Amtrak plans to restore
six more high-speed train runs between Boston and Washington
tomorrow, reaching almost half of the regular schedule as repairs
continue on cracked locomotive shock-absorber brackets.
With the additions, the passenger railroad will operate 23
Acela Express trips a day on the route, spokesman Clifford Black
said. The trains, which can reach 150 miles an hour, have a
regular schedule of 50 daily runs.
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Two more of the 18 Acela trains have been repaired, for a
total of seven in operation by tomorrow. Amtrak hopes to have more
of the trains back in service next week to handle an expected rise
in business travel after Monday’s Labor Day holiday, Black said.
“Any addition that gets us closer to normal service is good
news,” said Scott Leonard, assistant director of the National
Association of Railroad Passengers advocacy group.
Amtrak has counted on the Acela trains, built by Canada’s
Bombardier Inc. and France’s Alstom SA, to boost sales and cut
losses that reached a record $1.17 billion last year. The railroad
needed a $205 million July bailout to avert a shutdown and keep
going until Sept. 30. Amtrak wants $1.2 billion for the next
fiscal year, more than double its current $521 million subsidy.
Black said he couldn’t provide an estimate of lost sales or
ridership from the Acela disruptions. Amtrak hasn’t set a date for
full restoration of the high-speed service.
“It’s important for them to be as close to normal as
possible after Labor Day when business picks up and Congress
returns,” Leonard said.
Bloomberg News
