Amtrak cut service during the pandemic, but restoring it has been difficult owing to labor shortages exacerbated by layoffs, retirements and Covid outbreaks among staff. As the city, state, and nation emerge from the pandemic, Amtrak must restore popular routes that remain suspended.
Safety advocates are demanding action following an Amtrak derailment that could have been prevented if policymakers had funded the basic infrastructure and policy changes that safety hawks have been recommending for decades.