Amtrak CEO Hopes to Restore Full Service by Tuesday

The company is set to release more information soon.

Emergency personnel work the scene of a train wreck, Tuesday, May 12, 2015, in Philadelphia. |Photo by Joseph Kaczmarek/AP

Emergency personnel work the scene of a train wreck, Tuesday, May 12, 2015, in Philadelphia. |Photo by Joseph Kaczmarek/AP

Speaking at the site of Tuesday’s deadly train derailment, Amtrak CEO Joe Boardman announced that limited service will be available along the Northeast Corridor by Monday, and he hopes to restore full service by Tuesday.

That will be quite a relief to business travelers who have been forced to make other arrangements as rail travel has been stifled between New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

An Amtrak rep told me the company will be releasing more detailed information later this afternoon. In a tweet, the company said that a schedule and updates for its Northeast Corridor routes will be available at Amtrak.com around 7 p.m. tonight.

Meanwhile SEPTA has announced that there is no timetable for resuming operations on the Trenton Regional Rail line. It will enhance service in West Trenton to alleviate some of the travel burden.

After the crash, Amtrak stopped service between Philadelphia and New York. It’s offering modified service between Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Philadelphia, and New York and Boston.

Rail travel is crucial to many business people on the East Coast. In fact, there were 11.6 million passengers in the Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington in fiscal year 2014 alone. Many see it as a faster, more expedient mode way to travel. Driving means high fuel costs and an inability to be productive during the trip. Flying means wasting time getting to an airport, going through security, then travel from the airpot to a city center.

Another option is traveling by bus. Greyhound added 10 additional schedules between New York and Philadelphia, and six more between New York and Washington, D.C. Amtrak customers can trade their unused tickets for Greyhound tickets free of charge. BoltBus and Megabus are also options.