After Virginia loss, Amtrak wins one
Amtrak got its share of bad publicity lately when it lost the contract to operate Virginia Railway Express trains to a French company. Now, with a big win under its belt, Amtrak spokesman Steve Kulm thinks it's only proper that the media recognize its successes.
Happy to, Steve.
Amtrak, which lost its contract with Southern California's Metrolink system in 2005, has regained that business and will take over operations of its commuter trains next July. The nation's largest passenger rail company reached an agreement on a four-year contract, with a possible two three-year extensions, with the Southern California Regional Rail Authority.
In 2005, the SCRRA decided to dump Amtrak in favor of Veolia Transportation. That didn't work out so great for the Metrolink system. In 2008, a Veolia engineer who was later found to have been texting while on the job ran a signal and collided with a Union Pacific freight train. The crash killed 25 people, including the engineer. Metrolink has been dealing with the legal and public relations fallout ever since.
