Man Charged in Connection With Amtrak Depot Fire in Mississippi

A Mississippi man has been charged with arson in connection with a fire that damaged the Amtrak station in McComb, Mississippi.

Markez Belmont Smith, 20, of McComb was taken into custody earlier this week.

The fire caused extensive damage to the more than a century old depot, but local officials believe the basic structure can be salvaged.

McComb is served by Amtrak’s City of New Orleans, which operates between Chicago and its namesake city.

The station was built in 1901 by the Illinois Central Railroad.

Fire Damages Mississippi Amtrak Station

A former Illinois Central Railroad Station in Mississippi that is still used by Amtrak was damaged by fire this week.

The fire in the station in McComb occurred in the north end of the depot where a local history museum has its offices and archives.

News reports indicated the station, which was built in 1901, was on fire when the southbound City of New Orleans arrived for its station stop.

McComb fire chief Gary McKenzie estimated 90 percent of the museum’s artifacts were located in the building’s south end and could be saved. McKenzie expressed confidence that the depot’s basic structure could be salvaged.

The station had been renovated in 1998 and has housed a museum since 2001.

Stairway Project to Affect Fullerton Station

A stairway replacement project at the Amtrak station in Fullerton, California, will result in passengers having to use an elevator to cross the tracks for the next several months.

The project, which is being undertaken by the Orange County Transportation Authority, in coordination with Metrolink, involves replacement of the stairs to the pedestrian walkway over the tracks at the Fullerton Transportation Center.

Work was expected to begin with the staircase on the platform north of the tracks, then move to the south.

Elevators will be operational between 4 a.m. and 11 p.m. daily. The project is expected to be completed by late 2021.

Palm Springs Station Temporarily Closed

Damage caused by sandstorms has led to the temporary closing of the Amtrak station in Palm Springs, California.

In a service advisory, Amtrak said the storms caused sand drifts near the station, which resulted in unsafe conditions.

The advisory said Amtrak is working with host railroad Union Pacific to repair the station area as soon as possible.

Palm Springs is served by the tri-weekly New Orleans-Los Angeles Sunset Limited.

Penn Station Renovation Outlined

New York officials have revealed options to redevelop New York Penn Station as part of the proposed $16 billion Empire Station Complex.

Amtrak, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and New Jersey Transit are working to together to establish a plan to unify the separate railroads’ concourses into one space.

This project would new tracks and platforms to accommodate growing ridership, expected to increase by 54 percent to 830,000 daily users by 2038.

The first step in project is to rebuild the station’s existing Penn Station layout. That would involve  creating a central atrium and giving NJ Transit some space now used by Amtrak.

However, officials said they are also considering creating an open, single-level concourse that would eliminate all low ceiling heights.

This work would simplify entry and exit routes from trains and the street level while also creating new large circulation areas bigger than the Great Hall of Grand Central Terminal.

Grant Awarded for Kirkwood Station Renovation

A $1.5 million grant has been made for renovations of the Amtrak station in Kirkwood, Missouri.

The funding came from the East-West Gateway Council of Governments. The grant will enable the City of Kirkwood and the Historic Kirkwood Train Station Foundation to renovate the former Missouri Pacific depot.

Work in the $4.6 million project will include a new roof, heating and cooling system, ADA-compliant restrooms, and a covered station platform.

Thus far about $2.3 million has been raised for the project. The foundation continues to raise money on a  GoFundMe page. Construction is expected to begin in 2024.

Kirkwood, a suburb of St. Louis, is served by the St. Louis-Kansas City Missouri River Runners

Parking Changes Made at Holdrege Station

Construction at the Amtrak station in Holdrege, Nebraska, has resulted in changes in parking.

Workers have completed rebuilding an interim accessible platform in Holdrege but passengers boarding trains there will need to park in the city parking lot north of the train station.

The lot can be accessed from 3rd Avenue with an entrance west of East Avenue. The lot is free and has no time limit.

Holdrege is served by Amtrak’s Chicago-San Francisco Bay California Zephyr.

LA Station Restrictions Set for Academy Awards Show

Amtrak passengers will see some changes at Los Angeles Union Station over the next few weeks.

The main entrance from Alemeda Street has been closed in preparation for using a portion of the station as a host site for the Academy Awards ceremony to be held April 25.

Access to the station for passengers and visitors will be through the Vignes Street entrance.

Also affected are the ticketing Hall, waiting room, and north and south patios.

The leather and walnut chairs of the waiting room have been moved to the center section of the passenger concourse.

Amtrak’s Metropolitan Lounge remains open and Los Angeles Metro says it anticipates no changes to transit service except for some bus reroutes in the Union Station area.

Thruway buses will be relocated from the station bus bays to the area known as the Greyhound bus stop at the west end of the station in front of the Metropolitan Water District.

The buses will operate from the second floor of the station, near parking lot D.

Thruway bus passengers are being advised to gather in the waiting lobby to be led to their bus.

The changes will remain in place through April 27 with additional significant restrictions being imposed April 24-25.

The station is one of two sites that will host the 93rd Academy Awards.

On the Point in Miami

Amtrak SDP45 No. 645 is in position to lead the northbound Silver Star out of Miami on Dec. 13, 1979. At Auburndale, Florida, the Miami section will combine with the St. Petersburg, Florida, section of the Star before continuing its journey to New York.

The New York-Miami trains were among the last in the Amtrak long-distance network to be pulled by SDP40F locomotives.

When this image was made many long-distance runners had been turned over to F40PH and P30CH locomotives.

Elevators Out of Service at 2 Amtrak Stations

Elevators at Amtrak stations in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, and Marshall, Texas, were reported to be out of service.

No date was given in an Amtrak service advisory for when either elevator would be back in service.

At Mount Joy the elevators lead to the boarding platforms. Passengers requiring an elevator should board at Elizabethtown station, approximately seven miles away or Lancaster, approximately 11 miles away.

The service advisory said the closet alternative boarding site for Marshall, which is served by the Chicago-San Antonio Texas Eagle, is Longview, approximately 30 minutes west of Marshall.