawatha Line to Milwaukee Is Launching Roll-On Bike Service
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.
May 2, 2016
House Votes to Slash Amtrak Funding Just Hours After Horrible Crash
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.
May 13, 2015
Union Station Study Will Look at Ways to Increase Capacity, Fight Congestion
This morning, local politicians heralded $7 million in new funding for a terminal planning study and service development plan that will help increase capacity at Chicago’s 90-year-old Union Station and on the rail lines that lead to it. This comes in addition to the $12 million that Amtrak pledged back in January for rehabbing the historic terminal. The city of Chicago eventually hopes to work with the United States Department of Transportation, the state of Illinois, Metra and Amtrak to undertake a complete overhaul of the station, which would take several years and cost an estimated $500 million.
April 10, 2015
Oil-Laden Freight Trains Delaying Amtrak, Commuter Trains Across U.S.
Oil production is booming across North America, as new technologies make it possible to extract liquid crude oil from sources like the Bakken shale oil field in North Dakota and Montana, or Alberta's tar sands. The ever-increasing volume of crude oil mined in remote Great Plains locations often finds its way to refineries via "rolling pipelines" – freight trains that tow a million barrels of oil around the United States every day. Production of Bakken crude has tripled over the past three years, and 79 percent of it is shipped out by rail.
August 14, 2014
Leave Traffic Behind With These 6 Car-Free, Carefree Beach Trips
If, like me, you optimistically view the summer as lasting until September 22, we’ve got more than five more weeks of beach season left. Still, time is running out for fun in the sun, so you should make a beeline for the shoreline as soon as possible. While people often gripe that Chicago has limited access to natural beauty, our city’s status as a rail hub actually makes it easy to reach the beach without a car.
August 13, 2014
Amtrak to Begin Welcoming Bikes on Long-Distance Routes
The nation's intercity passenger rail service just got a lot bike-friendlier.
June 24, 2014
Amtrak’s Boarding Procedure Brings the Stress of Airports to Trains
While intercity and long-distance train travel is on the rise in the United States, Amtrak could still do a lot more to improve the customer experience and boost ridership further.
December 2, 2013
Smaller Cities Propel Amtrak Ridership to a New High
It's been another year of ridership growth for Amtrak, despite the difficulties caused by Hurricane Sandy in the Northeast. In fiscal year 2013, the nation's intercity rail service saw its 10th ridership increase in 11 years, carrying a record 31.6 million passengers [PDF].
October 15, 2013