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Amtrak changes schedule in the Northeast Corridor due to heat
Amtrak passengers traveling in the Northeast Corridor, between Washington and Boston, should check the rail service’s app or online site for schedule changes, with modifications already in play this summer due to the heat.
Departure times of trains in the corridor have been adjusted to compensate for anticipated heat order delays, Amtrak Northeast said Tuesday in a post on X.
The notice from the passenger rail service comes as climate change contributes to the severity of storms around the world. In the U.S., at least 23 people have died in holiday weekend storms in five states.
Passengers traveling in the Northeast Corridor should expect delays from 5 to 20 minutes when track owner and maintainer CSX issues a heat order reducing the maximum speed of trains. The orders frequently occur between May and August, Amtrak said.
More than 70% of the miles traveled on Amtrak trains are on tracks owned by other railroads, including CSX. The company’s network includes about 20,000 miles of track in 26 states, the District of Colombia and two Canadian provinces.
More scheduling information can be found at Amtrak.com, on its mobile app or by calling or texting: 1-800-872-7245.
Extreme heat poses safety risk
Extreme heat can hinder operations and pose safety hazards by causing rail, bridges and overhead power wires to expand, prompting restrictions on train speeds during warmer months, according to Amtrak.
Amtrak requires locomotive engineers not to exceed 100 miles per hour when the rail temperature reach 131 degrees, and to slow to 80 miles per hour when the tracks is at 140 degrees. Nearly half of its trains operate at top speeds of 100 miles per hour or greater, and its high-speed intercity passenger rail trains operate at speeds up to 150 miles per hour, Amtrak said.
Nearly 29 million people rode Amtrak in fiscal 2023, a roughly 25% jump from the prior year, fueled in part by significant growth in the Northeast Corridor, where ridership consistently exceeded pre-pandemic levels from early summer, Amtrak noted.
A federally chartered corporation, Amtrak operates as a for-profit company rather than a public agency.
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
CBS Philadelphia
Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.