U.S., Santa Fe’s El Capitan And Amtrak’s Texas Eagle: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Editor’s Note: This is another in a series of commentaries by Russ Jackson, the distinguished retired editor of the Western…

Continue Reading →

U.S., Montana, Amtrak: Beyond The Surface Facts Of The Empire Builder Derailment

By J. Bruce Richardson, Corridor Rail Development Corporation; September 26, 2021 Another grim reminder of how dangerous the railroad business…

Continue Reading →

U.S., MoPac And Amtrak Missouri River Eagle History: It Went North/South And East/West All At The Same Time, Part II

By David Peironnet, Guest Commentator; September 24, 2021 Missouri Pacific Railroad’s Missouri River Eagle went north/south and east/west all at…

Continue Reading →

U.S., MoPac And Amtrak Missouri River Eagle History: A Workhorse Train That Won The Day, Part One

By David Peironnet, Guest Commentator; September 17, 2021 Not many people remember Missouri Pacific Railroad’s Missouri River Eagle. Certainly not…

Continue Reading →

U.S., History And Modern Thinking: Railroad Robber Barons And Conservatives And Passenger Trains

By J. Bruce Richardson, Corridor Rail Development Corporation; August 11, 2021 There are two articles floating around railroad-interested social media…

Continue Reading →

U.S., From Streamliners To Amtrak: How To Define Passenger Train Luxury

By J. Bruce Richardson, Corridor Rail Development Corporation; May 26, 2021 One thoughtful reader of this space recently commented on…

Continue Reading →

U.S., From Santa Fe To Amtrak Texas Chief History, Part Three: Why There Was An Inglorious End To A Proud And Busy Workhorse Train

By David R. Peironnet, Guest Commentator; May 19, 2021 Amtrak’s management team on May 1, 1971 was dominated by people…

Continue Reading →

U.S., Florida, Virginia and Tennessee: The Sad Beginning For Intentionally Planning Too Small Amtrak Stations

By J. Bruce Richardson, Corridor Rail Development Corporation; May 17, 2021 All diseases start somewhere, and Amtrak’s Too Small Station…

Continue Reading →

U.S., From Santa Fe To Amtrak History: Texas Chief, Part Two; A Few Personal Observations From Having Worked That Train In The Santa Fe/Amtrak Transition Period

By David R. Peironnet, Guest Commentator; May 13, 2021 Following the advent of Amtrak, the Texas Chief remained a fine…

Continue Reading →

U.S., Amtrak’s Silver Star versus JetBlue From Florida to Washington, D.C.

Editor’s Note: Here’s a fun story – the typical train versus plane comparison – about a father and daughter on…

Continue Reading →

U.S., Florida: The Butchering Of Tampa Union Station

By J. Bruce Richardson, Corridor Rail Development Corporation; May 6, 2021 The Federal Railroad Administration and Amtrak have been butchering…

Continue Reading →

U.S., Newton, Kansas: Superliner IIIs And The Year 2026

By Andrew Selden, Guest Commentator; April 26, 2021 Newton, Kansas – July 9, 2026 Train 23, the Grand Canyon, but…

Continue Reading →

U.S., St. Louis And Kansas City History: Huge, Beautiful Union Stations, But Today Amtrak Offers Just A Shadow Of Past Service

By J. Bruce Richardson, Corridor Rail Development Corporation; April 19, 2021 We all have become conditioned to think that Chicago…

Continue Reading →

U.S., France: Banning Planes For Trains; Think Twice

By J. Bruce Richardson, Corridor Rail Development Corporation; April 14, 2021 Word has come the French – known for great…

Continue Reading →

U.S., Washington And Virginia: Long Bridge Crisis Solved; A New Passenger Train Bridge Is Coming

By J. Bruce Richardson, Corridor Rail Development Corporation; April 6, 2021 Just about everyone knows the alleged plight of Amtrak’s…

Continue Reading →

U.S., Amtrak Cardinal History: Just Sold By CSX, ‘George Washington’s Railroad’ Was Impressive

By J. Bruce Richardson, Corridor Rail Development Corporation; March 31, 2021 Hyperbole was nothing new for competitive railroads in the…

Continue Reading →

U.S., Amtrak History: 22 Years After Dr. Adrian Herzog Wrote How to Save Amtrak, They Still Struggle

By J. Bruce Richardson, Corridor Rail Development Corporation; March 25, 2021 The following excerpts are from an article published in…

Continue Reading →

U.S., The Sunset Limited History: From Southern Pacific’s Premier Train to Amtrak’s Stepchild

By J. Bruce Richardson, Corridor Rail Development Corporation; March 22, 2021 The Sunset Limited, often treated as Amtrak’s “stepchild,” is…

Continue Reading →

U.S., Terminal Stations History: California Zephyr, City of San Francisco and San Francisco Chief

By J. Bruce Richardson, Corridor Rail Development Corporation; March 19, 2021 Enjoying the history of the California Zephyr, City of…

Continue Reading →

U.S., Rock Island and Southern Pacific to Amtrak History: Traveling From Chicago to Los Angeles

By J. Bruce Richardson, Corridor Rail Development Corporation; March 9, 2021 Amtrak’s Texas Eagle is a dependable train which provides…

Continue Reading →

U.S., Growth Strategy: Franchising Amtrak Train Stations

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on corridorrail.com in May of 2018. By Andrew C. Selden, Guest Commentator; February 19,…

Continue Reading →

U.S., Amtrak and Brightline South Florida History: Two Railroads, Two Very Different Results for Stations

Editor’s Note: This story was originally written in early 2019 and was updated today. By J. Bruce Richardson, Corridor Rail…

Continue Reading →

U.S., Wabash, Union Pacific and Amtrak History: A Tale of Two Cities, Part Three

By David R. Peironnet, Guest Commentator; February 12, 2021 A Tale of Two Cities Wabash/Union Pacific City of Saint Louis…

Continue Reading →

U.S., Amtrak History: Routes That Have Come and Gone, Part Five, Plus What May Have Been a Large Factor Killing Passenger Trains

By J. Bruce Richardson, Corridor Rail Development Corporation; January 29, 2021 Part Five Amtrak is 50 years old this May.…

Continue Reading →

U.S., C&NW History: Two Brutes, Resting in Chicago Side by Side

By J. Bruce Richardson, Corridor Rail Development Corporation; January 21, 2021 It’s a cold, snowy winter’s day in Chicago in…

Continue Reading →