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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.
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Former New York Gov. David Paterson, stepson attacked while walking in New York City
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.