Senator Kennedy hails Amtrak contract settlement

By Peter Howe, Globe Staff

Amtrak and the passenger railroad's union have reached a contract settlement, averting a strike that could have crippled rail transportation in Boston, Senator Edward M. Kennedy said this morning.

Details weren't immediately available. Amtrak employees have been working without a contract for eight years.

"The settlement that's been achieved is an extraordinary achievement that will benefit all the members of the Amtrak community -- the employees, the company, the passengers, and the entire country," Kennedy said in a prepared statement.

Amtrak employees could have gone on strike Jan. 30, a move that would have snarled MBTA commuter rail trains that operate into Amtrak-operated South Station.

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