On tap: Booze still allowed on Amtrak in New Hampshire
Riders on an Amtrak train that runs from Maine to Boston can continue buying alcoholic beverages during the 35-mile stretch of the trip that goes through New Hampshire as officials work out a โcreative solutionโ to avoid violating a state liquor law.
In a leaky underwater rail tunnel, workers race against time
Amtrak workers perform tunnel repairs to a partially flooded train track bed, Saturday, March 20, 2021, in Weehawken, N.J. With a new rail tunnel into New York years away at best, Amtrak is embarking on an aggressive and expensive program to fix a 110-year-old tunnel in the interim. On a recent Saturday morning, workers used heavy machinery to clear away chunks of the tunnel floor after rails and wooden ties had been removed. โIf we had a new tunnel we wouldnโt be spending anything on it,โ Amtrak Chairman Anthony Coscia said. On a broader scale, it must keep the tunnel operating reliably for years until a new tunnel is built and the old one can be closed for a complete overhaul. Against that backdrop, a funding dispute between local lawmakers and the administration for former President Donald Trump stalled the new tunnel project for four years.
Buttigieg to quarantine after security agent gets COVID-19
WASHINGTON โ Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will quarantine for 14 days after a member of his security detail tested positive Monday for the coronavirus. The agent had been โin close contactโ with Buttigieg, including Monday morning prior to the agentโs positive result, the Transportation Department said in a statement. Following contact tracing protocols, the department said it determined that one other person in the security detail had also been in โclose contactโ with the agent and will also quarantine for 14 days. AdโWe will continue to prioritize safety as the foundation of everything we do,โ Buttigieg told department employees in an email message last week. โWe know itโs the appropriate measure for international travel, people traveling into the U.S.,โ partly because of the threat of virus variants from other countries, Buttigieg told CNN.
'A long two days': Major storm pummels Northeast with snow
Although the heaviest parts of the storm had moved through the metropolitan area by Monday evening, lighter snow showers were expected to continue virtually all day Tuesday, forecaster James Tomasini said. โWeโre looking at a long two days here,โ New York Gov. Across the Northeast, many coronavirus vaccination sites closed Monday. AdHundreds of flights and many trains and were canceled, and aboveground New York City subway service stopped at 2 p.m. In recent days, a storm system blanketed parts of the Midwest, with some areas getting the most snow in several years.
Unions: Passenger rails need better security, no-ride list
FILE - In this Jan. 1, 2021 file photo, The Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge overlooks the newly-completed Moynihan Train Hall in New York. Two major railroad workers unions have asked the Department of Homeland Security to beef up security on Amtrak and other passenger rail lines, including by creating a no-ride list akin to the no-fly list that prevents people identified as risks from boarding planes. โ Two major railroad workers unions have asked the Department of Homeland Security to beef up security on Amtrak and other passenger lines, including by creating a no-ride list akin to the no-fly list that prevents people identified as risks from boarding planes. Ferguson, of SMART-TD, acknowledged there would be a cost to creating a no-ride list, but he said it should be minimal considering that officials would simply be sharing the existing no-fly list with railroads. The unions also asked the Federal Railroad Administration to require more security, but that agency declined to intervene Thursday because the Department of Homeland Security has jurisdiction over such matters.
1 dead, 1 injured in train crash in Channelview, HCSO says
CHANNELVIEW, Texas โ An Amtrak train crashed into an SUV on Wednesday in Channelview, according to Harris County Sheriffโs Office. According to deputies, the railroad arms were activated and there were two cars stopped at the crossing. The SUV went around the waiting cars and the approaching passenger train struck the vehicle. Preliminary info: the RR arms were activated. There were two cars stopped at the crossing, a 3rd car went around the waiting cars and the activated RR arms, the approaching passenger train struck the car.
NYC begins registering travelers at COVID-19 checkpoints
Mayor Bill de Blasio is asking travelers from 34 states, including Florida where COVID-19 infection rates are high, to quarantine for 14 days after arriving in the city. Authorities said this week a fifth of all new coronavirus cases in New York City have been from travelers entering the city from other states. Despite the specter of fines, the checkpoints are more educational than punitive, and officials acknowledged the effort relies on voluntary compliance. The campaign was criticized for sowing confusion and raising questions about how travelers' personal information would be retained. He said officials have made more than 86,000 phone calls and sent more than 20,000 text messages to travelers entering New York City from states with high coronavirus infection rates.
Amtrak train collides with cement truck in Liberty County
HOUSTON โ Officials are investigating after an Amtrak train collided with a cement mixing truck in the Eastgate area of Liberty County, according to the Liberty County Sheriffโs Office. The wreck happened just after 1 p.m. and the driver of the truck was hospitalized with minor injuries, according to the LCSO. Amtrak officials say the train involved in the wreck is one that operates three times a week between Los Angeles and New Orleans. There were 78 passengers and 12 crew members on board at the time of the crash. โThere were no injuries aboard the train to our customers or our crew,โ Amtrak officials wrote in a statement to KPRC 2.