Happening Now
Hotline #700-A
December 24, 1991
Thousands of travelers were delayed last night after a fire at Philadelphia 30th Street Station halted all Amtrak and commuter trains there for several hours. This morning, trains were running normally except that commuter trains ran through non-stop because their upper-level platforms -- located above where the fire was -- were filled with debris. Also, highway access to the station was limited as a result of the firefighters' efforts. SEPTA hopes that commuter trains will be stopping at 30th Street by the morning of December 26. Last night, Amtrak and its contractors' cleaning crews reportedly worked heroically to permit normal service this morning, cleaning up the mess except that big fans were still in evidence, blowing out the smoky smell. The fire broke out at 5:00 pm yesterday and was confined to the old bowling alley in back of the ticket office and between the ladies' and men's restrooms. It had been used by contractors as a staging area. Minor smoke damage reached up to the 5th floor of the north towe
"On behalf of Amtrak’s onboard service staff, I want to thank the Rail Passengers Association for honoring their hard work with this award. The past couple years have indeed been difficult for Amtrak onboard service staff – coping with furloughs and job insecurity, adapting to changing protocols and services, not to mention the unfortunate events such as a tragic derailment and a fatal shooting. Nevertheless, our dedicated members at Amtrak have handled these hurdles with the care, attention and diligence for which they’re known. We thank Rail Passengers for their acknowledgement of our members’ hard work and, as always, look forward to seeing you on the rails."
Arthur Maratea, TCU/IAM National President
December 21, 2021, on the Association awarding its 2021 Golden Spike Award to the Frontline Amtrak Employees.
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