Amtrak

[Oc4526]

It appears Amtrak 108 is assigned to the Maple Leaf (Seen on a Virtual Railfan webcam in Fairport NY) 

[smallspy]

1 hour ago, Oc4526 said:

It appears Amtrak 108 is assigned to the Maple Leaf (Seen on a Virtual Railfan webcam in Fairport NY) 

It's been assigned to the Maple Leaf since the first revenue train last week.

Dan

[KenrichYT]

A little late on this but
 

 

[81-717]

I've been browsing tickets for the Maple Leaf out of curiosity (no immediate plans to book right now), and I'm a bit confused by the "multiple trains", "Segment 1 & 2", and the arrival/departure times (departs Canadian border at 10:37, but departs Niagara Falls NY at 12:17, nearly 2 hrs later). Is the 2-hr delay at the border simply due to passengers going through customs, not because they'd have to change trains?

[smallspy]

5 hours ago, 81-717 said:

I've been browsing tickets for the Maple Leaf out of curiosity (no immediate plans to book right now), and I'm a bit confused by the "multiple trains", "Segment 1 & 2", and the arrival/departure times (departs Canadian border at 10:37, but departs Niagara Falls NY at 12:17, nearly 2 hrs later). Is the 2-hr delay at the border simply due to passengers going through customs, not because they'd have to change trains?

That's correct, the time delay is due to the process at Customs. You don't have to change trains at the border, although you will be asked to get off and then return after.

 

Dan

[KenrichYT]

https://media.amtrak.com/2022/08/amtrak-cascades-resumes-service-to-vancouver-bc/

[140 Southshore]

Ahead of a potential freight railroad strike, Amtrak has suspended service on all long-distance routes, and it's possible all routes outside the Northeast Corridor will be impacted.

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/amtrak-cancels-all-long-distance-service-nationwide-over-looming-rail-strike/3865423/

[Michael Marriott]

Cascades service resumed to Vancouver, BC today:

[Oc4526]

Acela set #5 passed by the Fairport NY VR Cam this afternoon (Video feed available for 12 hrs if you want to rewind ) 

 

[Shaun]

https://mlive.com/news/2022/10/passengers-flee-train-during-19-hour-ride-from-michigan-to-chicago.html

AMTRAK was not having a good day. I wonder why they had so much trouble getting the two trains to couple together? 

Any idea what the original issue was? And why they would continue to carry passengers onboard when there is a HEP power faliure?

[GojiMet86]

The new Amtrak Airo:

 

[Oc4526]

Here’s the Official release from Amtrak.com. 
Introducing Amtrak AiroTM, a Modern Passenger Experience
 

17 hours ago, GojiMet86 said:

The new Amtrak Airo:

 

 

Edited December 15, 2022 by Oc4526
Added official sources

[Oc4526]

2 hours ago, Oc4526 said:

Here’s the Official release from Amtrak.com. 
Introducing Amtrak AiroTM, a Modern Passenger Experience
 

 

Found this on Amtrak Cascades FB page.  
 

Quote

Exciting News! New trainsets are coming in 2026. We’re keeping our evergreen and mocha color scheme with Mt. Hood and Mt. Rainier in the design. See how they'll look both inside and out at: https://bit.ly/3Bzw1Yr
More details available at: wsdot.wa.gov/about/news

 

[D40LF]

23 hours ago, Oc4526 said:

Found this on Amtrak Cascades FB page.  
 

 

I wonder how many sets Amtrak will be getting. Also yesterday, and off-topic, Ontario Northland announced they are getting three sets.

[smallspy]

12 hours ago, D40LF said:

I wonder how many sets Amtrak will be getting.

They've been saying 83 sets for some time now. What hadn't been known until recently was how many of them would also come with or without locomotives.

- 26 6-car sets w/locos and capable of operating under catenary. These will operate on the NEC and beyond.

- 32 8-car sets w/locos and capable of operating under catenary. These will operate on the NEC and beyond.

- 17 6-car sets w/locos and equipped with batteries for electrified operation. These are primarily for the Empire corridor, plus some other north-eastern locales.

- 8 6-car sets without locos or any other special equipment. These are for the rest of the intercity network (i.e. Cascades).

 

Dan

[Viafreak]

Would those sets intended for the Maple Leaf/Adirondack/Vermonter make into Canada? It would have the added bonus of eliminating the engine change in Albany for those trains. If that is the case, we have a few years left of seeing GE powering passenger trains into Toronto and Montreal.

 

[smallspy]

12 hours ago, Viafreak said:

Would those sets intended for the Maple Leaf/Adirondack/Vermonter make into Canada? It would have the added bonus of eliminating the engine change in Albany for those trains. If that is the case, we have a few years left of seeing GE powering passenger trains into Toronto and Montreal.

The sets destined for the Empire Corridor service would continue on to Toronto and Montréal, yes.

 

Dan

[Trimetwes Fan1003]

On 12/17/2022 at 4:26 AM, smallspy said:

They've been saying 83 sets for some time now. What hadn't been known until recently was how many of them would also come with or without locomotives.

- 26 6-car sets w/locos and capable of operating under catenary. These will operate on the NEC and beyond.

- 32 8-car sets w/locos and capable of operating under catenary. These will operate on the NEC and beyond.

- 17 6-car sets w/locos and equipped with batteries for electrified operation. These are primarily for the Empire corridor, plus some other north-eastern locales.

- 8 6-car sets without locos or any other special equipment. These are for the rest of the intercity network (i.e. Cascades)

What about trainsets for the Hartford Line/Valley Flyer? Surly they don't need full 6-8 car trains for those services.

[smallspy]

20 hours ago, Trimetwes Fan1003 said:

What about trainsets for the Hartford Line/Valley Flyer? Surly they don't need full 6-8 car trains for those services.

Any of the trains that run-though from the Hartford Line onto the greater NEC would use these trainsets, specifically the ones designed to operate on the NEC.

The rest of the equipment used in that service is provided by the State of Connecticut/ConDot, who have their own tender for new equipment out.

 

Dan

[Oc4526]

From Amtrak Cascades FB page 

 

Quote

EXCITING NEWS! On March 7, a second Amtrak Cascades daily roundtrip will begin connecting Vancouver, BC to 13 train stations throughout western Washington and onto Portland. Train 517 will leave Vancouver about 6:45 am, arriving in Seattle about 11:00 am and in Portland about 3:00 pm. Train 518 will leave Portland about 3:00 pm, arriving in Seattle about 6:30 pm and in Vancouver about 11:00 pm. These trains were suspended during the pandemic and their resumption is widely anticipated. Tickets go on sale in February, when exact schedules also will be announced

 

 

[Trimetwes Fan1003]

On 12/22/2022 at 6:12 AM, smallspy said:

Any of the trains that run-though from the Hartford Line onto the greater NEC would use these trainsets, specifically the ones designed to operate on the NEC.

The rest of the equipment used in that service is provided by the State of Connecticut/ConDot, who have their own tender for new equipment out.

 

Dan

It would be nice if they were to get DMUs for the Hartford Line/Valley Flyer trains, rather then engine pulled trains.

[smallspy]

9 hours ago, Trimetwes Fan1003 said:

It would be nice if they were to get DMUs for the Hartford Line/Valley Flyer trains, rather then engine pulled trains.

While they are still in the discussion phase of the tender, it does not sound like that is in the cards.

Dan

[Trimetwes Fan1003]

FLIRT 200 for Amtrak hydrogen sets

 

[Oc4526]

An update on the Adirondack service
Amtrak's Adirondack train is returning to action in 2023

 

 

[Oc4526]

On 2/19/2023 at 10:38 AM, Oc4526 said:

An update on the Adirondack service
Amtrak's Adirondack train is returning to action in 2023

 

 

And it’s now official.